Lakof, Robin. "Ebonics- It's Chronic." The Language War.
1. "A 'validated study' normally is one that has been replicated, and the results of both original and later research published in a recognized and refereed journal withing a relevant professional field. But no studies meeting those criteria ever demonstrated, or claimed, what the first cited paragraph says 'validated scholarly studies demonstrate.'"
I really liked this quote just because it showed one of many unclear or untrue points in the resolution written by OSB. Lakof has a knack for disproving many different things by means of linguistics.
2. "When you make a statement that you suspect may have controversial aspects; when you make this statement publicly; when you are a member of a minority community; when you represent 'education'- it is incumbent upon you to be clear and precise; to use words in their ordinary acceptations, in accord with the practice of the community whose 'scholarship' (a word used entirely too often in the resolution) you are appropriating."
This has so much truth in it. All officials need to make sure everything they say has a solid point and can't be interpreted too many different ways before it is said. If something unclear is said, it is open to be interpreted many different ways.
3. "'I am absolutely thrilled at the Oakland school district's choice of ebonics of the language of choice in the classroom,' says one, in the December 21 Chronicle. 'I expect that very shortly we will see New York punks being taught in Brooklynese, Georgia rednecks in Ya'allonics, Valley girls in Bimbonics, chronic nerds in Siliconics, and farm boys in Rubonics. But what most of us need to keep up with the bureaucrats is a thorough understanding of Moronics.' It pains me to report that the writer is from Berkeley."
Although this isn't said by Lakof, I found this hilarious. This goes to show that the writer thinks Ebonics is definitely a dialect and not a language.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Friday, November 9, 2007
Language: The Power We Love to Hate, Part Two
1. "Moreover, when public persons say something, in an informational situation like a press conference, the assumption is that what they say will be 'interesting.' It will be informative, it will say or suggest things we don't know or haven't thought of" ("Language" 28).
I really liked this because I found it so true. When some high up official speaks, people stop and listen so intently like he or she is going to announce the next best thing since sliced bread. Although these people do have powerful positions, I can guarantee that some highly paid person is streaming together words to make it sound like the most amazing thing, when it's really just a combination we didn't think of.
2. "In the metaphorical melting pot, you and I might eventually merge. In the newer metaphorical 'mosaic' or 'salad,' the boundary between I and you remains distinct. So even if all of us spoke English (and worse luck yet, it appears that all of us don't!), we cannot expect to 'understand' one another" ("Language" 39).
Absolutely loved the sarcasm when she says that all of America obviously doesn't speak English. Also how she used an analogy that everyone can relate to.
3. "Language is not 'just words.' It enables us to establish our selves, and ourselves, as individuals and as members of groups; it tells us how we are connected to one another, who has power and who doesn't" ("Language" 41).
I thought this was a very good statement to end the chapter. The whole ending paragraph in general is genius because it is so true. Language does define who "we" are, through any artistic form. Even those that can't speak use language; it is a common thread that binds everyone together.
I really liked this because I found it so true. When some high up official speaks, people stop and listen so intently like he or she is going to announce the next best thing since sliced bread. Although these people do have powerful positions, I can guarantee that some highly paid person is streaming together words to make it sound like the most amazing thing, when it's really just a combination we didn't think of.
2. "In the metaphorical melting pot, you and I might eventually merge. In the newer metaphorical 'mosaic' or 'salad,' the boundary between I and you remains distinct. So even if all of us spoke English (and worse luck yet, it appears that all of us don't!), we cannot expect to 'understand' one another" ("Language" 39).
Absolutely loved the sarcasm when she says that all of America obviously doesn't speak English. Also how she used an analogy that everyone can relate to.
3. "Language is not 'just words.' It enables us to establish our selves, and ourselves, as individuals and as members of groups; it tells us how we are connected to one another, who has power and who doesn't" ("Language" 41).
I thought this was a very good statement to end the chapter. The whole ending paragraph in general is genius because it is so true. Language does define who "we" are, through any artistic form. Even those that can't speak use language; it is a common thread that binds everyone together.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Language: The Power We Love to Hate
"Language: The Power We Love to Hate." (17-26).
1. "It [story] acquires 'legs.' It shows up night after night on TV-in purportedly hard-news venues; on infotainment shows; on TV talk shows; on late-night shows; on the magazine shows. It turns up on radio talk shows as hearers call in with empurpled opinions; it occupies the front pages of newspapers and newsmagazines. We talk about it spontaneously. Serious people may deride our fascination, but we are not ashamed" "Language" 18).
I really liked this quote because it is so true. Think about all of the celebrities that end up on TV every single night. When Britney Spears shaved her head bald, programs were interrupted to show this "serious" event. It's crazy to think of the things that are considered important enough to show on prime-time news, including Britney Spears.
2. "What we know of it we know through carefully selected words, images that tell us what we ought to think and believe we know" ("Language" 20).
This quote, describing what the world perceives an economy to be, really jumped out at me because it is completely true. Any intangible object is engraved into one's mind by the definition old white men gave it a long time ago. By having this definition for an intangible object, there is no room for anyone to have a creative imagination.
3. "The absence of apology was itself an act of hostility, and no doubt was intended to be read as one, albeit a slightly cowardly one, in avoiding explicit expressions of aggression, while taunting the target to attack" ("Language" 15).
I really enjoyed this part of the article because it talked about a real life event that language really took a big part in. Firstly, I love the author's sarcastic tone of voice in this quote. Secondly, I thought it was very interesting how Bush used his lack of language to force Hussein into war with us without using hostile words. The lack of aggressive words does not mean the lack of aggression, which is the opposite of what Bush was trying to do. He tried to use his lack of words to make America look like the good guy. Typical American politics- using words to completely change the meaning of a situation.
1. "It [story] acquires 'legs.' It shows up night after night on TV-in purportedly hard-news venues; on infotainment shows; on TV talk shows; on late-night shows; on the magazine shows. It turns up on radio talk shows as hearers call in with empurpled opinions; it occupies the front pages of newspapers and newsmagazines. We talk about it spontaneously. Serious people may deride our fascination, but we are not ashamed" "Language" 18).
I really liked this quote because it is so true. Think about all of the celebrities that end up on TV every single night. When Britney Spears shaved her head bald, programs were interrupted to show this "serious" event. It's crazy to think of the things that are considered important enough to show on prime-time news, including Britney Spears.
2. "What we know of it we know through carefully selected words, images that tell us what we ought to think and believe we know" ("Language" 20).
This quote, describing what the world perceives an economy to be, really jumped out at me because it is completely true. Any intangible object is engraved into one's mind by the definition old white men gave it a long time ago. By having this definition for an intangible object, there is no room for anyone to have a creative imagination.
3. "The absence of apology was itself an act of hostility, and no doubt was intended to be read as one, albeit a slightly cowardly one, in avoiding explicit expressions of aggression, while taunting the target to attack" ("Language" 15).
I really enjoyed this part of the article because it talked about a real life event that language really took a big part in. Firstly, I love the author's sarcastic tone of voice in this quote. Secondly, I thought it was very interesting how Bush used his lack of language to force Hussein into war with us without using hostile words. The lack of aggressive words does not mean the lack of aggression, which is the opposite of what Bush was trying to do. He tried to use his lack of words to make America look like the good guy. Typical American politics- using words to completely change the meaning of a situation.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Bad Comma; Lynne Truss's strange grammar.
Source:
Menand, Louis. "Bad Comma: Lynn Truss's Strange Grammar." The New Yorker 28 June 2004: 102-4.
Quotes and Observations:
1. "An Englishwoman lecturing Americans on semicolons is like an American lecturing French on sauces. Some of Truss's departures from punctuation norms are just British laxness. In a book that pretends to be all about firmness, though, this is not a good excuse. The main rule in grammatical form is to stick to whatever rules you start with, and the most objectionable thing about Truss's writing is its inconsistency" (Menand 102).
I liked the analogy with the Englishwoman and French. I found it somewhat ironic because Truss's original audience wasn't the Americans, it was the British.
2. "Using the relatively small number of symbols on the keyboard, you can record, store, and communicate a virtually infinite range of information, and encode meanings with virtually any degree of complexity. The system works entirely be relationships- the relationship of one symbol to another, of one word to another, of one sentence to another. The function of most punctuation-commas, colons and semicolons, dashes, and so on- is to help organize the relationships among the parts of a sentence. Its role is semantic: to add precision and complexity to meaning. It increases the information potential of strings of words" (Menand 103).
I found this part of the article very informative because although the audience is not given Truss's exact opinion on grammar, the author of this article states precisely how he feels about the need for punctuation.
3. "There are writers loved for their humor who are not funny people, and writers admired for their eloquence who swallow their words, never look you in the eye, and can't seem to finish a sentence. Wisdom on the page correlates with wisdom in the writer about as frequently as a high batting average correlates with a high I.Q.: they just seem to have very little do do with one another" (Menand 104).
Although there may be some truth to this statement, if I were a baseball player, I would be offended. By this statement, the author somewhat puts himself down because he is making an offensive statement about writers, which he is. Also, in formal writing, isn't a grammar rule not to use contractions?
Menand, Louis. "Bad Comma: Lynn Truss's Strange Grammar." The New Yorker 28 June 2004: 102-4.
Quotes and Observations:
1. "An Englishwoman lecturing Americans on semicolons is like an American lecturing French on sauces. Some of Truss's departures from punctuation norms are just British laxness. In a book that pretends to be all about firmness, though, this is not a good excuse. The main rule in grammatical form is to stick to whatever rules you start with, and the most objectionable thing about Truss's writing is its inconsistency" (Menand 102).
I liked the analogy with the Englishwoman and French. I found it somewhat ironic because Truss's original audience wasn't the Americans, it was the British.
2. "Using the relatively small number of symbols on the keyboard, you can record, store, and communicate a virtually infinite range of information, and encode meanings with virtually any degree of complexity. The system works entirely be relationships- the relationship of one symbol to another, of one word to another, of one sentence to another. The function of most punctuation-commas, colons and semicolons, dashes, and so on- is to help organize the relationships among the parts of a sentence. Its role is semantic: to add precision and complexity to meaning. It increases the information potential of strings of words" (Menand 103).
I found this part of the article very informative because although the audience is not given Truss's exact opinion on grammar, the author of this article states precisely how he feels about the need for punctuation.
3. "There are writers loved for their humor who are not funny people, and writers admired for their eloquence who swallow their words, never look you in the eye, and can't seem to finish a sentence. Wisdom on the page correlates with wisdom in the writer about as frequently as a high batting average correlates with a high I.Q.: they just seem to have very little do do with one another" (Menand 104).
Although there may be some truth to this statement, if I were a baseball player, I would be offended. By this statement, the author somewhat puts himself down because he is making an offensive statement about writers, which he is. Also, in formal writing, isn't a grammar rule not to use contractions?
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