Analysis of the English Language http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/ class blog for Engl 3601 en Copyright 2011 Sat, 06 May 2006 08:30:34 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.31-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Attention: Job Opportunities at The Wake Student Magazine ATTENTION!!!!

The Wake Student Magazine is hiring now for next fall! The positions available are: Managing Editor, Campus Editor, Voices Editor, S+V Editor, Literary Editor, Editorial Assistant (2), Senior Staff Writers (2), Staff Writers, Distributors (2), Copy Editors (2), Designer, Senior Staff Photographer, Advertising Executive, Advertising Interns, PR Interns, and Office Manager. Applications and more information is available at www.wakemag.org. Application deadline is April 26th! You may contact The Wake through e-mail at office@wakenews.org with questions.

]]> http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/attention_job_opportunities_at.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/attention_job_opportunities_at.html Mon, 17 Apr 2006 15:27:23 -0600 Talking with Power While reading “The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why� I came across a few topics that interested me. Though I found interesting the study about how women and men are brought up and how this upbringing affects their language, I found it more fascinating how regions affect the way people interact and thusly affect how they are received by others.

I was raised in Texas and it is indeed a more easy-going world down there. When interacting with people like the example of the Texan in the book, I too have found myself sometimes waiting for meetings to get over with or for people to stop talking. However, many people say I should be more assertive and squeeze into the conversation if I have something quick to say. The way I was brought up, though, is that when you need to talk to people that are talking you go up to them and if they want your input they will stop the conversation when it is their turn and ask you what you need. And, if something needs to be said, waiting for others to finish is exactly what you do without complaint; interrupting is extremely rude and to this day I find myself incredibly frustrated when people try to barge into conversations—even if I have nothing to do with the conversation or do not even know the people at all.

On another note, something I wondered about as I read the author’s synopsis of childhood interactions between girls and between boys is why do we act like that as children? Why do boys look to a leader and why do girls look to all be equal? This goes beyond the realm of linguistics but it is indeed something to think about; the author never offered up any explanation to this for he was more interested in the linguistics, naturally. I guess it is biological after all.

The last part of the article that I found compelling is when the author brought up the matter of compliments. So many times that “ritual� gets tiresome. It is kind of like the Seinfeld episode where Elaine’s annoying co-worker asks Elaine how she is doing and Elaine says she is doing okay. Then the co-worker waits around for Elaine to ask her how she is doing and when Elaine finally does with annoyance the co-worker just erupts with feedback about how she is doing…and Elaine does not even care. Some rituals, such as the compliment ritual, are entered into with a risk, and people need to realize this. Not everyone is going to be nice and repay you with a compliment even if you did compliment them. Go in with confidence or not, but do not be disappointed if what you seek is not waiting for you on the other side of the dilapidated rope bridge across the perilous divide between response and silence.

]]> http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/talking_with_power.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/talking_with_power.html Tue, 18 Apr 2006 23:02:53 -0600 Klingon: Jargon or Language? I used to have a class with a fellow who spoke and wrote in Klingon.

No, seriously, I was leaving class last night, and I wondered:

Is Klingon a language, since I would not understand a word of it?

Or is it all jargon, since it was created especially to be understood only by others "in the know" and does not have a geographical center, recognition from any government (though I am just assuming here), or function as ANYONE's L1.

What do y'all think?

]]> http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/klingon_jargon_or_language.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/klingon_jargon_or_language.html Wed, 19 Apr 2006 10:47:54 -0600 Caribbean English/language I myself would like to know more about the history or anything about the language used in the Caribbean. This is building off the discussion started by the girl (I'm sorry I can't remember your name!) who talked about her experiences in St. John's, and I thought about the stories my friend told me about his visit to Jamaica and the way language worked there. Or, I don't know if anyone has seen the movie "Meet Joe Black" with Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins? There's scenes where Pitt (who's Death) talks to a Jamaican woman and it's really tough to follow along. I guess then is "Jamaican English" (for lack of a better term) a dialect or a type of Creole? This question could apply to any other place in the Caribbean, as it appears there are places like St. John's where the situation is analagous.

p.s. sorry if this post is unclear...basically I'm interested in how the langauge in the Caribbean has changed and adapted over time, given that in that location there was/is such a blending of Spanish, French, English, and African languages

]]> http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/caribbean_englishlanguage.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/caribbean_englishlanguage.html Wed, 19 Apr 2006 22:52:08 -0600 penguins steal rocks Penguins not only steal rocks from their neighbors, but the Sphensicus family also make nests from their own, ah, poop. That being said, I really enjoyed the Oaks readings. I have to agree that language is essentially impossible to separate from concept, and a conspicuous effort in any civil rights movement is often getting control of the language. Look at how identity terms for African-Americans have evolved. The "n-word" was banished in favor of the now quaint "negro/" when this became perjorative, it gave way to "afro-American." This gave way to the simpler, but inaccurate "black." Now "reformed" language is back to hyphens with "African-American," while young urban black men have ignored the whole thing and greet each other as "n*gger." I attended a workshop recently with VJ Smith, president of the local chapter of Mad Dads, who has observed friction between these young men and members of the civil rights generation who point out that they risked their lives to get rid of that word. One of the distinctions with feminist efforts to reform language is that they are dealing with pronouns. These are not less important than titiles perhaps, but they are more entrenched and more subtle. Finnish, interestingly, has a genuinely neutral second-person singular pronoun, "han," which is genuinely gender neutral. Oops, I mean 3rd person singular!

]]> http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/penguins_steal_rocks.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/penguins_steal_rocks.html Fri, 21 Apr 2006 17:38:58 -0600 "Rituals" The article “The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why�, brought up numerous issues that affect not only the corporate world, but also general communication. Previously to returning to the U of MN I managed a fairly large size department at a major financial institution. In addition to the general responsibilities of management comes a constant struggle on what is the best way to communicate with employees.
As the article highlighted I found that women are generally more receptive to compliments and feedback that is done in a reassuring manner, whereas men prefer straightforward feedback, however there are exceptions to this, and as you get to know your employees each of their preferences is reveled, thus giving you insight into the best linguistic style to communicate with each employee.
If men and women are socialized to use different linguistic styles to communicate, and are using these styles in both the business world, and in their personal lives, this article is a wonderful example of why men and women often have difficulties communicating.
If a wife asks her husband if he would mind taking out the garbage, and he replies with “no�, the wife’s expectation is that he doesn’t mind, and will subsequently take the garbage out, however the husband may have thought he was simply answering a question (no he wouldn’t mind), rather than responding to a request for immediate action. It seems to me that we can learn a lot from one another’s linguistic styles that would greatly assist in making communication with all that we come in contact with much smoother, with less chance for confusion, frustration, or hurt feelings.

]]> http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/rituals.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/rituals.html Fri, 21 Apr 2006 21:28:22 -0600 Miscommunication in the workplace In the article "The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why", Deborah Tannen brings up some interesting points about how people communicate and why. Although I did not agree in whole with all of the authors arguments and over generalizations, I did agree with the conclusion of the paper, that men and women communicate differently. Some of the examples in the article seemed a little too contrived merely to express the bottom line, but nevertheless I still agreed with the conlusion. I have never really come into this problem at my workplace, but I still can see how this type of communication problem can occur. I think that the article needs to extend this problem not only as one that arises between men and women, but also as one that arises between those that communicate differently period. Managers and those alike that have power status at a workplace need to recognize that different people communicate differently and that in order to have a smooth work place one needs to adapt to how they communicate.

]]> http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/miscommunication_in_the_workpl.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/miscommunication_in_the_workpl.html Sun, 23 Apr 2006 10:23:20 -0600 Week 14 PPT and a Few Other Links Download file

The following is a semi-useful web intro to varieties of world Englishes, if you are interested.
Varieties of World English

Also, I'd like you to browse around a bit on the following two websites, just to get a feel for what the official Engish movement has to say.
US English, Inc
ProEnglish

]]> http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/week_14_ppt_and_a_few_other_li.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/week_14_ppt_and_a_few_other_li.html Mon, 24 Apr 2006 11:16:32 -0600 Written Language Changes Too We have talked a little in these few weeks about language change, and this is one thing I thought about while reading chapter twelve in Finnegan. As I looked at the graphs and diagrams, especially figure 12-2, the “Evolution of Cuneiform Writing From Pictograms� on page 422, it was so interesting to see one symbol or pictogram being modified in many different ways and evolve into a written form of language that carries meaning. Similar to how spoken language changes over time, from Old English to e-mail and internet talk, words change and take on new meaning. This is also seen in writing systems where symbols and pictograms eventually evolve into an alphabet and graphic symbols that represent a phoneme. I never thought of writing as an evolving, changing part of language, yet it went through a birthing process and changing period just like spoken language, and totally separate from spoken language. It is so amazing to look at the Rosetta Stone and see how language can be developed from the history we have of the remnants of language. Now there is a new Rosetta Stone that will be mass produced on mini disks and information will be available on the internet for other linguists and the public to see.

I also found the argument in Oaks interesting about linguistics being used as a tool for literary criticism. I have never thought of using linguistic methods to analyze literature due to the fact that I always thought linguistics picks apart the language without realizing more than what is seen on the phonetic level. Yet, the article in Oaks showed how linguistics can be helpful in literary criticism and provide different viewpoints and information for the critic. I now realize that many of the things I have learned and studied in this class will affect my own literary studies, and I don’t think this hinders my literary thought, but enhances what I know about the language and the usage to greater understand the literature.

]]> http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/written_language_changes_too.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/written_language_changes_too.html Wed, 26 Apr 2006 17:02:08 -0600 Creativity of the English Language The creativity in writing is found in the many types of writing. The ones in use today are syllabic, logographic, and alphabetic. I was interested by Chapter 12: Writing and the Creatvity found behind writing. While speech has been around for many, many years, writing is a far more recent invention. Starting out only as pictures, progressed into writing and all the styles or writing. The creativty and intelligence behind the many different styles is amazing enough, but I also find it unblievable the ability the different pictures, symbols and letters have been analzyed and rearched. I think that this chapter helps to put an emphasis on the history of language and writing. so many changes have beeen made over time, through cultures. Understanding the different stages of writing and the different developments can be analyzed through the culture and history of language.

]]> http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/creativity_of_the_english_lang.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/creativity_of_the_english_lang.html Fri, 28 Apr 2006 16:25:34 -0600 Not saying what I write is art... The Finegan chapter regarding written language sparked an interesting thought for me. Finegan wrote about appreciating the marvel of the written language and I began to also think about the physical act of writing. Physically writing something can in fact be a form of art. More than just the words themselves but the actual images being drawn - like how caligraphy is beautiful not for the words being written but for the amazing intricacy in which they're crafted. Having studies Japanese for about a year in high school I was able to get a taste of how respected the art of calligraphy is for that culture.

What I wonder is if computers, and typewriters before them, are destroying this art form. I'm not going to say that I think me writing something out by hand is a thing of beauty or some kind of art, but I think the appreciation for such things is lost when people don't use it anymore. At the same time, in this age a handwritten letter takes on an amazing level of significance. If you handwrite someone a note it means you really care.

As the chapter pointed out, written language is much younger than its spoken counterpart. It makes me wonder about typed language. It'll be interesting to see how much this change in the physical nature of writing changes the course of written language itself. All I can say is, wtf... I just want 2 B outta here!

]]> http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/not_saying_what_i_write_is_art.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/04/not_saying_what_i_write_is_art.html Sat, 29 Apr 2006 00:21:13 -0600 Week 15 PPT Download file

]]> http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/05/week_15_ppt.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/05/week_15_ppt.html Mon, 01 May 2006 11:27:24 -0600 Thank You Notes from Santa Claus While reading chapter 12 in Finegan I thought back to the beginning of the semester when we talked about how nobody writes letters anymore. More than just the physical beauty of written language I thought a lot about the emotional aspect of written language. I have always found that writing down what I want to say is not only easier, but that I am more honest when doing so.

Reading about written language made me think about how each individual person has a different and very distinct version of their written language. I'm sure you would be able to recognize the handwriting of individuals if given a sample without a name. This is how I found out that Santa Claus isn't real. Santa always left us a thank you note for the cookies, milk and carrots for the reindeer that we left out each year. I don't remember how old I was, but I remember coming downstairs on Christmas morning excited to read the letter Santa had left for us. I don't know if it clicked right away or if I realized it later, but I noticed that Santa had the exact same handwriting as my mom. My suspicion was confirmed the next year when Santa's handwriting looked exactly like my dad's! I'm glad I found out that way, figuring it out on my own, rather than someone spoiling it for me!

There is something so comforting in reading something someone has written to you. Going to school in Moorhead my first two years of college I always felt so comforted and connected to the person who had sent me a letter. Recognizing instantly whom it was from just by their handwriting on the front of the envelope.
So write letters when you can instead of emails :) Your reader will love it!

]]> http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/05/thank_you_notes_from_santa_cla.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/05/thank_you_notes_from_santa_cla.html Mon, 01 May 2006 16:04:45 -0600 Literacy and the Literacy Myth A service learning course I'm taking through the English department, which focuses on Educational Politics and Literacy has addressed throughout the semester many of the same issues brought up in the article titled Literacy and the Literacy Myth: From Plato to Freire. It was interesting to see the importance of linguistics in the highly politicized debates regarding literacy that these two men are known for. In my other course we've focused mostly on Friere's modern concepts of how literacy cannot ever be politically neutral and it was interesting to see ideas of a founding father of Freire's thoughts through Plato. Both men as revolutionaries of their time period have found a key way to interpret language, literacy, and linguistics as more than just the ability to understand and produce elements of a certain language but the larger implications of having these skills in regards to education, social status, job marketability, etc. It was a great article through which to examine socio-linguistic impact in regards to literacy, the human experience, and life quality determined by level of literacy.

]]> http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/05/literacy_and_the_literacy_myth.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/05/literacy_and_the_literacy_myth.html Tue, 02 May 2006 11:46:30 -0600 The Completeness of the Written Language.... In thinking about chapter 12, I was struck by the differences of the written language and the spoken language. To me, they really seem worlds apart. Whether academic writing or just personal communication,etc...I think that the formation of writing is so much more controlled and manufactured. This is a good thing and a bad thing. When I speak, I often don't think about what I'm saying for a huge period of time first (I often don't think at all!), but when I write I find myself really analyzing my points and my composition. Maybe the completeness of the written language is a huge influence on why politicians and public speakers have WRITTEN speeches...they don't just go out there and say something. They want something that has been controlled, thought over, and in a sense manufactured. I think the most important thing I contemplated this week is just that the written and the spoken are really so different and have very different ways of communicating language.

]]> http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/05/the_completeness_of_the_writte.html http://blog.lib.umn.edu/brue0067/engl3601/2006/05/the_completeness_of_the_writte.html Sat, 06 May 2006 08:30:34 -0600