The information given in the class presentations has been surprising, but at the same time not. I realized that everything related to language, but not to the extent that it does. There was a lot of people researching how language impacts the medical field. This gave me a new perspective and I realized how important it was that doctors communicate efficiently and effectively with their patients. There are even different methods for communicating with each type of patient. Communication can greatly impact the success and the future of a doctor, because The other type of doctors that must communicate effectively with their patients are therapists or psychologists. I really didn’t realize that communication was such a barrier for psychologists. However in the information presented in class I learned that this is really one of the biggest problems in the field of psychology today. Psychologists are not relating to their patients and are not giving their patients what they need. This is causing patients to loose trust in their doctors and they are having trouble finding doctors. This is costing the patients and doctors money, and the patients trouble.
There were also many other field that were covered in the presentations. There were professions such as a hostage negotiator and an accountant. These two fields may seem like they have nothing is common at first but this is the furthest thing from the truth. They all rely on relaying information to the customer or the person that is in the hostage situation. It was really interesting to see the different steps of the negotiation process. It was also really fascinating to see how great the impact of an accountant can be on a company. How through their use of language a company can prosper or fall with all financial aspects.
Really all of this research seemed to come down to communication. Whether it be medical, accounting, or politics it is all about trying to get your point across. Every field must use language effectively to accomplish what they need to get done. Language can tie into all fields or work and it is collectively important.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Paper #2 Revision
Alyssa Grimes
English 102
3/24/2008
Since the beginning of spoken language there has been great evolution in the meaning of words, and change in language has become a very natural process throughout history. Our modern and connected culture has taken many liberties in applying new meanings to words that are commonly used to mean other things. This can easily be seen in the word “gay”. While this word first appeared in the year 1310 and meant a person full of joy and mirth, in present time it is popularly used as a word that means someone who is homosexual. This word’s use in reference to being homosexual seems to be the most popular use for it today, and certainly the most valid regardless of its increasingly popular use in meaning something that is stupid.
Gay is a word that has been around since the transition of Old English to Middle English in the 1300’s. For a period of about five hundred years this word retained the general meaning of being joyful or having qualities that are good or charming. This word held high esteem and once was a word that was used to describe the best kings of the English Empire. Gay, however, changed slightly in the 1700’s to describe someone that lived a joyful lifestyle but in too much excess. While this word still held its meaning in the 1700’s it seemed to gain somewhat of a negative connotation, and it is sometimes thought that it also gained a sexual implication (OED). These new negative attributes being given to the word gay was the probable reason for its transition into its most common meaning today. With gay still holding a meaning of uninhibited or carefree in the 1920’s it made its transition into the meaning of homosexual. People of the 20’s were thought to lead a carefree lifestyle, one that was not considered to have any moral strength. This later led to many conservatives of the day claiming that others were living a gay, or extravagant, lifestyle. Some of the people leading this new counterculture also happened to be homosexual, giving a new meaning to the word gay (Cardinale).
In 1935 the first use of gay with the meaning of homosexual was used in a text. This work was Underworld and Prison Slang by Ernise (OED). This would suggest that it was still not a commonly spoken word, but it would also suggest that many people knew about this new meaning. In the 1950’s the usage of the word to mean homosexual become more popular. The use of it as a word to mean happy or joyful, however, declined. With the backlash from the counterculture in the 1960’s a movement for gay rights began to stir (OED). Many gay people found the word homosexual to be too clinical and carry many negative connotations along with it. When using homosexual people would describe the gay lifestyle as something that was a mental disease that needed to be treated with the help of doctors or medication. It has also become more popular as today’s society has become more accepting of a gay lifestyle (Cardinale).
It is somewhat credible to say that the word gay may still hold the meaning of something that is joyous, full of life, or beautiful. This is because of many older generations that have stuck with this definition. When I was little I would ask if a person meant gay or if they meant happy when they would tell me that something is gay. Today I no longer have to ask that question. It seems that no matter the meaning that you hold for the word gay society has set that this word now means homosexual. Regardless of the meanings of many words in dictionaries, many people take liberties with the English language. Language is used how people want to use it.
While people are free to use language how they want to it is important to take into consideration the feelings and lifestyles of other people. When using the word gay it refers to a very large group of people in the US and to offend these people with our incorrect usage of this word would be wrong. A great example of this is using the word in a derogatory way to mean something that is stupid or wrong. The usage of gay in this way has become very popular recently. It was first seen used this way in the early 1980’s and recently has even been the topic or works in The Washington Post (OED). The misuse of language can be very offensive whether it be profanity or a hateful statement. This is taking a word that means homosexual and using in place of something that means foolish. Replacing stupid with the word gay is almost like calling every gay person stupid. If not calling them stupid it is in the very least relating the gay lifestyle to something that is foolish or inappropriate. With the misuse of this word there is the ability to undermine a huge aspect of someone’s life. While change is an important part of language it is also important to realize that all actions have consequences and it is not fair to completely disregard such a sizeable group in this countries population.
Change in language over time is a very normal process for every language around the world. This can easily be seen in the transitions of the word gay. While the word has a long history or meaning of happy or bright and lively, it has commonly come to hold the meaning of homosexual; more recently it has even taken on the meaning of stupid or foolish. With the word gay gradually loosing its mean as joyous, and it meaning as something stupid being very offensive to many gay people its most common and useful meaning is homosexual. Many people may be resistant to word adaptation but it is something that we all must take notice of or one could risk losing touch with the spoken language today. Words like gay have come to adapt overtime and hold very important meaning in modern society.
English 102
3/24/2008
Since the beginning of spoken language there has been great evolution in the meaning of words, and change in language has become a very natural process throughout history. Our modern and connected culture has taken many liberties in applying new meanings to words that are commonly used to mean other things. This can easily be seen in the word “gay”. While this word first appeared in the year 1310 and meant a person full of joy and mirth, in present time it is popularly used as a word that means someone who is homosexual. This word’s use in reference to being homosexual seems to be the most popular use for it today, and certainly the most valid regardless of its increasingly popular use in meaning something that is stupid.
Gay is a word that has been around since the transition of Old English to Middle English in the 1300’s. For a period of about five hundred years this word retained the general meaning of being joyful or having qualities that are good or charming. This word held high esteem and once was a word that was used to describe the best kings of the English Empire. Gay, however, changed slightly in the 1700’s to describe someone that lived a joyful lifestyle but in too much excess. While this word still held its meaning in the 1700’s it seemed to gain somewhat of a negative connotation, and it is sometimes thought that it also gained a sexual implication (OED). These new negative attributes being given to the word gay was the probable reason for its transition into its most common meaning today. With gay still holding a meaning of uninhibited or carefree in the 1920’s it made its transition into the meaning of homosexual. People of the 20’s were thought to lead a carefree lifestyle, one that was not considered to have any moral strength. This later led to many conservatives of the day claiming that others were living a gay, or extravagant, lifestyle. Some of the people leading this new counterculture also happened to be homosexual, giving a new meaning to the word gay (Cardinale).
In 1935 the first use of gay with the meaning of homosexual was used in a text. This work was Underworld and Prison Slang by Ernise (OED). This would suggest that it was still not a commonly spoken word, but it would also suggest that many people knew about this new meaning. In the 1950’s the usage of the word to mean homosexual become more popular. The use of it as a word to mean happy or joyful, however, declined. With the backlash from the counterculture in the 1960’s a movement for gay rights began to stir (OED). Many gay people found the word homosexual to be too clinical and carry many negative connotations along with it. When using homosexual people would describe the gay lifestyle as something that was a mental disease that needed to be treated with the help of doctors or medication. It has also become more popular as today’s society has become more accepting of a gay lifestyle (Cardinale).
It is somewhat credible to say that the word gay may still hold the meaning of something that is joyous, full of life, or beautiful. This is because of many older generations that have stuck with this definition. When I was little I would ask if a person meant gay or if they meant happy when they would tell me that something is gay. Today I no longer have to ask that question. It seems that no matter the meaning that you hold for the word gay society has set that this word now means homosexual. Regardless of the meanings of many words in dictionaries, many people take liberties with the English language. Language is used how people want to use it.
While people are free to use language how they want to it is important to take into consideration the feelings and lifestyles of other people. When using the word gay it refers to a very large group of people in the US and to offend these people with our incorrect usage of this word would be wrong. A great example of this is using the word in a derogatory way to mean something that is stupid or wrong. The usage of gay in this way has become very popular recently. It was first seen used this way in the early 1980’s and recently has even been the topic or works in The Washington Post (OED). The misuse of language can be very offensive whether it be profanity or a hateful statement. This is taking a word that means homosexual and using in place of something that means foolish. Replacing stupid with the word gay is almost like calling every gay person stupid. If not calling them stupid it is in the very least relating the gay lifestyle to something that is foolish or inappropriate. With the misuse of this word there is the ability to undermine a huge aspect of someone’s life. While change is an important part of language it is also important to realize that all actions have consequences and it is not fair to completely disregard such a sizeable group in this countries population.
Change in language over time is a very normal process for every language around the world. This can easily be seen in the transitions of the word gay. While the word has a long history or meaning of happy or bright and lively, it has commonly come to hold the meaning of homosexual; more recently it has even taken on the meaning of stupid or foolish. With the word gay gradually loosing its mean as joyous, and it meaning as something stupid being very offensive to many gay people its most common and useful meaning is homosexual. Many people may be resistant to word adaptation but it is something that we all must take notice of or one could risk losing touch with the spoken language today. Words like gay have come to adapt overtime and hold very important meaning in modern society.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
True Meanings of a Word
Since the beginning of the usage of spoken language there has been great evolution in the meaning of words. Change in language has become a very natural process throughout history. Our modern and connected culture has taken many liberties in applying new meanings to words that are commonly used to mean other things. This can easily be seen in the word gay. While this word first appeared in 1310 and meant a person full of joy and mirth, in present time it is popularly used as a word that means homosexual.
Gay is a word that has been around since the transition of Old English to Middle English in the 1300’s. Up until about 1850 this word has retained the general meaning of being joyful or having qualities that are good or charming. This once was a word that was used to describe the best kings of the English Empire, however in the 1700’s it diverged into describing somewhat that lived a joyful lifestyle but if too much excess. While this word still held its meaning in the 1700’s it seemed to gain a very negative connotation, and it is sometimes thought that it also gained a sexual implication. This negative connotation was the probable lead into the most common use of the word gay today. With gay still holding a meaning of uninhibited or carefree in the 1920’s it made its transition into the meaning of homosexual. People of the 20’s were thought to lead a carefree lifestyle, one without any moral strength. Which later lead to many people claiming that others were living a gay lifestyle. Many people living this new liberated also happened to be homosexual giving a new meaning to the word gay.
In 1935 the first use of gay with the meaning of homosexual was used in a text. This work was Underworld and Prison Slang by Ernise. This would suggest that it was still not a commonly spoken word, but it would also suggest that many people knew about this new meaning. In the 1950’s the usage of the word to mean homosexual become more popular. The use of it as a word to mean happy or joyful, however, declined. With the backlash from the counterculture in the 1960’s a movement for gay rights began to stir. Many gay people found the word homosexual to be too clinical and carry many negative connotations along with it. When using this word many people would describe their lifestyle as something that was a mental disease that needed to be treated with the help of doctors. It has also become more popular as today’s society has become more accepting of a gay lifestyle.
It is somewhat credible to say that the word gay may still hold the meaning of something that is joyous, full of life, or beautiful. When I was little I would ask if a person meant gay or if they meant happy when they would tell me that something is gay, but today I no longer have to ask that question. It seems that no matter the meaning that you hold for the word gay society has set that this word now means homosexual. Regardless of the meanings of many words in dictionaries, many people take liberties with the English language. Language is to be used how people want to use it.
Change is language overtime is a very normal process for every language around the world. This can easily be seen in the word gay. While the word has a long history or meaning of happy or bright and lively, it has commonly come hold the meaning of homosexual. Many people may be resistant to word adaptation but it is something that we all must realize, or one could risk losing touch with the spoken language today.
Gay is a word that has been around since the transition of Old English to Middle English in the 1300’s. Up until about 1850 this word has retained the general meaning of being joyful or having qualities that are good or charming. This once was a word that was used to describe the best kings of the English Empire, however in the 1700’s it diverged into describing somewhat that lived a joyful lifestyle but if too much excess. While this word still held its meaning in the 1700’s it seemed to gain a very negative connotation, and it is sometimes thought that it also gained a sexual implication. This negative connotation was the probable lead into the most common use of the word gay today. With gay still holding a meaning of uninhibited or carefree in the 1920’s it made its transition into the meaning of homosexual. People of the 20’s were thought to lead a carefree lifestyle, one without any moral strength. Which later lead to many people claiming that others were living a gay lifestyle. Many people living this new liberated also happened to be homosexual giving a new meaning to the word gay.
In 1935 the first use of gay with the meaning of homosexual was used in a text. This work was Underworld and Prison Slang by Ernise. This would suggest that it was still not a commonly spoken word, but it would also suggest that many people knew about this new meaning. In the 1950’s the usage of the word to mean homosexual become more popular. The use of it as a word to mean happy or joyful, however, declined. With the backlash from the counterculture in the 1960’s a movement for gay rights began to stir. Many gay people found the word homosexual to be too clinical and carry many negative connotations along with it. When using this word many people would describe their lifestyle as something that was a mental disease that needed to be treated with the help of doctors. It has also become more popular as today’s society has become more accepting of a gay lifestyle.
It is somewhat credible to say that the word gay may still hold the meaning of something that is joyous, full of life, or beautiful. When I was little I would ask if a person meant gay or if they meant happy when they would tell me that something is gay, but today I no longer have to ask that question. It seems that no matter the meaning that you hold for the word gay society has set that this word now means homosexual. Regardless of the meanings of many words in dictionaries, many people take liberties with the English language. Language is to be used how people want to use it.
Change is language overtime is a very normal process for every language around the world. This can easily be seen in the word gay. While the word has a long history or meaning of happy or bright and lively, it has commonly come hold the meaning of homosexual. Many people may be resistant to word adaptation but it is something that we all must realize, or one could risk losing touch with the spoken language today.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Language is Tricky
The reading “The Rhetoric of Democracy” was very interesting to me. In it the author Boorstin mentions Plato in his argument and states, “the temptation to allow the problem of persuasion to overshadow the problem of knowledge.” While this is really drastic statement in its relation to language this is kind of scary to think about. The United States is a very commercialized society; this is something that is very hard to argue with. When does it come to the point when we stop believing the truth for what we want to believe? We may not even know what the truth is anymore, and it is up to all of us to decide our own truth.
The best news and advertisements today are things that people want to watch. We demand that they are interesting and entertaining. Through language people have been revving up news and advertisements to make them more entertaining. With simple words people can persuade you to buy a car, a house, or even vote for a president. Words have a much larger impact than many people recognize. They have the ability to change lives for better or worse.
Our society today requires almost a certain amount of skepticism. Without sounding very negative I must say that people do not take things for face value. People much realize that things are what they are. Even if I were to put a new and improved sticker on a can of old vegetables that would not mean they were new and improved. I bet I could sell those vegetables a lot faster, though. Through language it is almost as if people are ripping us off. People will say a lot of things to get done what they want done. Whether it is selling you something or telling you how to live your life language is one of the most persuasive tools a person has.
The best news and advertisements today are things that people want to watch. We demand that they are interesting and entertaining. Through language people have been revving up news and advertisements to make them more entertaining. With simple words people can persuade you to buy a car, a house, or even vote for a president. Words have a much larger impact than many people recognize. They have the ability to change lives for better or worse.
Our society today requires almost a certain amount of skepticism. Without sounding very negative I must say that people do not take things for face value. People much realize that things are what they are. Even if I were to put a new and improved sticker on a can of old vegetables that would not mean they were new and improved. I bet I could sell those vegetables a lot faster, though. Through language it is almost as if people are ripping us off. People will say a lot of things to get done what they want done. Whether it is selling you something or telling you how to live your life language is one of the most persuasive tools a person has.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Learning to Love Language
When I first started reading the story “A Rarity: Grammar Lessons from Dad” I believed that my mother might have actually written this story and just used a penname. My mother has always been the first one to tell me when I was speaking incorrectly. She is one of the types of people that believe if you are not speaking correctly then you sound unintelligent. My mother was faced with an especially large challenge seeing that I spent the majority of my early childhood in Texas surrounded by people speaking like most Texans do. Her belief in correct usage of Language is something that I agree with to an extent. Then I also believe that informal language can and should be used between family and friends. It came as a shock to me that Robert Klose claimed that most parents did not correct the poor use of language by their children. It may be that this is a rarity but this practice is still alive and well at my house. While I do appreciate my mother’s belief in proper English sometimes it was a little bit frustrating. This was especially true when I would attempt to discuss things with her and her concentration seemed to be more on the actually words coming out of my mouth instead what I was trying to communicate to her. This frustration added to the fact that for a brief period during first grade my mother home schooled me added to my dislike of the English language. I especially did not like spelling or grammar. I still remember looking in my workbook from first grade reciting language rules over and over. My least favorite happened to be phrase when two vowels go walking the first does the talking and says his long name. The vivid picture of two vowels strolling along side by side, skipping, hand in hand still bothers me today. In “English Belongs to Everybody” the work begins by talking about how to much stress is put on language today and that because of that many people have lost the love that they had or could have had for it. I completely related to this claim. I felt that by pushing this grammar and language upon me I grew to resent it. While I do realize that language is present in almost everything I do I believe that my life might be much easier if I had more of an appreciation for it.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Changing English
In reading these documents that focus mostly on the history of language I found one thing that was very surprising. I was really surprised how English in America and English in Britain really aren’t that different. While they have a completely different dialect, and many of the words have different spellings, the English is still very similar. We have always had very close ties to Britain and this could explain how our English is still very similar, there are many reasons that English between the two countries should not be so similar. In the readings it was very evident that language is very susceptible to change in vocabulary and use. With the many influx of immigrants to the United States over the past three-hundred years it is surprising of how little of an impact it has had on our English. Britain also has a very large immigrant population, especially from India, and yet their language remains very similar to ours. There is also a very large ocean in between the two countries. It is not as if we share borders, and that is why we share a language. Communication has made it very easy for language to stay consistent today. But right after this country was founded and many of the strong ties were cut from Britain communication was very difficult. It was not until much more recently that we could have open communication with all other English speaking countries.
English has become a very popular language around the world. It is regarded in one of the readings as the language of scholars. This means that is becoming more widely spoken than ever. This should lead to increase influence around the world. This influence might morph English into a language that someday would be recognizable, but somehow for now it is a constant. It may have to do with the written word. No matter how we speak, when we are writing formal documents we go back to what is regarded as proper English. This may be the one thing that keeps English constant through out this fast paced, changing world.
English has become a very popular language around the world. It is regarded in one of the readings as the language of scholars. This means that is becoming more widely spoken than ever. This should lead to increase influence around the world. This influence might morph English into a language that someday would be recognizable, but somehow for now it is a constant. It may have to do with the written word. No matter how we speak, when we are writing formal documents we go back to what is regarded as proper English. This may be the one thing that keeps English constant through out this fast paced, changing world.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The Kitchen Crisis?
I found the topic of this reading to be very strange, and from the beginning the topics of the paper seemed to vary. I was not sure what about this article was real and what was fictional. I am certain that the man did not actually eat the meal in pill form, but it still left me questioning when the exaggerations stopped and where the real story began. The author seems to me to spend the majority of the first part of the article discussing some of the reasons that white people irritate her. I had a very hard time concentrating on the issue of food, because I was so involved in her separate conversation of race. The essay seemed to stray even more when the author describes the beating of the African American slaves.
While I do not agree with the direct approach of the author, I do understand the importance of food in her culture. My grandmother lives in the same town the Verta Mae Grosvenor used to live in, Fairfax, and I have seen the poverty in that section of the state of South Carolina myself. There are many children from that region that are in middle school and can’t write their own names. It seems that there is little hope for these children, and they do not have much left. The little piece of life that they have left to hold on to is their culture, and this relates closely back to food. In the days of slavery the slaves had nothing except for the food they where given by there masters. These slaves made this food their own, and they still celebrate the use of these culturally rich foods today. While slavery no longer exists in the United States these African American people face challenges everyday because of their race, and food is something that can not be taken away from them. Even in extreme poverty you must eat to survive, so no matter how poor these people may be they will always have their food.
While I do not agree with the direct approach of the author, I do understand the importance of food in her culture. My grandmother lives in the same town the Verta Mae Grosvenor used to live in, Fairfax, and I have seen the poverty in that section of the state of South Carolina myself. There are many children from that region that are in middle school and can’t write their own names. It seems that there is little hope for these children, and they do not have much left. The little piece of life that they have left to hold on to is their culture, and this relates closely back to food. In the days of slavery the slaves had nothing except for the food they where given by there masters. These slaves made this food their own, and they still celebrate the use of these culturally rich foods today. While slavery no longer exists in the United States these African American people face challenges everyday because of their race, and food is something that can not be taken away from them. Even in extreme poverty you must eat to survive, so no matter how poor these people may be they will always have their food.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Nothing Good About It
Recently in Knoxville the clothing company Goody’s has laid off five percent of its thousand person workforce. They call it a reorganization to deal with the drooping economy. Goody’s has recently not been seeing the past profit margins that it once did, and the company felt the only way for it to stay alive was to take action now. Goody’s is getting rid of many of its low performing brands and is brining in more popular brands. With this change in store structure and recent shift in management it leaves many wondering about the future of this company.
In this article we get a small insight into the area of Knoxville. Goody’s is described as one of the areas leading employers, employing just over a thousand people. The company is expected to lay off over five percent of its employees. Through this we can see that Knoxville seems like a smaller city whose economy might be having a difficult time.
A field worker might look at the further impact that this loss of jobs might have on the community of Knoxville. They might look to see if there is any hope for the people that have lost their jobs to find new ones. It should be helpful to see if there are any new company openings in Knoxville, to asses how detrimental to the Knoxville economy this lay off actually is.
There would be many ways that a fieldworkers questions would differ from a journalist. The journalist might want to relate the whole issue back to the national economy where the fieldworker would want to focus on the impact that this issue would have on the economy and culture of Knoxville. The also might want to focus on how this issue is going to further impact the corporation of Goody’s.
In order for the fieldworker to get a better understanding they would want to ask for more of history of the company of Goody’s. There was some information presented in the article about change in management, and that might be part of the cause for the problem. Goody’s is blaming this problem on the fall in the economy, but it should be questioned why isn’t every other company laying off if the economy is so bad.
To get a truly inside source the fieldworker should try to observe at the actual company of Goody’s for a couple of days. This will help the fieldworker uncover some of the more hidden problems of the company. There is also the option of interview, but it should not be from someone who has been recently laid off, because that would be a very biased opinion. The person being interviewed should be someone with insider perspective, but also a realistic view. If Goody’s is willing to cooperate with a field worker they would of course be the best source, but also perspective from the community must be taken into account.
Link
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/31/goodys-to-reorganize-cut-work-force-by-5/
In this article we get a small insight into the area of Knoxville. Goody’s is described as one of the areas leading employers, employing just over a thousand people. The company is expected to lay off over five percent of its employees. Through this we can see that Knoxville seems like a smaller city whose economy might be having a difficult time.
A field worker might look at the further impact that this loss of jobs might have on the community of Knoxville. They might look to see if there is any hope for the people that have lost their jobs to find new ones. It should be helpful to see if there are any new company openings in Knoxville, to asses how detrimental to the Knoxville economy this lay off actually is.
There would be many ways that a fieldworkers questions would differ from a journalist. The journalist might want to relate the whole issue back to the national economy where the fieldworker would want to focus on the impact that this issue would have on the economy and culture of Knoxville. The also might want to focus on how this issue is going to further impact the corporation of Goody’s.
In order for the fieldworker to get a better understanding they would want to ask for more of history of the company of Goody’s. There was some information presented in the article about change in management, and that might be part of the cause for the problem. Goody’s is blaming this problem on the fall in the economy, but it should be questioned why isn’t every other company laying off if the economy is so bad.
To get a truly inside source the fieldworker should try to observe at the actual company of Goody’s for a couple of days. This will help the fieldworker uncover some of the more hidden problems of the company. There is also the option of interview, but it should not be from someone who has been recently laid off, because that would be a very biased opinion. The person being interviewed should be someone with insider perspective, but also a realistic view. If Goody’s is willing to cooperate with a field worker they would of course be the best source, but also perspective from the community must be taken into account.
Link
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/31/goodys-to-reorganize-cut-work-force-by-5/
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Language Barriers
The story “Put Down Your Paper and Talk to Me” takes such an interesting perspective on the issue of communication between women and men. It is something that I have certainly not thought of before. It is such an interesting concept to think that we are all still human beings but at the same time the way we function is so different.
I have often taken offense when anyone talks over me; it has never been especially offensive because it is a man doing so but never the less it is still offensive. The author makes a good point that she feels that this is a way for them to assert themselves. It is way for them to grab power and a certain aspect of control in a group. Women, however, feel if they where to dominate a conversation is would be rude and disrespectful to the other members of group. They want to give everyone an equal chance to talk and express their opinions, while men feel that if a woman, or anyone else wants to express their opinion they are free to do so. It is always interesting to hear someone’s perspective over your own to take more from an experience.
The reasons for this may come from the difference in the male and female mind. While a female feels more comfortable around their closest friends a male may feel comfortable around complete strangers. I completely agree with the author on this issue. I feel completely comfortable around my friends and will tell them anything, and at the same time my father feels completely comfortable around stranger and will tell them everything, and sometimes does.
Many people could learn from this article when they are having issues in any type of relationship between themselves and a member of the opposite sex. It is an interesting issue to talk about, but I still feel that this language barriers may never really change.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Latin is a Dead Language
Like many of the authors that we have read over the past couple of weeks I have also come across difficulties while trying to acquire a new language. Of course like every other high school student in this nation I was required to take a couple of years of a foreign language. I then choose Latin as my foreign language. This foreign language class gave me a greater insight to the usage and misusage of English than the majority of my English classes ever did.
During my first couple of days in this class I was not sure about what I had gotten myself into. My teacher was fresh out of college and did not even have the certification to become a teacher. The kids in my class were not my favorite either. Many of the kids had attitudes and had no desire to learn anything from this Latin class. While I had little appreciation for the majority of the students in the class we now had something in common; we where now attempting to learn a new language that none had previously spoken.
I felt that this experience of attempting to learn such a strange language brought us so much closer. There was only one Latin class in my high school so we were pretty much stuck with each other. We spent all of our class time in a collaborative effort trying to learn this crazy language that many of us knew very little about. Through this I began to see that not all of the people where as bad as I had made them out to be. We even began to form our own Latin class jokes. Funny vocabulary and making inappropriate sentences in Latin were always the guy’s favorites. Nobody else in the school got these jokes because they had no idea what we were talking about. I could now relate to these students in my class because we had this new bond created through our attempt to learn Latin.
Soon I came to know a girl named Kristen in my class. I did not really know much about her but she seemed to be pretty decent, or at least much better than the rest of the kids in the class. While during the struggle of both of us trying to learn a foreign language it was almost as if we had forgotten how to use English. We were working on grammar worksheet together, and we were not doing to the best. We looked to the paper and saw that there had been a typo. The sheet said that Harry Potter reached for his wand. We had no idea what a whand was. We then looked over at each other, and asked each other what exactly a whand was. We then knew it had to be our teacher; she probably had gotten something wrong on the paper and we could just not wait to tell her. Kristen and I beckoned for our teacher, and as she walked over we proudly proclaimed that she had messed up. She had messed up and we could prove it to her. We then asked, “ What exactly is a whand.” She then nicely reminded us that it was not a whand it was a wand. She then said, “Like Harry Potter has a wand, get it.” We got it, but we felt really stupid. This one little mistake made on a grammar worksheet brought me and Kristen much closer, and because of a simple grammar mistake made we are still best friends today.
While I will agree that Language has had a severe impact on my life, it is not like many of the others such as Sedaris and Rodriquez. My experience is one that is much different, and much more positive. In my attempt to learn Latin I saw English more clearly. I also developed bonds and relationships with people that were all strengthened by this tie of language. This language was something that was relatable and understandable by us, and that is something that can be understood by people all over the world.
During my first couple of days in this class I was not sure about what I had gotten myself into. My teacher was fresh out of college and did not even have the certification to become a teacher. The kids in my class were not my favorite either. Many of the kids had attitudes and had no desire to learn anything from this Latin class. While I had little appreciation for the majority of the students in the class we now had something in common; we where now attempting to learn a new language that none had previously spoken.
I felt that this experience of attempting to learn such a strange language brought us so much closer. There was only one Latin class in my high school so we were pretty much stuck with each other. We spent all of our class time in a collaborative effort trying to learn this crazy language that many of us knew very little about. Through this I began to see that not all of the people where as bad as I had made them out to be. We even began to form our own Latin class jokes. Funny vocabulary and making inappropriate sentences in Latin were always the guy’s favorites. Nobody else in the school got these jokes because they had no idea what we were talking about. I could now relate to these students in my class because we had this new bond created through our attempt to learn Latin.
Soon I came to know a girl named Kristen in my class. I did not really know much about her but she seemed to be pretty decent, or at least much better than the rest of the kids in the class. While during the struggle of both of us trying to learn a foreign language it was almost as if we had forgotten how to use English. We were working on grammar worksheet together, and we were not doing to the best. We looked to the paper and saw that there had been a typo. The sheet said that Harry Potter reached for his wand. We had no idea what a whand was. We then looked over at each other, and asked each other what exactly a whand was. We then knew it had to be our teacher; she probably had gotten something wrong on the paper and we could just not wait to tell her. Kristen and I beckoned for our teacher, and as she walked over we proudly proclaimed that she had messed up. She had messed up and we could prove it to her. We then asked, “ What exactly is a whand.” She then nicely reminded us that it was not a whand it was a wand. She then said, “Like Harry Potter has a wand, get it.” We got it, but we felt really stupid. This one little mistake made on a grammar worksheet brought me and Kristen much closer, and because of a simple grammar mistake made we are still best friends today.
While I will agree that Language has had a severe impact on my life, it is not like many of the others such as Sedaris and Rodriquez. My experience is one that is much different, and much more positive. In my attempt to learn Latin I saw English more clearly. I also developed bonds and relationships with people that were all strengthened by this tie of language. This language was something that was relatable and understandable by us, and that is something that can be understood by people all over the world.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Learning English Good
Many Americans will be the first to bring up the topic of non-English speakers in the United States. Many believe that if you are coming to this country you could at least learn the language. As shown in, “Learning English Good” by Elyssa this may not always be the easiest task and that some of the blame for this should be put on all English speaking people in the US. While it is not the responsibility of America to teach these foreign people English we must understand that English is an extremely complicated language with many variations created by us. We are constantly shortening words to minimize the words we have to speak; many also have the habit of slurring words together. This slurring is not usually purposeful it is just a way that we have come to speak. There is a great use of slang in all parts of the US, as in many other countries, but this is a trait that makes it difficult for students to learn and use English. Many ESL students also may find it difficult to adapt depending on the region they are in because of the varying dialect in the United States. Stresses and emphasis’s on certain words can easily lead to a great misunderstanding of a certain word or sentence that is written the same way, but means something completely different. Another attribute of English that makes it difficult to learn is the order in which words are placed in sentences. There are only certain rules for sentence composition, but beyond these rules English speakers have added new ones. There are many sentences that make perfect sense, but because of the order in which they are written or expressed they are said to be wrong.
This article has given me a new perspective in which I can now more clearly see the difficulties of adapting to a new language, especially one so difficult as English. People may spend many years attempting to learn a language but the transition from their native language is not always such an easy one because of the vast differences in languages.
This article has given me a new perspective in which I can now more clearly see the difficulties of adapting to a new language, especially one so difficult as English. People may spend many years attempting to learn a language but the transition from their native language is not always such an easy one because of the vast differences in languages.
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