To get us started today, I'd like you to blog about a couple of things:
2. What is something unique or interesting that you've noticed about language (for example, in your family, group of friends, region, or nation; or a language stereotype that you've noticed)?
Feel free to post your responses as comments to this post.
16 comments:
1. Before I came to college, I knew that linguistics had to do with phonetics and grammar. It didn’t seem that interesting to me, although I had always appreciated language and words. In college, I started taking linguistics classes and discovered that it’s a lot bigger than I thought and has more to do with everyday life than I thought. I’ve discovered that language habits can reveal things about someone’s culture (like where they’re from, or even what class or group they are trying to associate or dissociate with). There’s always a research question behind something interesting I notice about language.
2. One thing I noticed, starting two or three years ago, was the use of the double “is” (for example, people saying, “The thing is is that he forgot to call her,” “My point is is that linguistics is fun.”) I first heard it used by my sister (in her 20s, living in Kansas). It seemed odd to me because, grammatically, she didn’t need the second “is.” I thought it was just a unique habit of hers until I heard it used on TV twice in the same week. In fact, it even annoyed me (But not as annoyed as this guy is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHp0LxJixvw ) I wondered if it was a sign of lazy speech, or served some purpose in conversation; whether it was something just used by young people or just by women. I did some research on it (I’ll tell you more about it later) and found out that it seems like it’s not limited to just one demographic group- even President Obama uses it. My research seemed to show the “is, is” used when someone was trying to make a point or get the listener’s attention. It’s interesting that something that seems so “wrong” ends up actually having a point, once you stop and look at it more closely.
1. All I know as of now is that linguistics has something to do with grammar and different words and ways they are used and can be written. I hope to learn more during my time here at Gov School.
we never have discussed or gone over linguistics in school. I'm not sure if we ever will, or we just wait til a certain age. So i basically know nothing.
Well one thing I notice that bugs the living crap out of me, is how people say their S and Ah sounds and such. For example, when you watch The Hills or The City, you can tell they really hang onto their S and Ah sounds. It almost makes them seem really whiney.
"Sssooo did you see laauuurren today?"
"Yaaaahhhhhhh"
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1. Linguistics...uh..hmm. I think it has to do with how language is put together, the origin of language, and how it is used. I really haven't heard too much about it, but I am excited to learn what it is, exactly.
2. I have noticed that when we say, "North Dakota," we drop the -th and say it as one word: "NorDakota" or "NortDakota" or something like that. Also, we like to elongate a lot of our vowels, and we like to say "like".
From what I understand, linguistics is studying language, how it changes, and how it varies by regions around the world. It has a lot to do with dialects, grammar, and the history of how language has changed over time.
In ND, one major thing that I have picked up on is how people pronounce the letter "o". Because a good percentage of people living here are Scandinavian, I think that has a lot to do with it. When they say their "o" it is very strong and heavily an "ohhhh" sound. This annoys me because it makes people sound...unintelligent? I don't really know how to explain it, but it bothers me a lot when I hear it. Not everyone in ND sounds like that, but most people in the area where I'm from (Minot) use that pronounciation.
1. I never actually head the term 'linguistics' until filling out my Governor's School application, so I still only have a vague idea of what it is. I understand that it has to do with grammar and different dialects of languages. That is all.
2. I think it's kind of funny how one language can easily become more, such as the English spoken in different parts of North America, that spoken in Britain, in Ireland and Scotland, in Australia, etc. I sometimes question learning other modern languages, especially ones such as Spanish that are spoken in multiple countries. Like English, I am sure that the Spanish spoken in Mexico is far different from the Spanish spoken in Spain. How, then, do we properly learn a language? For those learning English as a second language, what kind of English do they learn?
1. My knowledge on linguistics is very limited. The only thing I really know is that linguistics has to do with language and the way people talk.
2. Something unique I have notice about language is the way that one thing can have so many different words to describe it. Like pop; some people call it pop, some call it soda, or some call it coke, but it is all the same thing. I have also noticed a language stereotype that isn't true, that North Dakotans have such a northern accent, we really don't. When I was in New York everyone in our group sounded just like the people on the street.
2. I noticed that different places, even just here in the United States pronounces things differently. In North Dakota, I noticed that some people draw out there vowels. They also use different words. I use "soda" while a true North Dakotian will use "pop." I also I have heard people so "Can I lend a pencil from you?" and that drives me crazy!
I noticed that people in general (who aren't big on grammar) don't seem to knot the rule on the difference between "my friends and me" and "my friends and I." They don't know when to use which one. I hate that
1. I don't know much about linguistics, but I do know that it has to do with language. I thought it was more about the differences in languages like French, German, Latin, etc. instead of the history of it like Dr. Maylath talked about on that first day. Because of the activity we did with our names today, I'd assume it has to do with the sounds and spelling of words (phonics - like 4th grade!).
2. I went on a trip to Washington D.C. last summer and while there, I met people from all over the country. Everyone spent the first few days marveling at all the accents. Those from down south, Tennessee and Alabama were the most sensational and even those of us from North Dakota were a hit. The North Dakota crew shared a bus with the Kansas kids and they loved how we stretched our vowels when we spoke, like "Minnesooota." We also noticed the speed differences. Midwesterns are speed talkers while those from the south like to take their sweet time. I confess sometimes it was hard not to finish their sentences for them.
I think my favorite part about words is their strength. Some words are strong words: fight, courage, crunch. Others seem to be more weak: fluffy, sea, jello. I think the consonants are what make the difference. D's, T's, R's and C's make a hard sound when you say them while F's and B's are a softer sound.
1. As I see it, linguistics is the study of the language itself, such as ways we use words and phrases, and how those ways change over time. It is also the study of how we get words from their derivatives (I believe).
2. I've noticed the word "friend" has changed from not only being a noun, but a verb, thanks to facebook. I've also noticed a decline in the proper use of the words "well" and "good" (This drives me crazy). Another thing I've thought about is how we steal words from other languages, such as finance from French. I hate how the word "gay" has changed from meaning happy to a derogatory term, and how the average high school student snickers when he or she hears it.
Down south they use the conjugated word "y'all". I think it's kind of cool. I think a lot of people come up with their own words to describe something. For example one of the guys here at gov school uses the word "ill-nastic" to describe something that's cool. And over the years the meaning to words have changed. A formal/legit one is "thong". They changed the shoe name to "flip-flop" and use "thong" for underword. One word I use and hear a lot is "sick". It's used to describe something crazy instead of a physical condition.
1. I dont really have any idea what linguistics is. My school doesnt have us study many different subdivisions of English except for grammar and creative writing.
2. I've noticed that a lot of new words and phrases have been invented and that more and more people are using. There are a few different things that annoy me in language that many people use. "I seen that." That phrase really bothers me when I hear it, and when I know that people are younger than me, usually I will correct them on it. I kind-of feel awkward correcting people older than me though so I dont normally correct them.
1. From what I knew about linguistics was that it had something to do with regional dialects and how they became that way.
2.I've noticed the differences in the way we in North Dakota say certain words such as; bag, coat, busy, bison, mountain, etc. I have also noticed the way we seem to go up and down when we say words like; North Dakota, but that mostly applies the the older generations here. A language stereotype maybe would be the lazy speech muscles in the south for words such as; ask (you start in the back of the throat end in the front) but you may notice that people say; ax (less muscle movement in the mouth.)
1. What do you know about linguistics or different aspects of linguistics?
-What I know so far about Linguistics is that it is the study of language : aspects such as phonetics, grammar, dialects, accents etc. One can learn a lot about a person or a culture from the way that they speak.
2. What is something unique or interesting that you've noticed about language (for example, in your family, group of friends, region, or nation; or a language stereotype that you've noticed)?
-My absolute favorite type of accent is that of my mother's culture. She is from Trinidad in the Caribbean and I find their accents (they do not speak a different language, as a country, but there are very ethnically diverse so there are a mix of races who speak the language of the country they either came from or their ancestors came from) to be beautiful. They are comforting and make me feel at home, even though my mom has lost most of hers (except when she gets angry). Trinidadian accents are similar to that of Jamaicans, but they have different words that they emphasize. Just today at breakfast I heard a lady speaking with an accent and I could tell immediately that she was from some part of the Caribbean. So maybe when I retire, I will move to Trinidad and develop a beautiful accent like theirs as a gray old lady. :)
I know that linguistics is the study of language and how we speak it. Other than that I'm not exactly positive what it is. I think (from Bruce's lesson on the first day) that it also had to do with how we translate other languages and how we evolved from old English to modern day English.
I've noticed a lot that people say like when they speak, I do this too, like has become a word that helps in the process of describing things..and I also think it's like the word um. It's used to gather your thoughts for a moment and figure out what you'll say next. I also notice that words we use have a lot of different meanings. I think that's why English is the hardest language to learn, I had a friend from Norway this last year who, when she first started speaking English (she was pretty young when she started) had trouble realizing the different meanings of words, like present can mean you are attending something, or it can mean it is a gift. We have so many words in our language that are like that. That's kind of how puns came about, and that's why the puns in old English are so hard for us because we don't use those words and don't understand what they could mean.
Yesterday (June 15th), National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation interviewed David Crystal. It takes about 37 minutes to hear in full online:
In the digital age, many people fear that grammar skills will be lost to texting and Tweeting.
But linguist David Crystal makes the case in A Little Book Of Language that kids actually do love language. The book, geared toward young people, traces its history, and future.
You can listen to the program at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127860115
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