The blog formerly known as ...English Language @ SFX: Back in the USA: "The BBC has curated a veritable gripefest of peeves about American English in response to Matthew Engel's article and broadcast about ..."
Another quality post I've shamelessly swiped from the SFX blog - the language log stuff might be a little steep for a few of you, but do look at the BBC article - in particular, the comments made by Melanie Johnson around 3/4 of the way down; you'll find a neat summary of language change, and you'll be able to figure out the predominant attitudes to language change (in this case, the rise of American English) from the comments made by the people who have contributed. Enjoy!
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Thursday, 14 July 2011
OED online access
This is really easy, and it is free!
1. Get a library card from the local library (Radcliffe, West Bridgford, wherever)
2. Click on this link here
3. Click on the 'Sign in' tab on the top right hand corner
4. Enter your library card number - it will have a letter at the start, and then have 8 numbers. Older cards have a letter, then 10 numbers - so just enter the letter then the first 8 numbers
5. Enjoy all the etymology you could ever need!
Trust me, you'll be visiting this post again and again come investigation time.
1. Get a library card from the local library (Radcliffe, West Bridgford, wherever)
2. Click on this link here
3. Click on the 'Sign in' tab on the top right hand corner
4. Enter your library card number - it will have a letter at the start, and then have 8 numbers. Older cards have a letter, then 10 numbers - so just enter the letter then the first 8 numbers
5. Enjoy all the etymology you could ever need!
Trust me, you'll be visiting this post again and again come investigation time.
Thursday, 7 July 2011
If...
Aitchison's Reith Lectures
Here you go - here is the iplayer recording of the lecture we listened to here, and just in case you need a hand when writing up your notes, then a transcript is available here.
And...... since you enjoyed the first part so much...... welcome to part 2! Wooooooooo! If you're stuck for something to do on Saturday night, I might humbly suggest the second part of 'The Adventure of English'. This episode is useful, particularly regarding the French and Latin influences on English. Watch it and take notes, please!
Any questions to the usual address etc etc
And...... since you enjoyed the first part so much...... welcome to part 2! Wooooooooo! If you're stuck for something to do on Saturday night, I might humbly suggest the second part of 'The Adventure of English'. This episode is useful, particularly regarding the French and Latin influences on English. Watch it and take notes, please!
Any questions to the usual address etc etc
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
Teaching through the medium of Rastamouse? It's the future
Today we started looking at attitudes to language change, focusing on non standard English. Rastamouse is a blinding way to introduce any topic whatsoever, but especially so here. Given that we looked at predominately prescriptive attitudes to language change in the media today, it's not really a surprise that Rastamouse initiated a lot a debate, and this has been covered in great detail (more than I could ever hope to) by Dan Clayton on his blog, which you can find here.
We're going to return to Rastamouse later on in the course (hooray!), but for now, I'll share some of my own observations, and we can discuss them in class tomorrow.
As I see it, kids around here (generally, and it must be pointed out, misguidedly) associate Jamaican culture and accent with cannabis use (if you don't believe me, then check this out), and cannabis use with a shift away from mainstream society (if you don't believe me about this, then simply hang around the post office in the village for around ten minutes after school, but remember some Bonios to placate the rabid, unhinged staffies that will be there, too). Since kids are masters at distancing themselves from the adult mainstream, then it isn't really a surprise that Rastamouse is a big hit, not only with youngsters but with teenagers, too.
Now, one of the most efficient ways of accepting things into the mainstream is to make a kids' TV show about it... so I'm guessing that in a few years time the Jamaican accent could well have lost any connotations of weed smokin' hipness, and youngsters will have to use other terms to show how different they are from the mainstream - (I'm guessing a new synonym for 'amazing' will be 'Nevin' - you heard it here first).
There are other factors at work here, by the way, such as the rise of London Multicultural English (LME) and suchlike, but that's my tuppence worth, and as I've pointed out above, you'll get a much clearer and general understanding form checking out the articles on the SFX blog.
Anyhow, we also looked at our own use of non standard forms, and looked at how Donald McKinnon categorised attitudes to language - which I can't link to as the firewall is doing a mighty fine job of preventing you from looking at anything useful. These be mighty fine tools for examining exactly why people don't like particular brands of English, so it's worthwhile getting to know these.
We'll carry on with this tomorrow, when we'll be looking at the fuss Prof. Jean Aitchison managed to cause with her Reith Lectures - those descriptivists really are a magnet for abuse...
Finally, I couldn't possibly not link to Rastamouse on iplayer - it'd be rude not to. Fill your boots.
Finally finally - if you're a prescriptivist, you need to bring your blue prescriptivist hat to the next lesson. Likewise for your yellow hat if you are a rocking out descriptivist. No arguments. No excuses. No moaning.
We're going to return to Rastamouse later on in the course (hooray!), but for now, I'll share some of my own observations, and we can discuss them in class tomorrow.
As I see it, kids around here (generally, and it must be pointed out, misguidedly) associate Jamaican culture and accent with cannabis use (if you don't believe me, then check this out), and cannabis use with a shift away from mainstream society (if you don't believe me about this, then simply hang around the post office in the village for around ten minutes after school, but remember some Bonios to placate the rabid, unhinged staffies that will be there, too). Since kids are masters at distancing themselves from the adult mainstream, then it isn't really a surprise that Rastamouse is a big hit, not only with youngsters but with teenagers, too.
Now, one of the most efficient ways of accepting things into the mainstream is to make a kids' TV show about it... so I'm guessing that in a few years time the Jamaican accent could well have lost any connotations of weed smokin' hipness, and youngsters will have to use other terms to show how different they are from the mainstream - (I'm guessing a new synonym for 'amazing' will be 'Nevin' - you heard it here first).
There are other factors at work here, by the way, such as the rise of London Multicultural English (LME) and suchlike, but that's my tuppence worth, and as I've pointed out above, you'll get a much clearer and general understanding form checking out the articles on the SFX blog.
Anyhow, we also looked at our own use of non standard forms, and looked at how Donald McKinnon categorised attitudes to language - which I can't link to as the firewall is doing a mighty fine job of preventing you from looking at anything useful. These be mighty fine tools for examining exactly why people don't like particular brands of English, so it's worthwhile getting to know these.
We'll carry on with this tomorrow, when we'll be looking at the fuss Prof. Jean Aitchison managed to cause with her Reith Lectures - those descriptivists really are a magnet for abuse...
Finally, I couldn't possibly not link to Rastamouse on iplayer - it'd be rude not to. Fill your boots.
Finally finally - if you're a prescriptivist, you need to bring your blue prescriptivist hat to the next lesson. Likewise for your yellow hat if you are a rocking out descriptivist. No arguments. No excuses. No moaning.
Friday, 24 June 2011
Language change - new words
Yesterday we looked at how new words are formed, and some of the technical terms used to describe these. A short PPT with these terms is available here - you might notice that you can edit this document; as part of your (many) homeworks next week I'm going to ask you to add a couple of examples.
We also looked at a couple of newspaper articles; in particular the Times article that summarised some of the words that have come to prominence over the Noughties - you can find that beast here, and you can also find the Telegraph article about word formation here.
Also, while I'm here banging on about word formation, then make sure you sure you check out the spiffing 'i love english language' blog (it's a lot more swish than this one, so get used to being directed there)- it's got a short piece from the Telegraph about the latest entries in to the OED.
Finally, if all of this looks far too serious and boring and blah blah blah, and you want to know what word formation is really all about, then I suggest you check out the Profanisaurus in Viz - after a few entries you'll soon figure out why I couldn't read it out in class...
Direct any problems / whinges about the reading list / fat cheques to the usual address, please!
We also looked at a couple of newspaper articles; in particular the Times article that summarised some of the words that have come to prominence over the Noughties - you can find that beast here, and you can also find the Telegraph article about word formation here.
Also, while I'm here banging on about word formation, then make sure you sure you check out the spiffing 'i love english language' blog (it's a lot more swish than this one, so get used to being directed there)- it's got a short piece from the Telegraph about the latest entries in to the OED.
Finally, if all of this looks far too serious and boring and blah blah blah, and you want to know what word formation is really all about, then I suggest you check out the Profanisaurus in Viz - after a few entries you'll soon figure out why I couldn't read it out in class...
Direct any problems / whinges about the reading list / fat cheques to the usual address, please!
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Your weekly update - 22/6/11
Morning folks! Thought I'd provide a quick update on what we've done, and where we are going next, so you everyone (including your folks) know what is what.
We started the language change unit today, looking at different types of semantic change, and also how language will always reflect the attitudes and values of the society that produced it - adverts are particularly good for showing this, and you can find all of the adverts that we studied here.
Next lesson we will be looking at all the ways that new words enter the English language, and the different ways that we can categorise them.
In the meantime however, I want you to watch and take notes on Melvyn Bragg's documentary called 'The Adventure of English'. You can start with episode 1, which you can find here. My advice? Saturday night, invite all your friends round, get some cream soda and some quavers, and settle down for all the thrills, spills, chills and kills that Mr Bragg can throw at you. Great stuff. Make a Facebook event out of it.
Homework (your notes from Episode 1: Birth of a Language) due in on the 29th June, please!
Finally - competition time! The first one of you to get one of your folks to leave a comment at the bottom of this post wins a delivered hot beverage of your choice plus muffin, served hot and fresh on Wednesday morning. Guaranteed.
We started the language change unit today, looking at different types of semantic change, and also how language will always reflect the attitudes and values of the society that produced it - adverts are particularly good for showing this, and you can find all of the adverts that we studied here.
Next lesson we will be looking at all the ways that new words enter the English language, and the different ways that we can categorise them.
In the meantime however, I want you to watch and take notes on Melvyn Bragg's documentary called 'The Adventure of English'. You can start with episode 1, which you can find here. My advice? Saturday night, invite all your friends round, get some cream soda and some quavers, and settle down for all the thrills, spills, chills and kills that Mr Bragg can throw at you. Great stuff. Make a Facebook event out of it.
Homework (your notes from Episode 1: Birth of a Language) due in on the 29th June, please!
Finally - competition time! The first one of you to get one of your folks to leave a comment at the bottom of this post wins a delivered hot beverage of your choice plus muffin, served hot and fresh on Wednesday morning. Guaranteed.
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