Reading Response No. 10

Getting Ready to Read:

1.      How has technology changed the way we speak to each other? Is it grammatically correct? Does that affect your understanding of what others are saying? Can you come up any examples of ‘new’ words?

 Technology has greatly changed the way we talk to each other. Some of the new ways we talk to each other is grammatically in some aspects, but not usually. If one is up to date on the new ways that technology has changed our language, it would change their understanding of what others are saying. All of the examples of new words I can think of are thoughts that are abbreviated such as "I don't know" being abbreviated as "idk" or the word "obviously" being shortened to "obvi." Another new word that has been created due to technology are the different variations of the word text. Text is now not only a noun, but a verb. One can say "I texted your mother after work" and this would now be an acceptable sentance in the eyes of society.

 

Summary:

In his article "Good English and Bad," Bryson attemps to challenge the standards of good English and bad English, and show society why we speak English the way we do. He argues that the "rules" of English are not so black and white due to its history and the preferences of others. This is because, over the years, English has been changed and fought over. However, only one set of rules is taught to this somewhat democratic language in schools.

 

Synthesis:

This article could be compared to Dawkins' article "Teaching Punctuation as a Rhetorical Tool" because of the way that they both put such emphasis on how grammar is a democratic thing, but it also matters a lot in writing. Both articles also examine how lots of people don't seem to grasp correct grammar, even though it has been taught to them multiple times in school.

Questions for Discussion and Journaling:

1.      Why does Bryson say English has such a complex grammar structure? What about its history makes it so complicated?

Bryson says that English has such a complex grammar structure because its rules come from Latin-a language that English has very little in common with. It has also always been assumed that classical languages serve as models for others, therefore, even though it has been somewhat changed, no one has challenged the old rules of grammar.

Applying and Exploring Ideas

1.      “One of the undoubted virtues of English is that it is a fluid and democratic language in which meanings shift and change in response to the pressures of common usage rather than the dictates of communities” (67).  What does Bryson mean when he says that English is fluid and democratic? What examples of that fluidity have you seen in your own and others’ writing in different rhetorical situations?

What Bryson means when he says English is fluid and democratic is that one can slightly bend the rules of English without facing much opposition. English can be easily changed by anyone who feels the need to do so. I have seen some fluidity in other's writings such as novels or short stories. Like in some short stories when a charcter is speaking and there is no puctuation for their whole speech.

Meta Moment

Make a list of some parts of speech. Are these things you consciously think of as you write? Have you learned them in school? If you did not, has that affected or inhibited your writing thus far? Do you think knowing the parts of speech and grammatical terms can help you to write better? Why or why not?

Parts of speech:
verb
noun
pronoun
interjection
I have learned these parts of speech in school more than once. I think that knowing these parts of speech can sort of help your writing. Most of the time, however, you could get along just fine without knowing what an interjection is.

Personal Response:
I thought this article was interesting on an educational level. I didn't know that English grammar is based on Latin grammar, and also all the history behind the changes of our language. It also gave valid points about the fludity of language and how it varies from person to person when they are writing.