Holiday Homework

What’s better than a school day but not as great as the summer holiday? A normal Holiday! Granted its only two days … plus a weekend if there is one thing I have learned from #teenagegirlposts it is that School and Happiness are two antithetical terms, ipso facto no school should equal joy. However should someone feel differently, Mr. Michael in his quest to assuage the gaping hole left in the lives of these students as result of these two days void of intellectual stimulus has given us the gift of a blog post to allow us to cope through this tough time.

The WOW word of this week’s blog post, coming to you from the first letter of ‘b’ is ‘bereft,’ a word I have known for sometime I felt it fitting for me too introduce these WOW words in a chronological order corresponding to the alphabet. The reason for this is obviously the fact that the thought of arbitrarily mentioning words without a conceivable pattern bereft (to be deprived of) me of my solace. 

The subject of this blog post will be too discuss the three readings we were assigned over this short break from school. Sold as ‘short’ readings by Mr. Michael, some of us felt relieved as the length of these readings are around two to three pages while others were simply aghast at the fact they had homework. However I will mention that we do have three readings so when observed from an alternative perspective it could be fair to say we have one really long reading. At this moment I am still undecided on whether or not I have been shortchanged. Alas, I digress as I have already rambled on for 273 words, 273 words I will never get back.

The first article, written by Jeffrey Kluger examines how the brain speaks two languages in addition to the cognitive perks that come along with this nifty skill. “Learning to speak was the most remarkable thing you ever did. It wasn’t just the 50,000 words you had to master to become fluent or the fact for the first six years of you life you learned three new words per day,” (1-3) Kluger expands on the extra work bilingual speakers undertook to learn two languages. Exploring its many benefits Kluger draws attention to the famed Stroop Test in which participants are forced to read colors represented in non-correlating inks, results from this showed bilingual speakers to react much faster in addition to an array of other observations of which, include the fact “multilingual kids exhibit social empathy soon than children who grow up speaking one language,” (8-11). Aside from the fact this article made me feel like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz due to my monolingual disorder which symptoms include slowness and apathy it opened my eyes, enlightening my perspective and broadening my horizons. Kluger does also delve into the disadvantages that come with being bilingual giving the example of studies that showcased the rate of learning to be slower for multilingual students when placed in comparison with monolingual students.  However this being said the article did impact me as I too now feel like learning a second language, that way more people can get to know the awesome person I am!

The second article written by Joan O’C Hamilton and longer than the aforementioned article deals with the research of Stanford employed, Lera Boroditsky. Based on the theme of this unit one can assume that the article was about language, but this article in particular dealt with the structural differences between languages expressing the impact it has on cognitive processes. Hamiltion gives various examples of Boroditsky’s research; in which she examines and contrasts English, Spanish, Mandarin and Russian etc. One of the key examples that stood out to me was Boroditsky’s research of languages, which tend to assign an agent to an action, “ ‘In English,’ she says … ‘if I knock this cup off the table, even accidentally you would likely say, ‘She Broke the Cup’ ‘ However in Japanese or Spanish intent matters.” (2-4). This distinct difference between languages can have a profound impact on the way we view and even perceive life, Boroditsky states that in Spanish, the way the language is structured, speakers are likely to remember the person e.g. who deliberately popped a balloon but not the person who unintentionally did it.   Additionally in Russian, Boroditsky draws light to the fact that there is no generalized word to describe the color blue but instead various words pertaining to each unique shade. This had the real life application of giving Russians an increased “psychologically active perceptual boundary,” (21). In relation to what we have been studying in class, it can be determined that code switching can be an effective mean for conveying thoughts or ideas with greater clarity/specificity. Each language is cogently diverse, presenting qualities opposite to various English structures. This also affirms the fact that between languages there are idiomatic words/phrases that simply cannot be translated which are all prove of the uniqueness presented by each language.

The third and final article, published by The Guardian examines the intelligence to accent quotient of British people each of different dialects. An esoteric article, primarily due to the fact some may not know what a Yorkshire Accent is and let alone be able to compare it to a Birmingham Accent, the article does deal with the relatable stigmatization that comes from ones physical appearance. In this case it was found that people with a Birmingham accent are generally perceived to be less intelligent than those with the much more posh Yorkshire accent, “"Surveys have shown that a lot of people associate Birmingham with criminal activity, and they associate criminal activity with low intelligence." In relation to what relevance this harbors with what we have been studying in class, it pertains to our study of identities. Specifically one’s Master Identity, which comprises of appearance both physical and otherwise (i.e. ethnicity, accent etc.) this article is meant to inform on the stereotypes attributed to people as a result of their accent in aiming to dissuade others from forming such preconceptions.

Now isn’t that food for thought!

Mother Tongue: Inferiority Complex?

Back from a short hiatus, that spanned the course of four days I felt it unjust for me to leave my dedicated readers without another insightful post from yours truly … that or I have been mandated by Mr. Michael to write another blog post regarding our latest endeavours.

However, before we delve into the topic of this Blog Post, submerging ourselves in the beauty that is language, its time to reveal the new WOW word of the day. Inspired by the article, “Good English Bad” discussed in the preceding post, the word ‘apoplectic’ not only sounds amazing but connotes an adjective with rather intense inferences. The word by definition means, “overcome with anger; furious.” An apt example of this could be, “Mr. Michael was apoplectic at the thought of students considering Language and Literature to be easier than Literature.”

Moving on to the second item of business, recently in class we read an article written by Amy Tan. Titled, “Mother Tongue” the article examines the struggles faced by individuals whose Mother Tongue/First language isn’t English. A personal subject to Amy Tan, who herself is not a native English Speaker the article makes use of her many retrospective examples, of which primarily centre around her mother, the conduit through which she reached the realization of this issue. Prefaced with an equivocal tone, “I am not a scholar of English Literature … I cannot give you much more than opinions …” Tan expresses her idea and opinions regarding this subject matter, while abstaining from a didactic tone, calling upon the discretion of reader to relate to and absorb the themes coherent throughout the article. The theme that particularly resonated with me is the inferiority complex inadvertently developed and expressed towards people whose diction, as classified by Tan herself is “Broken English.” A prevalent issue within society, those proficient at speaking the language unknowingly share a proclivity for stigmatizing those who struggle to adhere to the countless pedantic grammatical structures deeming them to be inept. In doing so we dismiss them believing them to be inferior, “people in department stores, at banks and at restaurants did not take her seriously.” This erroneous mindset causes discrimination, which is strange considering its place in a society that advocates equality regardless of color or creed. Tan showcases the dire repercussions a mindset like this can have using the real life experience of the struggle her mother faced at a medical center. In the hopes of receiving a consultation regarding a Brain Tumor a CAT scan had revealed earlier that month the clerks responded to her indifferently in spite of her anxious disposition due to the fact she lost her husband and son to a similar diagnosis, “She said they would not give her any information until the next time.” However once Tan arrived, “who spoke in perfect English … we had assurance the CAT scan would be found.”

An issue that never occurred to me before, it further re-emphasized the function of language – communication and how through academia and time these functions have been substituted with finicky rules along with this misconstrued idea of articulation. This realization had a profound impact on me as it negated my tendency to correct the speech of others as in the multi-cultural society I live in, English is predominantly a second language. I hope this post proved to be food for thought and till next time …

Stay True to You (New Catchphrase birthed through my personal development as a result of this course)

Good English and Bad

The topic of this blog post pertains to an article written by the one and only, Bill Bryson. Aptly titled ‘Good English and Bad,’ the article examines and discusses the hallowed yet seldom considered ‘dogma of English,’ which was modeled by 17^th grammarians to be based off of the now dead language Latin. Conceptualized in Ancient Rome, Latin is widely considered to be the “most admirable and purest tongue.” In the article Bryson denotes the sheer absurdity of individuals who have imposed Latin and other antediluvian rules upon English delineating these rules to be an ancient oddity amongst the adversely modernizing language of English, “… Anglo Saxons English would now be unable to describe the modern world …” (pg. 198). The overarching purpose of the article is to invalidate to misconception that bad English is defined as the non-adherence to certain grammatical rules and structures but instead the imposition of rules irrelevant to our current society that negatively stultify the use of the English Language. Bryson exposes these unintelligible rules through the means various examples concluding, “English grammar is so complex and confusing for one very simple reason that its rules and terminology are based of Latin – a language with which it has precious little in common,” (pg. 196).  Bryson associates the cause of this issue with a select sect of venerable individuals within society, who are apoplectic at the very thought of tampering with what they consider to be the codified integrity of the English language. Clinging to ideals no longer relevant today, Bryson’s attributes the imposition of these superfluous rules as obstinate deeming it a “pointless affectation of usage that is without the support of any recognized authority of the last 200 years.” (201).

Opinionated by nature, Bryson presents two sides to his argument advocating the seamlessly lost beauty of the English language. The beauty of course being it flexibility; aside from the Latin derived rules whose restrictions belie its usage one of the felicities of the English Language is its adaptability. Drawing a interesting juxtaposition between English and French, Bryson illustrates the rigidity of French which is fraught with various rules regarding tense and subject contrasting it to English through the comparison of “Likening French to the sever and formal Gardens of Louis XIV, he contrasted it with English, which he said was ‘laid out seemingly without any definite plan …’ “ (198). By examining the history of the English language Bryson develops the argument that as there is no ‘appointed guardians for the English language’ all pre-existing rules if seldom considered are unnecessary, as there is often little basis behind them. This means that their relevance is based of their standard of usage, if not a major factor it is ipso facto not a major rule. Therefore with rules and words constantly changing and evolving to suit the needs of today the distinction between good English and bad English are to an uncomfortably large extent matters of prejudice and conditioning.  

In my own life, a friend who is a few years younger to me posed an interesting question, he inquired upon the need for rules if the point made is communicated effectively. This resonated with me as it stirred up many other questions within me regarding the importance of register and tone. In regards to how does his (Bill Bryson) discussion make me feel about my own lapses in grammar? The answer from my perspective is that it brought me to the realization that as long as my point is understood and not formatted in a fashion that is glaringly wrong, there is no issue. Lapses in grammar though not ideal are not a life altering experience and are to be expected as the human brain is fallible and does make mistakes. In addition it is worth restating the primary purpose of language as discussed before of is communication, therefore if bombarded with rules the accessibility of the language is stultified as communication would be negated by minute discrepancies founded off a language (Latin) no longer relevant today.

As keen readers would have noticed there is no new WOW word included in this post, however the choice was executive decision based off my discretion as this post in my opinion is quite thought provoking and should be kept standard with no extra glib.

*Note I didn’t even include any of my lovable sarcasm!

Me Nombre Que?

Greetings again my fellow homo sapiens and any other living creatures that have managed to unearth this post from the paradigm shifting chasm that is the internet. Continuing off of the last post’s tangent the purpose of this blog will be to discuss matters pertaining to Language and Literature, with the preliminary posts in reference to Identity and Culture. 

However, before we delve into this week’s task I’ve decided to do something that is somewhat atypical. Being a blog that at its core centers around English I felt that it would be fitting for me to introduce a new ‘WOW WORD’ at the beginning of each post. In this way it allows me the further enhance my vocabulary as well as the millions who chomp at the bits in anticipation of my next post. The aim of this would be to start incorporating these words into my colloquial speech, as it is a great way to extend my formal vernacular. Ipso facto, the word for this week is Pabulum, which by definition refers to blank and insipid intellectual matter. An example of this could be, “Joshua’s blog can be described as anything but Pabulum, as his insightful inquiries into the English language further broaden his readers understanding of the English Language, illuminating new concepts which are ascertained through his humorous yet charming writing style.”Joshua is a sexy, masculine individual exuding the most desirable of traits. Although Joshua may be timid at first, his genuine and compassionate charm shine through above all things. He can be trusted with any secret and will always pull through even when the going gets tough. His understanding and supportive nature can put anyone at ease as he is never judgmental but rather always willing to listen with an open mind. He is the epitome of a true man. Joshua is a sexy, masculine individual exuding the most desirable of traits. Although Joshua may be timid at first, his genuine and compassionate charm shine through above all things. He can be trusted with any secret and will always pull through even when the going gets tough. His understanding and supportive nature can put anyone at ease as he is never judgmental but rather always willing to listen with an open mind. He is the epitome of a true man. Accurate as this may be other definitions share the same belief while other seem to contradict it in ways inappropriate to this blog’s register. However in terms of its historical background, the name Joshua comes from the Hebrew word, Yehoshu'a: meaning "YAHWEH is salvation." An apt meaning as this name was inspired by my family’s beliefs as being Christians influenced my parents to name me after a significant figure in the Bible. In addition the very meaning of my name shouts out the thing I aim to profess. My last name “Toor” however stems from my cultural background. The Toor Jat clan people were descendants of King Raja Anagpal Tomar of Delhi. Pronounced a spelt, Tomar in Hindi, Taur in Panjabi and Desi Boli is same Tomar jat gotra of Raja Anagpal Tomar. Taur is mostly Panjabi Jatt Sikh in Punjab.

In this way it can be seen that my name, apart of my master identity is intrinsic to my being as it sums up who I am in a nutshell, it includes my beliefs in addition to my cultural heritage. In this way upon meeting me for the first time people can infer qualities pertaining to my identity from just my name!

Feel free to investigate the origins behind your own name and as always I hope this post somehow enlightened you either on the significance of names or gave you a little more insight into whom I am as person.