Blog 9: What a Swell Time

1920s-1940s Slang Link

This past Saturday, I attended a symphony dedicated to playing Frank Sinatra songs. Then I got the idea to research slang terms from the 1920s-1940s. I read from rollingstone.com that Sinatra got his big break in 1937. I think this era is so fascinating. There are some words that I know like “broad” and “pushover”. I've definitely heard of “wise guy” and “upchuck.”  It’s insane how some of the words are still used today.

I definitely want to learn more about the slang terms from this era. In my opinion, I think the usage of certain slang words show what’s important in a societal standpoint. For instance, in today’s society the term “selfie” shows how narcissistic our society has become. This topic affects the world because it’s important to learn about where we came from. It gives us insight and provides us with some historical background. Like during those times, the term “speakeasy” was popular. Nowadays, I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone saying they are going to a speakeasy since drinking isn’t illegal over the age of 21 in America.

"It is too late to be studying Hebrew; it is more important to understand even the slang of today"- Henry David Thoreau

Blog 8: It Can Be Innate

                            

Language Acquisition Link

I chose this link because there are two articles from this link that I enjoyed and they both relate to language acquisition. The main article is in the center and has three components: Emphasis on Nature, Emphasis on Experience and Usage, and Why Further Study is Needed. What I find most interesting in the main article is located in the Emphasis on Nature section. It said that children learn better in natural settings when acquiring a second language whereas adults MAY have an advantage learning in a classroom setting. I find it interesting that adults have to make a conscious effort to acquire another language compared to children. So, it means that learning a second language will be easier to learn as a child since children absorb information like a sponge.

This leads into the second article in the right, purple column. Researcher Saffran believes that learning a language is innate and we have an easier time learner a whole language when we are younger. She did an experiment where she gave nonsense words to babies in a particular pattern. The babies were able to pick up on the patterns of where the “words” ended and began. This proves that babies are wired to naturally acquire language. Like the first article, there was a focus on testing nature versus nurture. What I find interesting in this article is babies regularly pay attention to unacquainted sounds for longer periods than familiar sounds. I had no idea babies did that!

I definitely agree with both articles about how the rate of language acquisition is easier for babies and children compared to adults. I definitely want to learn more about this topic because I love children and I find the human brain to be fascinating. This topic affects the world because every human adult was once a baby and a child! To think, learning at least one whole language fluently is learned before the age of 8!

To end this with a quote:

“You can never understand one language until you understand at least two.”- Geoffrey Willans 

Blog 7: Silent Treatment

Ayapaneco link

I chose this article because I find it ridiculous that the last two speakers of a dying language won’t communicate with each other. The two men are about 6 years apart in age and are the only two people who can speak Ayapaneco. This language was spoken in what is now Mexico. What I find most interesting is that the two men do not enjoy each other’s company. One would think that since they share a common language, it would be easier to make and maintain a friendship. It goes to show that just because two people know the same language doesn’t mean they are automatically comrades. I definitely want to learn more about the Ayapaneco language because I want to see if the two men will eventually communicate with one another. Fortunately, the article said a linguistic anthropologist from Indiana University will create a dictionary with Ayapaneco words in hopes of preserving the language since these two men are excellent silent treatment givers. This affects the world because there are many languages around the world that have less than 5 speakers. The article provides some examples with its pictures. I think it’s important to preserve dying languages because I feel like if a language dies, a culture dies as well.

To end this with a quote:

Language exerts hidden power, like the moon on the tides- Rita Mae Brown

Blog 6 is One Big Metaphor

Blog 6 Link

I chose this article in hopes that it can enlighten me about metaphors and it did. Metaphors are figures of speech that differ from similes because metaphors state that something is something while similes are comparisons using like or as. Also, according to chapter 5 between the pages of 189- 191, metaphors are tricky, little devils. It says that technically metaphors are anomalous. Metaphors can have a literal translation or it can be ambiguous. If certain metaphors are used commonly, this bleeds into the idea of them being idioms.

Metaphors are related to language because in the article, it says metaphors can be used in everyday speech. To take it a step further, the article says that metaphors allow us to use fewer words and forces the listener to pay attention and not simply hear words in a sentence. What I find most interesting is that metaphors can be dead or mixed. Just the concept of language is fascinating. I definitely agree with article. Metaphors aid in making sentences more colorful. I definitely want to learn more about this topic because I can learn to say something tongue in cheek and it may take a listener awhile before seeing the non-literal meaning.

My topic affects the world because I bet other cultures have their own metaphors which become idioms. Also, metaphors help spice up our languages.

To end this with a quote:

“I want to change my punctuation. I long for exclamation marks, but I'm drowning in ellipses.” 
― Isaac Marion, Warm Bodies

5 Languages of Love

http://personalitycafe.com/articles/112444-five-love-languages-explained.html

So I was talking to an old friend the other day and he asked me if I knew about the 5 languages of love. I had no idea love had 5 languages. So I Googled it and found this article. The article is based off Gary Chapman’s work. The 5 languages include: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Gifts, Acts of Service, and Touch.

What I found most interesting was that when I took the quiz, I did not score into the Language of Gifts. Instead I scored a 10 on Quality Time, while the other categories had the scores of 5. A person can score 12s in more than one of these languages. Scoring a 12 is the highest score. I definitely agree with this article after reading the spoiler alerts. If my partner would like to watch sports, I'd rather play the sport together. If I’m talking to someone, I want my significant other to actually converse with me. Share his opinions. It fits me so perfectly.

I definitely want to learn more about the topic. It seems like it could save some relationships in the future. It definitely affects the world because we should learn how to communicate better. I hope you like the article and take the quiz!

To end this with a quote:

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart." -Nelson Mandela

Chamorro Language

Chamorro Link

I chose this article because I find it shocking that the United States tried to strip Guam from their language. In my Spanish class, our class agreed that language was a huge part of a culture. In a sense, the United States was trying to “Americanize” the people. This is strictly my opinion. I understand that English is important to learn, but I do not agree with how if one spoke his/her native language, one would be punished. If you disagree, that’s perfectly fine. This article is related to language because it explains how the U.S. tried to force English to be the language of “success” and reprimanded anyone who spoke Chamorro. Children were given these "cards" for speaking Chamorro and if they had these “cards” at the end of the school day, they received corporal punishment. I found it interesting that English was a requirement for certain occupations like for nursing. Most of the people in Guam were farmers and spoke Chamorro. One would think that they wanted a person who spoke the language of the people in that particular field. I know that if one speaks Spanish and English in Arizona, he/she would have a high chance of landing a job.  If they required both languages, that would make more sense to me.

I would definitely like to learn more about this topic. I have to write a paper on the Chamorro language and I can say that some Chamorro words have English influence due to government enforcement. This topic affects the world because it shows what happens when another country has control of a foreign region. People will learn traditions and languages of the dominating country.

To end this with two quotes:

To have another language is to possess a second soul. - Charlemagne

Language is a city to the building of which every human being brought a stone. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Blog 3 has a video for unpacking our adjectives!

Unpacking Adjectives Link

Let’s take a journey back to my childhood. The reason I chose this video is because it reminds me of the time I was struggling with grammar (which I still do). In fact, my next blog, I may post a video on adverbs. I find that learning by song is the easiest way for me remember concepts. This video is related to language because adjectives are used in many grammatical situations. At 20 seconds into the video, it says that adjectives are used to describe people, places, and things, which are nouns. What I find interesting is the information from the clip between 2:10 and 2:25. It's about how adjectives can derive from different parts of speech. The video used the example of how the noun boy can become an adjective by adding an ending of ish to make it boyish.

I definitely agree with the context of this video. I mean, I survived through school and made it to community college with this mindset of what an adjective is. I really do want to learn more about adjectives and how a sentence structure changes from culture to culture. For instance, an adjective in an English sentence is typically before a noun where an adjective in a Spanish sentence is typically after. 

My topic definitely affects the world. We use adjectives every day to describe things in our lives. I feel like without adjectives, life would be so boring. So, get out there and use those creative adjectives!

To end this with a quote:

“My pet peeve and my goal in life is to somehow get an adjective for ‘integrity’ in the dictionary. ‘Truthful’ doesn’t really cover it, or ‘genuine.’ It should be like ‘integritus.’” 

-Rashida Jones