Awesome discussion today on whether the changes in language we see (e.x. slang, text) represent a degradation of English or an inevitable evolution. Persuasive points were brought up for both sides of the argument, as well as some keen observations about what our language reveals about a culture. More to come on Monday.
A couple reminders:
- Blogs have been extended to Sunday evening; comments are now due Monday
- Your History of English/Poetry quiz will be on Wednesday. If you've got questions, post in a comment on this blog.
If you are interested, check out the top words of 2010, according to the Global Language Monitor, a think-thank whose mandate it is to track changes in culture by looking at trends in words in phrases. Any thoughts on this? What do you think these words say about us?
1. Spillcam — The BP Spillcam instantly beamed the immensity of the Gulf Spill around the world to the dismay of environmentalists, BP’s PR staff and the President.
2. Vuvuzela — Brightly colored plastic horns that first came to prominence at the South African World Cup.
3. Guido and Guidette — Hey! A fistpump to all things Jersey.
4. The Narrative – Though used at least since The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass in 1845, ‘The Narrative’ has recently been gaining traction in the political arena, virtually replacing the need for a party’s platform. (Cf. to ‘truthily’.)
5. Refudiate — Conflation of “refute” and “repudiate” (un)officially coined by Sarah Palin.
Quote of the day:
"What would Shakespeare think? He'd be so insulted!"
- Angela T.
Abyssinia,
Ms Mah
Hi Ms. Mah,
ReplyDeleteFor the quiz, do we need to know the 20s slang we discussed on Friday?
I wouldn't expect any of those words to be "the top words of 2010." I havent even heard any of those words except guido and guidette. I think the Global Language Monitor is a little off.
ReplyDeletep.s.
Thanks for the quoting me :D
Michelle:
ReplyDeleteYou do not need to know the individual slang words, per se, but do have an idea of what defines a slang word, and how is functions in language.
Angela:
Many of those words are American in origin, which raises all sorts of interesting issues about how language, politics and power are intertwined.