APPLIED LINGUISTICS RANT INCOMING.
Feb. 3rd, 2010 06:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rocknloadOne unforeseen result of formally studying linguistics is that there's a lot of things that should be only mildly annoying have become unbelievably infuriating. In my head I actually have a list of a few things that just send m into rage mode一
For anyone who might care, the list as it stands is this:
1. The Internet/text messaging/kids these days/Twitter/Facebook/whatever is ruining English. In fact, make that any variation of the argument that ENGLISH IS DEGRADING OVER TIME. I have no idea how these things become, like, readily believed, because it's fucking idiotic. I mean, think about it! How does that make any sense to people?
2. If you don't use "proper" English you're an idiot, uneducated, or whatever. In fact, the idea that "proper" grammar is somehow superior at all to "unproper" grammar. IN FACT, THE PHRASE "PROPER ENGLISH" USED IN VIRTUALLY ANY CONTEXT WHATSOEVER.
一but now a third item has made the list. This is the commonly cited "fact" that there's some sort of switch in people's brains that allows them to effortlessly learn any language until the magic age (commonly given to be thirteen or so, but since this is like an urban language you hear different numbers) when the SWITCH IS THROWN and your ability to ~naturally~ learn a language has evaporated and now you're forced to slog through with memorization, drills, and vocabulary lists. (*)
This is pseudoscientific bullshit that is fucks over both child language learners一kids who get thrown into a foreign classroom with zero support, are forbidden to speak their native language, and expected to somehow succeed一and adult language learners一who rarely get the level of language immersion necessary to become competent. And honestly, language learning is serious freaking business for a lot of people. People like immigrants who need to learn a new language to get a decent job or medical care in their new country, for example. Seeing idiots totally willing to fuck these people over pisses me off AND THAT IS WHAT IS HAPPENING.
(*) I can see how people come to believe this, because it is more or less true when it comes to learning foreign sounds and people tend to judge other's language ability primarily on pronunciation. But understandable or not it is still wrong.
For anyone who might care, the list as it stands is this:
1. The Internet/text messaging/kids these days/Twitter/Facebook/whatever is ruining English. In fact, make that any variation of the argument that ENGLISH IS DEGRADING OVER TIME. I have no idea how these things become, like, readily believed, because it's fucking idiotic. I mean, think about it! How does that make any sense to people?
2. If you don't use "proper" English you're an idiot, uneducated, or whatever. In fact, the idea that "proper" grammar is somehow superior at all to "unproper" grammar. IN FACT, THE PHRASE "PROPER ENGLISH" USED IN VIRTUALLY ANY CONTEXT WHATSOEVER.
一but now a third item has made the list. This is the commonly cited "fact" that there's some sort of switch in people's brains that allows them to effortlessly learn any language until the magic age (commonly given to be thirteen or so, but since this is like an urban language you hear different numbers) when the SWITCH IS THROWN and your ability to ~naturally~ learn a language has evaporated and now you're forced to slog through with memorization, drills, and vocabulary lists. (*)
This is pseudoscientific bullshit that is fucks over both child language learners一kids who get thrown into a foreign classroom with zero support, are forbidden to speak their native language, and expected to somehow succeed一and adult language learners一who rarely get the level of language immersion necessary to become competent. And honestly, language learning is serious freaking business for a lot of people. People like immigrants who need to learn a new language to get a decent job or medical care in their new country, for example. Seeing idiots totally willing to fuck these people over pisses me off AND THAT IS WHAT IS HAPPENING.
(*) I can see how people come to believe this, because it is more or less true when it comes to learning foreign sounds and people tend to judge other's language ability primarily on pronunciation. But understandable or not it is still wrong.
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no subject
Date: 2010-02-04 01:43 am (UTC)And you are totally awesome, jsyk.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-04 03:05 am (UTC)I mean some people's spelling is lolarious sometimes but COME OOOOON.
YOU, TOO, ARE AWESOME. LET US BASK IN IT.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-04 02:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-04 03:01 am (UTC)But take ANYTHING I SAW HERE with a grain of salt because I have no training in neurolinguistics, and I'm not even sure how much anybody knows about the physical parts of the brain as they apply to language. A lot of the neurolinguistic information that exists seems to be deduced by studying people with brain damage, learning disabilities, and stuff like that.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-04 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-04 08:50 am (UTC)I'm pretty proficient in tagalog now, but I still don't know some words. I usually end up substituting this with words in English - which is actually acceptable as of now as the majority of the country speaks the same way.
Ex: "Gutum na ako" Means "I'm Hungry" but can often be substituted with "Hungry ako" and it's still understood.
Due mostly to the MAJOR american influence the country had in the 20th century.
Anyways, I completely understand your whole rant and agree with you whole heartedly.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-04 10:50 pm (UTC)