Thursday, December 17, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Website!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The non-artsy shots.
The rules of language and who determines them.
Yeah I know, 'What kind of a question is that?!' right? Well it's a pretty confusing subject to approach. I think that this is in part, because it's not really something we talk about at all (like, on a regular basis, whereas someone like Dr. Jones on the other hand...) so I'm going to try to express my answer for this question to the best of my abilities.
Now first I'd like to dispel a myth that some may hold onto. This is the myth that states that there is only one correct way of speaking in America. Those who facilitate this myth are what Dr. Jones likes to call WMWs (White Men who are exceedingly Wealthy). This however, is not true, and even if it was, what would be the point? It would do nothing but make those who don't speak that way feel uneducated. But the truth of the matter is, that the separate dialects are all spin-offs that are just as acceptable as any other. For example, the individual dialects of African-Americans, Latin-Americans, Kentucky-Americans, New-Yorkers. They're all different in and of themselves, but in no way is that a bad thing. Now, on to trying to answer the actual question itself.
What dictates the rules that govern, limit, individualize, distinguish, and set apart any one dialect from another? I think these would start with a need. The need would set its own tone and phonetics. A dangerous situation would most likely determine an excited tone, often using sharp sounds that are easily distinguishable. Look Out! uses the k sound at the end to grab attention. That being said, we most easily recognize the warning due to the "loo-cow-t" sound of it, but that's besides the point. What I'm trying to get at here is the fact that Need Determines Tone. I believe that would be the first "rule" even though it isn't by definition, a rule. A variation of this idea would be Intent Determines Infliction which merely covers such things as sarcasm and verbal exaggeration (which could also fall under sarcasm actually).
What? One rule isn't enough? Not in a million years it isn't. Another big player when it comes to emerging dialects is the area that it's emerging in. The predetermined words for the natural items in a given district might start to shape the speech patterns of the local inhabitants. For example. Put a number of children, roughly 5-8 years old, in a controlled environment. Now, everything you provide them must have a name that includes "B" and preferably "O" or "L" or both for that matter. Now start to introduce new items to them, items that they've never encountered before, and ask them to name them. My guess would be that the names would include at least two of those letters I mentioned earlier. This tendency would, in the course of 2-3 years, have a huge impact on the speech patterns of the children I believe. This has some relevance in real life i believe, although, I just remembered what is possibly the biggest player when it comes to language.
Musicality
This has an enormous impact on any and all languages. Musicality is a combination of tone, pitch, fluidity, and more. It's what makes stuff nice to hear. There are different styles, from the guttural German language to the earthy Irish language, to the airy French language and so on. In Red-Neckian, if you say "Hey, where're y'all goin'?" that last 'g' is silent and the the pitch rises with a last minute dip at the very end. What determines that? Musicality. "goin'" could just as easily be replaced with "doin'" as well as "comin'" and "flyin'" (with due changes to the rest of the sentence of course). These all give relevance to the fact of musicality's influence on language. Put simply, "Where're y'all goin'?" Rolls off the tongue easier and sounds more pleasing to the ear than. "Where are you going?". Now if you're wondering. The reason that I underlined those letters is because when you speak them in that WMW proper form you totally reset the pitch there. That's honestly a challenge to speak for people like me who grew up all over the eastern-US(as well as a bit of the mid-western) and have grown up around the fluid and condensed lingoes of those areas.
Another influence on language is the educational and, lets face it, cultural (as in "financial tier" cultural) impact. Most notably, the street-talk slang that is becoming more and more commonly used throughout the US due to it's immortalizing in rap music (that being said, England's own street-talk slang is quite colorful and all but illegible to those not familiar with it). This cultural influence can be seen everywhere. With 'Gangstas', 'Red-Necks', and 'Cowboys' merely being the extremes of the cultural effect. There are plenty of milder examples but I was simply using the extreme ones to illustrate a point.
Now something to keep in mind is that language evolves and changes over time. African-Americans had a very different way of talking back in the 17th century than they do now. We've changed the way we talk. Everyone has. The evolution of a language is constant and rapid. These changes are powered even more by the advent of new technologies and items. Just think of the mind-boggling impact the cell phone has had on the spoken language the the US as a whole, no less the world. The "rules" of language are constantly getting torn down and rebuilt as well. Although some remain, the more temporary ones, such as grammar and word meaning are changed drastically over time.
Hopefully you garnered something useful or at least interesting from this. If you read all the way to here, then give yourself a pat on the back and go lay down to give your eyes a break.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Artsy Lego Shot
Well... I figure I should probably post something. So here you go (whoever you are)
This photo shows one of my favorite creations in a preview photo I took for MOCpages. The intent was to recreate a night-race scene. So enjoy!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
More Links
breckenridge: All you need to be happy for the rest of your life.
lolcats: All you need to be entertained for the rest of your life.
legos: This is my hobby. Deal with it. You're gonna see more of it.