Punctuation Perfection

Punctuation literally makes or breaks a piece of writing. I think sometimes people underestimate the power of punctuation because there are so many choices that you can use. Dashes, commas, periods, exclamation points, question marks (okay, nobody misuses question marks), semicolons, colons, ellipses...the list goes on and on. The problem is that these different punctuations mean different things, and often it's the context that determines whether a comma and a conjunction, or a period should separate two clauses. I'm not saying one is more correct than the other, but overlooking the stylistic qualities of punctuation is overlooking a major component of a piece of writing, and can add stylistic flair when used correctly.

Thoughts on Purposeful Punctuation

I think punctuation is incredibly important in writing, not only for the sake of clarity, but also for stylistic and rhetorical purposes. Semicolons, dashes, and Oxford commas are my favorite punctuation choices. Depending on the context of a sentence, none of the aforementioned are particularly necessary, but they are often featured in my style of writing. In fact, I plan to use them all now. I use dashes profusely -- probably more than I ought to -- especially when handwriting, because I enjoy the pause and emphasis created by a mere flourish of a pen. Regarding semicolons, I love seeing the look on writers' faces when I explain why all it takes to correct their comma splice is a single dot.

As a former writing consultant and current newspaper copyeditor, it has become ingrained in my subconscious to correct improper sentences. While I may be confident in my punctuation skills, I continue to make errors. It doesn't matter how much I attempt to improve my grammar; I'm not immune to mistakes! One of my most common errors is overlooking commas before coordinating conjunctions, my personal nuisance being "and" -- for example, "To make a tasty pie, I mixed dough for the crust, and Patrick sliced apples." As simple as such an error may be, I firmly believe learning purposeful punctuation is an ongoing process. Also, I have been forced to publicly deny my love for Oxford commas, because they aren't allowed according to journalism rules. I continue to use them when no one is looking.

Tech Speak Has Its Time And Place

I don't really have a problem with tech speak or abbreviations when they are used in the proper time and place (IMs, texting). I sometimes think that people are just being lazy, as it is not really that difficult to spell out full words in most situations, but it is just the way things are done these days. What I find to be very irritating, is when people use such language in emails, blog posts, speech, or--my personal pet peeve--craigslist postings. The lack of punctuation, sentence structure, and proper spelling has gotten so bad that many of these items are not even readable by the average person. I think that this inappropriate use of such words and spellings is due to the fact that many young people have not been taught the appropriate uses for different types of language/writing. We need to make sure that schools start to cover the use of tech speak, so that our future generations will have a variety of language skills, and be well educated in when to use them.

Technology and Language

I do not agree with the assertion proposed by some that informal online language is ruining standard English. I think it is not a matter of people not knowing how to use standard English, but an issue of when it is okay to use this new, informal version of the language. The idea that "techspeak" is polluting standard English is a judgement that should not be made. Language is an ever evolving thing, even if the process is slow, and this new version may just be the latest evolutionary move in language. Who knows, centuries in the future, standard English may include techspeak, such as "gr8t, l8tr, lol, luv, :)s, etc. Although none of these would be acceptable in formal writing during our time period, things such as contractions have evolved in languages, so there exists a possibility that this new form might become integrated in standard language.
For now, I must say that techspeak is not the problem; the problem is when people fail to analyze their audience and write or speak appropriately. With that, all there is left to say is this: c u l8r, hope u hav a good nite & ill ttyl. :)

Technology and Language

I think it's a little naive to think that technology is degrading the English language. The new 'techspeak' created by technology is merely a change in our language, just the same as all other changes in language over the course of history. If language never changed we would all still be using Old English, and we would never be able to expand our language to include new vocabulary.

Even though informal writing is common in 'techspeak', writers are still able to identify who their audience is. Just because someone sends a friend an informal text message does not mean he will use the same language when writing a research paper. As long as writers are still able to separate formal and informal writing depending on the audience, I see no reason why technology should be viewed as detrimental to the English language.

The Language of Power

Sorry this is so late. I had a huge project due in another class on Thursday (plus it was my birthday) so I was a little distracted on Wednesday. Then I was going to just post a little late, but I had a medical emergency with my dog. I'm sure you don't care, but I just needed to vent and give my reasons. Thanks

Why We Can’t Just Teach Acceptance

The defect in the plan of teaching acceptance without teaching the language of power is its failure to prepare students for all possible situations. This can be clearly seen when it is compared to an abstinence-only sexual education program. Although both have good and pure intentions at heart, their weakness is that they only prepare students for an ideal world. If (or when) the students are faced with someone who does not treat them with respect and acceptance they need a way to respond. If this lack of acceptance were to occur during an important event (such as a job interview) it would already be too late. It is for this reason that we must teach our students to be “defensive speakers” and be always on the lookout for those who do not choose (or were not taught) to be accepting.

Language and Technology Assignment

Crystal VanKooten, a doctoral student in English and Education at the University of Michigan, has created a You-tube video on the influence of technology on language. Please watch the video (just under six minutes long) and respond on your blog to one or more of the issues Van Kooten raises in her video. I especially like her use of music with the images. Crystal VanKooten received her MA from OSU and then taught high school in Oregon for five years before going on for her doctorate. Remember also to respond to the blog posts of others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0Mgxhqfdyg

Teaching languages

Hey everyone, sorry for the delay, I live out in the country and haven't been able to maintain an internet connection tonight until now.

I plan to teach high school language arts, hopefully in a rural area. This means I would be working with students who tend to come from low-income families and/or are part of a minority group. In light of this, Delpit’s article sheds some interesting light on the idea of teaching the language of power (formal English) while maintaining the heritage language. As a teacher, in order to implement this successfully in my classroom, I need to make the point, which Delpit also makes, that neither language is “better,” but each has an appropriate time for usage. In my classroom I would not restrict students completely to the language of power, but instead offer a variety of assignments which will force students to engage both languages by using the appropriate one based on the context of the assignment (formal or informal writing).

All students are created equal

I am planning on becoming a high school Language Arts teacher. Delpit’s article shows me that many students I teach will come to me with certain biases. By the time they reach my classroom, they will already feel discriminated against. They will most likely have a strong distrust in teachers of any subject but mainly Language Arts. This article showed me that I need to teach all of my students the same. I shouldn’t favor any student based on racial or social class. Every student of mine should feel welcomed by me and the subject I teach. Every student will be equal in my classroom.

Why we have to teach the language of power

2. One student asked, “Why do we have to discuss teaching minority children the language of power? Why not just teach everyone acceptance?” Respond.

It's wishful thinking to just assume that teaching everyone acceptance will deal with the issues facing minorities as they communicate in a world dominated by the 'language of power'. The fact of the matter is, not everyone is going to be accepting, and it would serve minorities much better to teach them how to survive in society by teaching them the language of power than to teach everyone acceptance. Just as in sports, where every foul or illegal block is not called, not everyone in society is polite and forgiving.

Delpit suggests giving minorities the tools to survive in a society where the ability to communicate determines a person's success by teaching them formal english, the 'language of power'. It's the nature of society to establish one way of communication, one language for everyone to use. Although people could be accepting of other forms of communication, they still would be hindered by their lack of communication skills. The language of power exists in our society, whether we like it or not, and the best way to make sure everyone is on the same page is to educate them equally about the language of power.

Delpit Assignment

Your assignment is to respond to one of the following questions related to Lisa Delpit’s “The Silenced Dialogue.” Aim for about 100-150 words, and post it to your team blog. Please follow the following guidelines: 1. Identify your entry with a title that suggests the content.
2. Single space. You may respond to other people’s posts through the comment feature. You may also read the blogs of the other groups by going to: http://writingcommonsone.blogspot.com/ http://writingcommonstwo.blogspot.com/ etc. through http://writingcommonssix.blogspot.com/ You can add a comment to other blogs by using the comment feature. You can only post to your own blog.

Questions (choose one):
1. If you are preparing to teach, what are you taking away from Delpit’s article regarding language and power that might help you as a teacher, and how could you apply these ideas to your proposed level of teaching?

2. One student asked, “Why do we have to discuss teaching minority children the language of power? Why not just teach everyone acceptance?” Respond.

3. For one of Delpit’s specific proposals (refer to the article), discuss the challenges of implementation. How could these challenges be addressed?

4. Your own topic.

Zhasmene's Cinquain

Sleep

Calmly

In my bed

Fluffy warm blankets

To refresh my weary soul

Because I need it more than anything

Marissa's Cinquain

Holding
Carefully
Inside my heart
Your three little words
To keep me company
Until we meet again, love

Lee's Cinquain

Walking

Slowly

In step

Two left feet

To lead me on

Before I trip and fall

Dalicia's Cinquain

Breathing
Frantically
Into you
The breath of life
To bring you back
Yet I have failed you

Testing . . .

Just making sure I can post properly.

Practice test

This is a test.