Friday, January 18, 2013
The Story of English
It is five thirty-nine AM. I have been editing and working on photos since nine PM. Photoshop has crashed four times. I haven't slept, and have to leave my house in thirty minutes in order to get to school on time. I haven't finished my projects, and I have not yet started to draw my twelfth project. Crying has been, according to my body, something that will make AP Studio Art less worse. I don't understand this. My manicure was ruined from all the oil color and body paint I used for the last photoshoot. I can't really think of anything else than this, and don't have the time to. AP Studio Art is like a very jealous and overly attached girlfriend that won't let you open other textbooks or think about or do anything else. That's my Story of English for today.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Let Hillbillies Be Hillbillies
Watching the episode I couldn't really believe there could be so many accents for English, and so heavy on their differences. The Scottish dialect, if it weren't for the subtitles, would've been nearly impossible to decipher by myself.
Scots, in the lowlands, almost became a different language, but ended up just being a different accent of English. Scotland remained, nevertheless, an entirely independent country, despite the massive cultural similarities to England.
Scottish language has been preserved, despite the influences. Stanley Robertson in Aberdeen knows lots of stories in Scottish, such as Jack and the Devil's Castle. They are told orally, and foment the preservation of the language. Something to note is how the Scottish aristocracy left and the Southern influence grew immensely, which are factors that negatively impacted the Scots.
The Scots remained as a whole, even with these events and causes, that could've caused the disintegration of such. They saved themselves and at least preserved their accent, and their culture and national pride.
One thing I found interesting and somewhat funny was how when the New Testament of the Bible was released for the Scots, only the devil spoke London English. They were literally demonizing the people of London, as a whole.
In the 1750's, Scots migrated to Pennsylvania and added new sounds to American English. The cultural exchange was very rich, as the documentary narrates.
"In 1760, Benjamin Franklin, who was right about most things, estimated that Pennsylvania was one-third English, one-third German, and one-third Scots-Irish."(1) The influence was more than obvious, and the language was being fed by multiple peoples and cultures. The Amish farmers also are there and live the way they do, because of Germans. They exchanged with the Scots-Irishmen, and fed the culture even more, to create a more diverse environment both for language and culture.
One thing particularly interesting I learned, is that hillbillies' originated from the Scots-Irish. I've always been intrigued with how they talk and where they got the accent from, and it makes a lot of sense, now. "Well, Ray and I has been growed up in the mountains. Ray was raised right here, and I was raised not too far from over across the hill there."(1) Their word order is particularly interesting in the sense of their conjugation of verbs and tenses, not to mention wrong. Nevertheless, I find them hilarious.
The hillbilly stories told by Ray are equivalent to the stories in Aberdeen, with Stanley Robertson. Jack and the Beanstalk is fifteen times more interesting in that accent, really. "Whickety wack, he said, devils come down in this sack"(1) sounds like an entirely different story in hilbilly.
I couldn't help but picture Cletus, the hillbilly from The Simpsons, every time the hillbillies spoke, or sat in the porch of their house. I really thought Cletus was a very exaggerated and off version of actual hillbillies, but turns out he isn't. With an exception of Cletus' forty-four inbred kids, hillbillies act pretty much the same.
Frankly, the episode started off incredibly boring and dull, but the hillbilly talk, country music, square dancing, and southern accents made it all better.
1. MacNeil, Robert, Robert McCrum, and William Cran. "The Guid Scots Tongue."The Story of English. Dir. William Cran. PBS. N.d. Television.
Scots, in the lowlands, almost became a different language, but ended up just being a different accent of English. Scotland remained, nevertheless, an entirely independent country, despite the massive cultural similarities to England.
Scottish language has been preserved, despite the influences. Stanley Robertson in Aberdeen knows lots of stories in Scottish, such as Jack and the Devil's Castle. They are told orally, and foment the preservation of the language. Something to note is how the Scottish aristocracy left and the Southern influence grew immensely, which are factors that negatively impacted the Scots.
The Scots remained as a whole, even with these events and causes, that could've caused the disintegration of such. They saved themselves and at least preserved their accent, and their culture and national pride.
One thing I found interesting and somewhat funny was how when the New Testament of the Bible was released for the Scots, only the devil spoke London English. They were literally demonizing the people of London, as a whole.
In the 1750's, Scots migrated to Pennsylvania and added new sounds to American English. The cultural exchange was very rich, as the documentary narrates.
"In 1760, Benjamin Franklin, who was right about most things, estimated that Pennsylvania was one-third English, one-third German, and one-third Scots-Irish."(1) The influence was more than obvious, and the language was being fed by multiple peoples and cultures. The Amish farmers also are there and live the way they do, because of Germans. They exchanged with the Scots-Irishmen, and fed the culture even more, to create a more diverse environment both for language and culture.
One thing particularly interesting I learned, is that hillbillies' originated from the Scots-Irish. I've always been intrigued with how they talk and where they got the accent from, and it makes a lot of sense, now. "Well, Ray and I has been growed up in the mountains. Ray was raised right here, and I was raised not too far from over across the hill there."(1) Their word order is particularly interesting in the sense of their conjugation of verbs and tenses, not to mention wrong. Nevertheless, I find them hilarious. The hillbilly stories told by Ray are equivalent to the stories in Aberdeen, with Stanley Robertson. Jack and the Beanstalk is fifteen times more interesting in that accent, really. "Whickety wack, he said, devils come down in this sack"(1) sounds like an entirely different story in hilbilly.
I couldn't help but picture Cletus, the hillbilly from The Simpsons, every time the hillbillies spoke, or sat in the porch of their house. I really thought Cletus was a very exaggerated and off version of actual hillbillies, but turns out he isn't. With an exception of Cletus' forty-four inbred kids, hillbillies act pretty much the same. Frankly, the episode started off incredibly boring and dull, but the hillbilly talk, country music, square dancing, and southern accents made it all better.
1. MacNeil, Robert, Robert McCrum, and William Cran. "The Guid Scots Tongue."The Story of English. Dir. William Cran. PBS. N.d. Television.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
The Story of English Episode 2
Sir William Jones discovered how sanscript, an ancient language, resembled the English language a lot in many of its terms. This was cause because of the migration of central Europeans to Northern shores, creating new dialects that bracnch from sanscript.
In A.D. 449, Anglo Saxons migrated from the east. Most of the languages from this region, much of it from the Celtic tongues, have words very similar to words in English. Nevertheless, English is considered to be a Germanic tongue. Evolving from the Celtic tongues, Welsh, very similar to English, remains in the United Kingdom, despite the growth of the latter.
Another important thing to note is how old English is a lot similar to modern German. Also, it is not that different to modern English, despite it being almost a different language entirely. The structure of the words are similar and word order is almost the same, except when prepositions are thrown in. Ninety percent of the words used in modern English come from old English, so it cannot be as different as it seems.
A curious fact I noticed was that Anglo-Saxons, despite their role as pioneers in the English language, were mostly illiterate. This was saved, not for the Anglo-Saxons, but for the English speaking peoples, by Alfred the great. This was also a huge milestone for the language.
Something to note as well would be the huge influence that came from the Christian church. England was converted into Christianity, which uses a lot of Latin and Greek roots, giving the language a sense of sophistication and enhancement that it didn't use to have. Nowadays, the words that srem more "complicated" seem that way because they come from Latin roots, which are far more complex than Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, and Germanic roots.
Another dialect that gave to the English language was Viking dialect. They settled in England, present-day Yorkshire, and remain in the language. The ancient accent from this region is complicated to understand and greatly differs from modern English, but scarcely survives in the region. Despite this, it managed to mix in with the language.
Eventually, the two great invasions of England, the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons would crash, and simplify the language into what they would understand between both. English then survived because of them, and this was the greatest focal point into what was considered language evolution of the period.
French was also a language that was frequently used in the government and by the monks of England in 1000. By 1250, nevertheless, children were already being taught French as a second language, and only those with decent education could speak French.
English gained many of its words thanks to other languages. From what I believe, this is one of the multiple reasons why it's such an international language. Despite its modern adaptations and development of every day, the roots from different cultures, dialects, and tongues remain, and give it the connection it needs.
As the documentary says, "the English language has come of age."
MacNeil, Robert, Robert McCrum, and William Cran. "The Mother Tongue."The Story of English. Dir. William Cran. PBS. N.d. Television.
In A.D. 449, Anglo Saxons migrated from the east. Most of the languages from this region, much of it from the Celtic tongues, have words very similar to words in English. Nevertheless, English is considered to be a Germanic tongue. Evolving from the Celtic tongues, Welsh, very similar to English, remains in the United Kingdom, despite the growth of the latter.
Another important thing to note is how old English is a lot similar to modern German. Also, it is not that different to modern English, despite it being almost a different language entirely. The structure of the words are similar and word order is almost the same, except when prepositions are thrown in. Ninety percent of the words used in modern English come from old English, so it cannot be as different as it seems.
A curious fact I noticed was that Anglo-Saxons, despite their role as pioneers in the English language, were mostly illiterate. This was saved, not for the Anglo-Saxons, but for the English speaking peoples, by Alfred the great. This was also a huge milestone for the language.
Something to note as well would be the huge influence that came from the Christian church. England was converted into Christianity, which uses a lot of Latin and Greek roots, giving the language a sense of sophistication and enhancement that it didn't use to have. Nowadays, the words that srem more "complicated" seem that way because they come from Latin roots, which are far more complex than Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, and Germanic roots.
Another dialect that gave to the English language was Viking dialect. They settled in England, present-day Yorkshire, and remain in the language. The ancient accent from this region is complicated to understand and greatly differs from modern English, but scarcely survives in the region. Despite this, it managed to mix in with the language.
Eventually, the two great invasions of England, the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons would crash, and simplify the language into what they would understand between both. English then survived because of them, and this was the greatest focal point into what was considered language evolution of the period.
French was also a language that was frequently used in the government and by the monks of England in 1000. By 1250, nevertheless, children were already being taught French as a second language, and only those with decent education could speak French.
English gained many of its words thanks to other languages. From what I believe, this is one of the multiple reasons why it's such an international language. Despite its modern adaptations and development of every day, the roots from different cultures, dialects, and tongues remain, and give it the connection it needs.
As the documentary says, "the English language has come of age."
MacNeil, Robert, Robert McCrum, and William Cran. "The Mother Tongue."The Story of English. Dir. William Cran. PBS. N.d. Television.
The Story of English Episode 1
"Politics divide east from west. For english, there are no borders. It is more influential than any language the world has ever known."
This is one of the first lines of episode one of The Story of English. I competely agree, but it left me with an expectation to know why this is true and what the documentary has to say in order to prove it. It didn't take Robert MacNeil much time to prove it, as he says it is spoken in one hundred and fifty seven countries, which is an impressive statistic.
Another fact that surprised me, was that air control is handled entirely in english, no matter where you are. I've realized that anywhere you fly, you can use english most of the time. There's no way that English isn't the most powerful language of the world.
These facts led me to think about things that used English, nowadays. Most of the internet world communicates using English, and most websites are only in English. I also noticed how despite English is not anywhere near being an official language in Colombia, many of the products that I buy that are produced locally are labeled in both English and Spanish.
Then, the documentary shows how radio sort of clarified how English should be spoken. I had never really thought of how important media is to shape even how we talk and how we use language. Of course, this is a part of education and being cultured, as someone that is not educated or cultured will most likely not know what goes around them and understand issues that are discussed in radio, and speak like the lower classes.
A question I have asked myself many times was then answered. How come American English is spoken by more people in the world than the original British English? And the answer is rather simple, the decline of the British Empire caused for them (the British) to leave the colonies, but the language itself stayed, as it was already a part of the culture. The power of the Americans after the decline of the British was imminent.
Another thing the documentary says is how India attempted to change English to Hindi, but they failed, as it was implemented in the government itself. It's somewhat interesting to consider how English with Hindi accent could be a branch of English by itself, as it is so easily recognized, and has lead to many cultural stereotypes and jokes of sorts. The relevance of English in India is much greater than I thought, as lawsuits, books, education, and even pledges are in English. Even your chances of having a husband depends on knowing English, in India. This has been the case for other countries as well.
Another reason why American English has been more widely accepted than British English, is because it opens space for slang, something that British English hasn't been able to do. Music, also, is sang easily in American English. You can notice that while listening to Pink Floyd, or The Beatles, or The Who, all British bands, that their accent isn't as heavy while they sing and play. I found the interview the documentary shows from a band of California very relevant with slang. "I saw this chick and she had a totally tight bod and she was totally buff. That means she is in shape, and she's clean, and she's looking good."
The gay community and feminist movement has also caused a huge impact on the English language, generating terms for their cultures and movements. Computer programming also is universally in English, most commands and techniques use English.
Asian cultures, despite having a very rich culture of their own, having ancient traditions, have also been affected by the English language. Being huge economical powers, the business world is also integrated with English as well.
The fact that English is the most taught language in the world says a lot about it. If it is widely taught, then everyone with an education must know it. English has also been crucial in the technological world, which is automatically linked with development. This causes English to be linked with development and progress as well. Globalization is happening in English and as the documentary says, "it is the language of the seven seas."
This is one of the first lines of episode one of The Story of English. I competely agree, but it left me with an expectation to know why this is true and what the documentary has to say in order to prove it. It didn't take Robert MacNeil much time to prove it, as he says it is spoken in one hundred and fifty seven countries, which is an impressive statistic.
Another fact that surprised me, was that air control is handled entirely in english, no matter where you are. I've realized that anywhere you fly, you can use english most of the time. There's no way that English isn't the most powerful language of the world.
These facts led me to think about things that used English, nowadays. Most of the internet world communicates using English, and most websites are only in English. I also noticed how despite English is not anywhere near being an official language in Colombia, many of the products that I buy that are produced locally are labeled in both English and Spanish.
Then, the documentary shows how radio sort of clarified how English should be spoken. I had never really thought of how important media is to shape even how we talk and how we use language. Of course, this is a part of education and being cultured, as someone that is not educated or cultured will most likely not know what goes around them and understand issues that are discussed in radio, and speak like the lower classes.
A question I have asked myself many times was then answered. How come American English is spoken by more people in the world than the original British English? And the answer is rather simple, the decline of the British Empire caused for them (the British) to leave the colonies, but the language itself stayed, as it was already a part of the culture. The power of the Americans after the decline of the British was imminent.
Another thing the documentary says is how India attempted to change English to Hindi, but they failed, as it was implemented in the government itself. It's somewhat interesting to consider how English with Hindi accent could be a branch of English by itself, as it is so easily recognized, and has lead to many cultural stereotypes and jokes of sorts. The relevance of English in India is much greater than I thought, as lawsuits, books, education, and even pledges are in English. Even your chances of having a husband depends on knowing English, in India. This has been the case for other countries as well.
Another reason why American English has been more widely accepted than British English, is because it opens space for slang, something that British English hasn't been able to do. Music, also, is sang easily in American English. You can notice that while listening to Pink Floyd, or The Beatles, or The Who, all British bands, that their accent isn't as heavy while they sing and play. I found the interview the documentary shows from a band of California very relevant with slang. "I saw this chick and she had a totally tight bod and she was totally buff. That means she is in shape, and she's clean, and she's looking good."
The gay community and feminist movement has also caused a huge impact on the English language, generating terms for their cultures and movements. Computer programming also is universally in English, most commands and techniques use English.
Asian cultures, despite having a very rich culture of their own, having ancient traditions, have also been affected by the English language. Being huge economical powers, the business world is also integrated with English as well.
The fact that English is the most taught language in the world says a lot about it. If it is widely taught, then everyone with an education must know it. English has also been crucial in the technological world, which is automatically linked with development. This causes English to be linked with development and progress as well. Globalization is happening in English and as the documentary says, "it is the language of the seven seas."
MacNeil, Robert, Robert McCrum, and William Cran. "An English Speaking World."The Story of English. Dir. William Cran. PBS. N.d. Television.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
The Sixth Bolgia
There was somethhing different while reading In Cold Blood this time. It's not the story, about the family getting murdered. There's this factor of amazing suspense where the cigarrette and aspirin breakfast consuming murderer and his partner are approaching Holcomb in the most orderly fashion, incredibly relaxed, and just as if this was the most normal thing to do, while the Clutters carry on with their daily life, as normal as it should be.
I couldn't help but wander off into thinking how normally we live our lives every single day, without actually knowing how much other people can be plotting against us. It seems very movie-ish, and one doesn't really picture this could really happen to anyone. But, then again, this happened to the Clutters, who probably lived a life much more standard and planned out than mine.
There's something that seems too perfect about the storyline. The Clutters are naïve, and not sure about their future. But how would they know? Nobody expects to be murdered, unless you're threatened by some organized crime group.
This brought me to feeling like I'm the one being threatened. I'm dying to tell the Clutters to escape, like a person with an official death threat would. They're not being warned but I as a reader am. It's like for a second, you're an accomplice to murder. It's thrilling, really.
I can't help but question myself who's truly the bad guy: the one who pulls the trigger, or the one that gets the trigger pulled at? I'm not sure Herbert is the good guy in all of this. Despite Capote thoroughly explains his character, and gives us what is one of the most detailed explanations for a character I've seen in a long time, I still feel like I don't know him and that I can't trust him. You don't get killed for nothing. Killers always have an ulterior motive. There has to be something in you that triggers a murdered to kill you. You have to have done something that gave Minos a reason to curl his tail around you.
I wonder who's the sinner. I don't trust Herbert.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Further
In Cold Blood has seduced me since we were assigned timed writing based on an excerpt of what I now know, is the beginning of the book.
There was something that simply captivated me. Possibly, that hint of mystery Capote inserts into his writing. Maybe, it's his style that grasps my inner thoughts and feelings, and dances with them in a very tempting fashion. I would've never thought that this story was going to be about murder.
Holcomb seemed like the perfect suburb to raise your kids (considering you're a farmer or somehow related to agriculture), far away from pollution, stress, and well, the real world. But it turned out to be relevant after people knew there were four gunshots and six murders. It wasn't the perfectly mundane place I thought it was, anymore.
Somehow, this reminds me of my country. A few people knew about Colombia's coffee, back in the sixties. But in the nineties, everyone knew what Colombia was. But not for its coffee, but for its wonderful A-class cocaine. I think this is part of our nature. We're prone to remember the negative thoughts. They dig a grave in our brain, exposing our malleable flesh to the crudest of our mistakes, imprinting a scar that's poorly taken care of, that documents everything we want to forget.
There's also something about Mr. Clutter that reminds me of myself. He seems so normal. His life seems in order. He has a wife, and kids. He has trouble with his wife's health, and not everything is perfect, but there's a balance. But there's something that tells me there's a secret inside, waiting to burst. I'm not sure what it is. Despite the extremely detailed description of his self, I'm sure there's something beyond. Some value that's present, but invisible to the naked eye, that is not willing to see further.
There's still that thing that keeps me reading. I'm kidnapped. The beautiful gift of imprisonment, bestowed on me. I want to go forward. I want to know what's going to be mind-shockingly wrong with Mr. Clutter's sanity. I want to see him shoot one of the four bullets.
There was something that simply captivated me. Possibly, that hint of mystery Capote inserts into his writing. Maybe, it's his style that grasps my inner thoughts and feelings, and dances with them in a very tempting fashion. I would've never thought that this story was going to be about murder.
Holcomb seemed like the perfect suburb to raise your kids (considering you're a farmer or somehow related to agriculture), far away from pollution, stress, and well, the real world. But it turned out to be relevant after people knew there were four gunshots and six murders. It wasn't the perfectly mundane place I thought it was, anymore.
Somehow, this reminds me of my country. A few people knew about Colombia's coffee, back in the sixties. But in the nineties, everyone knew what Colombia was. But not for its coffee, but for its wonderful A-class cocaine. I think this is part of our nature. We're prone to remember the negative thoughts. They dig a grave in our brain, exposing our malleable flesh to the crudest of our mistakes, imprinting a scar that's poorly taken care of, that documents everything we want to forget.
There's also something about Mr. Clutter that reminds me of myself. He seems so normal. His life seems in order. He has a wife, and kids. He has trouble with his wife's health, and not everything is perfect, but there's a balance. But there's something that tells me there's a secret inside, waiting to burst. I'm not sure what it is. Despite the extremely detailed description of his self, I'm sure there's something beyond. Some value that's present, but invisible to the naked eye, that is not willing to see further.
There's still that thing that keeps me reading. I'm kidnapped. The beautiful gift of imprisonment, bestowed on me. I want to go forward. I want to know what's going to be mind-shockingly wrong with Mr. Clutter's sanity. I want to see him shoot one of the four bullets.
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