The Science of Language

Be there or be square.

Greetings everyone,

I am not going to be in class this Thursday, So I've arranged to simply post my eval up here, and have ya'll give me feed back to take me through the 'peer review' process without being actually present.

I really appreciate it, thank you!

Eliana Stockwell-Ferber

Evaluation

Creoles Pidgins and Minority Dialects

Fall 2008

Here's a thread to collect your thoughts, questions, and ideas about the reading for this week.

Well howdy there fellow students and professor. So how about this Derek Bickerton guy, neat eh?, although I don't entirely understand his vocabulary, (that is what wikipedia is for,) and I don't always get the gist. My quest coming into this class was based in my curiosity at the similarities between Ghana pidgin and Hawaiian pidgin and this guy is walking me through it. So I am very pleased. Where to start? He is on a quest for the substrate of the languages. As he says on page 68, had he successfully found a case in one of the African grammers which demonstrated Guyanese grammer, what would that have accomplished? There are still many other Creoles that wouldn't have those roots. If one were to discover the roots of all the different grammers, that still would not explain the similarities. Absolutely titillating the way he keeps throwing Hawaii into the mix. I read ahead, one of the chapters about Hawaii, and in it he states that Hawaiian pidgin is not a language which was assimilated to conform to European dialects. It is the opposite, European assimilated to Hawaiian because Hawaiians were the dominant culture when Europeans started coming around. So my original interest is flaring up. :) I'll say it again and make a clarification. I don't speak pidgin, but I do sometimes speak with pidgin intonations, and when I do, lots o white folks don't know what the hell I said. I didn't change the grammer, I didn't change the words, usually, just the tones and folks don't get it. My friend from Ghana, however, did get it, and granted lots of white folks do to. He said the same thing about me. He has an accent. He isn't talking pidgin, but the pidgin accent is the same. He said lot of folks don't know what he is saying. What the hell is going on here people? Ok. So here is my next query, Derek B. couldn't find African roots for Guyanese grammer; is there a universal knowledge which tells humans how to break it down so that different dialects are mutually intelligible. This query says nothing to the fact that all pidgins are different yet, perhaps the way we see objects in relation to time, place and meaning trancends the culturally specific way of interpreting it. Ok. That seems simple, it is simple. Where do intonations fit in? Ok enough on that rant.... There's more..... Keep reading

Greetings class mates and professor. How are we all doing tonight? I have been studying bones for the last 6 hours on top of two hours of organic chem and am half crazy. My name is Erin. I have spent my life living all over the united states. Travel is in my blood. It is disappointing to me that it isn't so easy to get into Mexico anymore. No more strolling across the border. I love staying active. I have a fascination with dirt bikes and even go so far as to say they saved my life. Staying active is my ticket though. Swimming, biking, working hard, playing with babies, and studying my tail off(going for a BofA&S) , random trips into randomness, it all keeps me vitalized. I will try to keep this short. I really dig the content of this class. The implications, both intuitive and conscious, which we discover about the mind via understanding how we use language are useful for so many reasons. The reasons at the top of my list would be, 1) Effective communication will be enhanced. This is a constant goal of mine. I incorporate conscious non-judgment into communication and thought as often as possible. I believe in the power of communication to heal the body and the mind. I believe communication is the ticket into the conscious and how we share it. Therefore learning how we use this immensely powerful tool must! show us intricacies of the human condition. It will enhance my ability to pick up languages and express/receive them. I really could go on and on.... Till the next post ! Aloha!

Hello there.  My name is Katie Gerfin and I hail from outside Chicago.  I've only taken one other class (at home at my community college) that has dealt with the subject of Linguistics.  I really enjoyed taking the class, so I figured I'd revisit the area to see what else I could learn.  I love the idea of knowing how to speak many languages, although I only have "Tourist Italian" and barely-conversational French (although I haven't taken a French class in at least 5 years.)  I find it incredibly useful to study the way people use and learn language, not only because I believe it helps me to be a better communicator, but because I plan on becoming a teacher at some point in the future.

Use this thread to collect thoughts about the readings for this week. Post questions for seminar, or things that you'd like to follow up on.

Hello, my name is Lindsay and I have just begun my third year at Evergreen. The past year, however, I have spent my time traveling and becoming a Washington resident. This has prevented me from going to school full time but I have learned a lot from traveling and working as a teacher in a day care. My interest in linguistics started when I was a Freshman here at Evergreen, when I took a program that incorporated some linguistics. Working with children had me thinking back to a lot of the linguistic theories and concepts we studied during the program and I am excited to be back in a class where I can study more on language and how it is created and evolves.

My name is Nick London. I'm a transfer sophomore, last year I was at this American college in Switzerland called Franklin. I'm from the Bay Area in California. I'm interested in studying minority dialects particularly as they pertain to hip hop. I find it interesting that the rise of hip hop's popularity has led various aspects of minority dialects into the mouths of the majority. Linguistics also intrigues me because I'm from a wordy family; my mom is a librarian and my sister is an english literature major.

My names Joe Crumbley, and I'm a sophmore. I have traveled around the world for various reasons, including Japan, Uraguay, mexico, and canada. I love to travel no matter where, and experiencing new languages and dialects helps me experience that without leaving the room. 

Hello, my name is Nathan. I have spent many years dabbling with college and this is my last. I like to build things, and currently I am working for a local builder who specializes in natural and old-world style building. I am interested in the history of humanity, languages included. I would like to learn as many languages (or dialects, as the case may be) as possible during my life. At this point, I know only one fluently. I have some skills in Latin American Spanish, although my vocabulary is limited. I spent some time in Costa Rica and Mexico, and I am aware of and can understand some of of the creole that is spoken on the east coast of central America (I have a funny story about that).

Well Introduce myself....well my name is Angelina Miles.  I am a Lead Preschool Teacher at the Squaxin Island Child Development.  I have been working there for 4 years now.  With taking class I hope to understand language better espically with children.

Note: I tried to post this yesterday but it didn't show up as far as I can tell.

 I am called Justin Trosper. Sorry,  I said that "pretentiously" because I've noticed that is how some non-native English speakers (as well as some people from England) introduce themselves. It seems like an old world way of introduction, like, this is what people call me. I like to think about how our names form us and vice-versa. So my interest in linguistics is somewhat metaphysical but also very geographical, as geography is sort of my main pursuit. So I'm interested in geographic distribution and origins of language (and place names!). I'm more drawn towards words than grammar but I would like  to know more about grammar.

My name is Tallie.  I had the misfortunae of having difficulty in accessing this site as I am not super computer savvey.  Better late than never I say.  It was my understanding that we were to say a bit about ourselves.  I am a mom of many.  I have one daughter but seem to inheret others kids also.  I have been a teacher for Shelton Head Start for 5 years now.  I teach a bilingual class.  Teaching this class is what has peaked my interest in this class.  The more I can learn as an educator to help me in understanding the culture of my families is a super plus for me.  I love to learn about others.