Conventions of (American) English
Noah Webster approached the English language as an absolutist. He taught rigid language standards, and the teachers and students who lived under his sway viewed the rules of English grammar as moral imperatives. Misspelling a word or misplacing a comma, for the schoolboy or schoolgirl of his era, was a shameful error. These attitudes carried over into people’s adult lives.
With the publication of Webster’s Third International, Noah’s puritanical regime came to an end. Linguistic scientists during the mid twentieth century questioned language absolutism and advanced in its place the relativistic theory that language is an arbitrary system of meaningful sounds created by man. Human groups living in various parts of the world evolve very different languages which serve their communication needs. One language, according to linguistic scientists, is not intrinsically superior to any other.
Languages change over time. English stems from the Germanic dialects spoken by the Angles and the Saxons who invaded the British Isles starting during the fifth century A.D. When the Normans took over in l066, they brought with them a dialect of French which, when combined with that Germanic tongue, produced Middle English which Chaucer employed in his “Canterbury Tales.” Without special training, English speakers today have great difficulty reading his stories.
When members of a linguistic group move to other countries, as our European ancestors did when they migrated to America, they soon begin to develop separate linguistic and cultural identities. Observe the differences among the English dialects spoken in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and the USA.
When linguistic relativism took hold in the schools, English teachers became much less fixated on language standards. Grammar, which was once the mainstay of the English curriculum, was deemphasized; syntax, spelling, mechanics and usage became arcane subjects taught primarily in foreign language classrooms.
The title Conventions of (American) English implies that the linguistic scientists are correct philosophically; but Noah may have been a wiser head. Even though language is a human invention, many reasons remain as to why each new generation should study the existing standards of their mother tongue
Language is the core of a culture. It is the glue that holds people together in unified groups. Those who communicate using generally accepted linguistic conventions are immediately recognized as members of the tribe. Those who speak differently are outsiders.
Elites often draw linguistic boundaries which separate them from plebes. George Bernard Shaw, in his play Pygmalion, describes how Lisa, a Cockney flower girl who worked at Covent Garden, transcended her social class by learning Oxford English and by dressing and grooming herself as a member of the English gentry. Paradoxically, linguistic conformity fosters greater freedom and social mobility.
Our libraries are filled with books that contain the accumulated wisdom of the past; but reading requires that one know the code. Our schools’ most important job is to teach our (American) English language so thoroughly that students can take full advantage of the resources that our Biblioteques and now the internet have to offer.
From the standpoint of each individual, a strong command of his country’s dominant language is an essential tool for taking advantage of what the society has to offer..
This book asks students to review accepted language standards, not because less widely spoken dialects are intrinsically inferior, but because maintaining a general linguistic standard offers many benefits. The Biblical story of the Tower of Babel and the Confusion of Tongues sounded a warning. To endure and to flourish, cultures must cherish and promote a language that ties the population together.
This textbook is the first in a series of four interrelated language arts textbooks. The remaining three textbooks deal with critical thinking and with literary and literal writing.
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With the publication of Webster’s Third International, Noah’s puritanical regime came to an end. Linguistic scientists during the mid twentieth century questioned language absolutism and advanced in its place the relativistic theory that language is an arbitrary system of meaningful sounds created by man. Human groups living in various parts of the world evolve very different languages which serve their communication needs. One language, according to linguistic scientists, is not intrinsically superior to any other.
Languages change over time. English stems from the Germanic dialects spoken by the Angles and the Saxons who invaded the British Isles starting during the fifth century A.D. When the Normans took over in l066, they brought with them a dialect of French which, when combined with that Germanic tongue, produced Middle English which Chaucer employed in his “Canterbury Tales.” Without special training, English speakers today have great difficulty reading his stories.
When members of a linguistic group move to other countries, as our European ancestors did when they migrated to America, they soon begin to develop separate linguistic and cultural identities. Observe the differences among the English dialects spoken in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and the USA.
When linguistic relativism took hold in the schools, English teachers became much less fixated on language standards. Grammar, which was once the mainstay of the English curriculum, was deemphasized; syntax, spelling, mechanics and usage became arcane subjects taught primarily in foreign language classrooms.
The title Conventions of (American) English implies that the linguistic scientists are correct philosophically; but Noah may have been a wiser head. Even though language is a human invention, many reasons remain as to why each new generation should study the existing standards of their mother tongue
Language is the core of a culture. It is the glue that holds people together in unified groups. Those who communicate using generally accepted linguistic conventions are immediately recognized as members of the tribe. Those who speak differently are outsiders.
Elites often draw linguistic boundaries which separate them from plebes. George Bernard Shaw, in his play Pygmalion, describes how Lisa, a Cockney flower girl who worked at Covent Garden, transcended her social class by learning Oxford English and by dressing and grooming herself as a member of the English gentry. Paradoxically, linguistic conformity fosters greater freedom and social mobility.
Our libraries are filled with books that contain the accumulated wisdom of the past; but reading requires that one know the code. Our schools’ most important job is to teach our (American) English language so thoroughly that students can take full advantage of the resources that our Biblioteques and now the internet have to offer.
From the standpoint of each individual, a strong command of his country’s dominant language is an essential tool for taking advantage of what the society has to offer..
This book asks students to review accepted language standards, not because less widely spoken dialects are intrinsically inferior, but because maintaining a general linguistic standard offers many benefits. The Biblical story of the Tower of Babel and the Confusion of Tongues sounded a warning. To endure and to flourish, cultures must cherish and promote a language that ties the population together.
This textbook is the first in a series of four interrelated language arts textbooks. The remaining three textbooks deal with critical thinking and with literary and literal writing.
Conventions of (American) English
Noah Webster approached the English language as an absolutist. He taught rigid language standards, and the teachers and students who lived under his sway viewed the rules of English grammar as moral imperatives. Misspelling a word or misplacing a comma, for the schoolboy or schoolgirl of his era, was a shameful error. These attitudes carried over into people’s adult lives.
With the publication of Webster’s Third International, Noah’s puritanical regime came to an end. Linguistic scientists during the mid twentieth century questioned language absolutism and advanced in its place the relativistic theory that language is an arbitrary system of meaningful sounds created by man. Human groups living in various parts of the world evolve very different languages which serve their communication needs. One language, according to linguistic scientists, is not intrinsically superior to any other.
Languages change over time. English stems from the Germanic dialects spoken by the Angles and the Saxons who invaded the British Isles starting during the fifth century A.D. When the Normans took over in l066, they brought with them a dialect of French which, when combined with that Germanic tongue, produced Middle English which Chaucer employed in his “Canterbury Tales.” Without special training, English speakers today have great difficulty reading his stories.
When members of a linguistic group move to other countries, as our European ancestors did when they migrated to America, they soon begin to develop separate linguistic and cultural identities. Observe the differences among the English dialects spoken in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and the USA.
When linguistic relativism took hold in the schools, English teachers became much less fixated on language standards. Grammar, which was once the mainstay of the English curriculum, was deemphasized; syntax, spelling, mechanics and usage became arcane subjects taught primarily in foreign language classrooms.
The title Conventions of (American) English implies that the linguistic scientists are correct philosophically; but Noah may have been a wiser head. Even though language is a human invention, many reasons remain as to why each new generation should study the existing standards of their mother tongue
Language is the core of a culture. It is the glue that holds people together in unified groups. Those who communicate using generally accepted linguistic conventions are immediately recognized as members of the tribe. Those who speak differently are outsiders.
Elites often draw linguistic boundaries which separate them from plebes. George Bernard Shaw, in his play Pygmalion, describes how Lisa, a Cockney flower girl who worked at Covent Garden, transcended her social class by learning Oxford English and by dressing and grooming herself as a member of the English gentry. Paradoxically, linguistic conformity fosters greater freedom and social mobility.
Our libraries are filled with books that contain the accumulated wisdom of the past; but reading requires that one know the code. Our schools’ most important job is to teach our (American) English language so thoroughly that students can take full advantage of the resources that our Biblioteques and now the internet have to offer.
From the standpoint of each individual, a strong command of his country’s dominant language is an essential tool for taking advantage of what the society has to offer..
This book asks students to review accepted language standards, not because less widely spoken dialects are intrinsically inferior, but because maintaining a general linguistic standard offers many benefits. The Biblical story of the Tower of Babel and the Confusion of Tongues sounded a warning. To endure and to flourish, cultures must cherish and promote a language that ties the population together.
This textbook is the first in a series of four interrelated language arts textbooks. The remaining three textbooks deal with critical thinking and with literary and literal writing.
With the publication of Webster’s Third International, Noah’s puritanical regime came to an end. Linguistic scientists during the mid twentieth century questioned language absolutism and advanced in its place the relativistic theory that language is an arbitrary system of meaningful sounds created by man. Human groups living in various parts of the world evolve very different languages which serve their communication needs. One language, according to linguistic scientists, is not intrinsically superior to any other.
Languages change over time. English stems from the Germanic dialects spoken by the Angles and the Saxons who invaded the British Isles starting during the fifth century A.D. When the Normans took over in l066, they brought with them a dialect of French which, when combined with that Germanic tongue, produced Middle English which Chaucer employed in his “Canterbury Tales.” Without special training, English speakers today have great difficulty reading his stories.
When members of a linguistic group move to other countries, as our European ancestors did when they migrated to America, they soon begin to develop separate linguistic and cultural identities. Observe the differences among the English dialects spoken in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and the USA.
When linguistic relativism took hold in the schools, English teachers became much less fixated on language standards. Grammar, which was once the mainstay of the English curriculum, was deemphasized; syntax, spelling, mechanics and usage became arcane subjects taught primarily in foreign language classrooms.
The title Conventions of (American) English implies that the linguistic scientists are correct philosophically; but Noah may have been a wiser head. Even though language is a human invention, many reasons remain as to why each new generation should study the existing standards of their mother tongue
Language is the core of a culture. It is the glue that holds people together in unified groups. Those who communicate using generally accepted linguistic conventions are immediately recognized as members of the tribe. Those who speak differently are outsiders.
Elites often draw linguistic boundaries which separate them from plebes. George Bernard Shaw, in his play Pygmalion, describes how Lisa, a Cockney flower girl who worked at Covent Garden, transcended her social class by learning Oxford English and by dressing and grooming herself as a member of the English gentry. Paradoxically, linguistic conformity fosters greater freedom and social mobility.
Our libraries are filled with books that contain the accumulated wisdom of the past; but reading requires that one know the code. Our schools’ most important job is to teach our (American) English language so thoroughly that students can take full advantage of the resources that our Biblioteques and now the internet have to offer.
From the standpoint of each individual, a strong command of his country’s dominant language is an essential tool for taking advantage of what the society has to offer..
This book asks students to review accepted language standards, not because less widely spoken dialects are intrinsically inferior, but because maintaining a general linguistic standard offers many benefits. The Biblical story of the Tower of Babel and the Confusion of Tongues sounded a warning. To endure and to flourish, cultures must cherish and promote a language that ties the population together.
This textbook is the first in a series of four interrelated language arts textbooks. The remaining three textbooks deal with critical thinking and with literary and literal writing.
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Conventions of (American) English
Conventions of (American) English
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Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940012806789 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Patterson Publishing Company |
| Publication date: | 05/29/2011 |
| Series: | Conventions of (American) English , #1 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 90 KB |
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