I have a day of waiting ahead of me. It's another hour and thirty mins before the van shuttles me to the airport, then another three and 1/2 hours before my flight leaves, then another 6 hours or so until I end up in Jackson (hopefully). I suppose in light of a month 11 hours isn't so long to wait.
I really thought I wasn't going to make it through this last week, but I did! Most of the reason I did was that God provided some wonderful friends for me to spend time with and get to know. The time passed and I didn't realize it because I was making some closer friends. I would always talk with people at meals and such, but I hadn't really made any 'buddies' before this week. Now I have a reason to be sad for leaving (which still doesn't outweigh the joy of returning). We have facebook to keep us in touch, though! ha!
It seems like this day will never be over, but then it seemed like this month would never be over. And I have mixed feelings about wanting time to pass quickly. At some point I'm going to look back and wonder why I wanted time to pass so quickly. There's definitely something to be said for enjoying each moment.
Right now I'm just enjoying each moment that I look forward to being back with Trey! Yay!
7.28.2007
7.26.2007
just in case someone didn't know
fi·an·cé [fee-ahn-sey, fee-ahn-sey]
–noun
a man engaged to be married; a man to whom a woman is engaged.
fi·an·cée [fee-ahn-sey, fee-ahn-sey]
–noun
a woman engaged to be married; a woman to whom a man is engaged.
I know there's no difference in the pronunciation, but I can tell when you do or don't use the right word.
ɑnˈseɪ, –noun
a man engaged to be married; a man to whom a woman is engaged.
fi·an·cée [fee-ahn-sey, fee-ahn-sey]
–noun
a woman engaged to be married; a woman to whom a man is engaged.
I know there's no difference in the pronunciation, but I can tell when you do or don't use the right word.
7.25.2007
cleaning up
Well, after a minor mountain involving bridesmaids dresses, wedding planning is humming along smoothly. The church and pastor are scheduled, the pianist reserved, the reception site booked, the rehearsal dinner planned, the photographer booked, the wedding director chosen, the bridesmaids' dresses ordered, the reception menu planned, and the bridesmaids' luncheon menu chosen. Thanks to my wonderful family this has all been accomplished while I've been in California for the last month!
Now all I have is: music for the ceremony (any favorite suggestions, Embly?), invitations, cake (this should be a tasty endeavor), flowers for the ceremony, tuxes for the guys, and some fun parties to go to.
Oh yeah, and my dress. I guess that should be more in the front of my mind. I have such a hard time shopping for clothes anyway, the thought of a wedding dress is simply numbing. It's probably the most important article of clothing I'll purchase. Wow.
I haven't thought about linguistics much for the past two days. Is that sentence well-formed? I should say, I haven't thought much about linguistics for the past two days. Maybe? Hm.
Now all I have is: music for the ceremony (any favorite suggestions, Embly?), invitations, cake (this should be a tasty endeavor), flowers for the ceremony, tuxes for the guys, and some fun parties to go to.
Oh yeah, and my dress. I guess that should be more in the front of my mind. I have such a hard time shopping for clothes anyway, the thought of a wedding dress is simply numbing. It's probably the most important article of clothing I'll purchase. Wow.
I haven't thought about linguistics much for the past two days. Is that sentence well-formed? I should say, I haven't thought much about linguistics for the past two days. Maybe? Hm.
7.24.2007
I am learning
de·co·rum [di-kawr-uhm, -kohr-]
–noun
[Origin: 1560–70; <>decōrum, n. use of neut. of decōrus decorous]
—Synonyms 1. politeness, manners, dignity. See etiquette.
6 o'clock = floor length
half past 5 o'clock = knee length
–noun
| 1. | dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc. |
| 2. | the quality or state of being decorous; orderliness; regularity. |
| 3. | Usually, decorums. an observance or requirement of polite society. |
[Origin: 1560–70; <>decōrum, n. use of neut. of decōrus decorous]
—Synonyms 1. politeness, manners, dignity. See etiquette.
6 o'clock = floor length
half past 5 o'clock = knee length
7.23.2007
things of note after three weeks
- Linguists are trying to turn language into science, to boil it down to a mathematical formula. Duff? Ryan? Is this a slight to math? to language? Maybe I haven't gotten a broad enough picture of things, but I don't really see how language can be an equation. It changes. Does math change?
- All the seating at Stanford is made for people with longer legs than I have. It's getting uncomfortable.
- The cafeteria has some kind of bagel with chocolate chips in it. I must find this bagel.
- I have quads of steel---after 'hovering' over public toilet seats for a month. Our showers and toilets are in the community arrangement.
- I am going to miss being able to leave my window open 24/7.
7.21.2007
sigh
I am not this:
Rather, I find myself an antonym, but I always wish I would be a synonym.
P.S. I should note that I get my definitions from Dictionary.com
as·sid·u·ous [uh-sij-oo-uhs]
–adjective
| 1. | constant; unremitting: assiduous reading. |
| 2. | constant in application or effort; working diligently at a task; persevering; industrious; attentive: an assiduous student. |
—Synonyms 1. continuous, tireless, persistent. 2. studious, diligent, sedulous.
—Antonyms 1, 2. inconstant, lazy.
Rather, I find myself an antonym, but I always wish I would be a synonym.
P.S. I should note that I get my definitions from Dictionary.com
7.20.2007
numbers
Linguist talk seems to center around statistics and numbers. Or, if you walk past a marker board that a linguist has marked, you may see a sentence like 'Joe walked down the street.' Then you'll see the same sentence in various forms and divisions. How can we call that sentence "well-formed"? Wouldn't we all like to know.
I decided that my 'Language and Identity' class was misnamed. It should have been 'Language and Sexuality.' I've really been surprised that so many (i.e., all) of the lectures have centered around various transgender groups and ways that we express sexuality in language. I suppose the fact that many languages have a grammatical gender may have something to do with it. Anyway, I thought the class would have covered very different ground than it has been covering.
I've been pelted with a lot of statistics, too, in all my classes except for morphology. Sociolinguistics is a lot of stats and psycholinguistics is too. I realized that I start getting bored after a while in my 'Language and Thought' class because we have already looked at 50 bar graphs and have 20 more to go. In fact, many of the questions in that class are just about the behavioral tests that were done and how a control was used for a particular study, and if this or that was accounted for, etc., etc.
Despite the complaints, I am glad I came here. I have a tendency to get ideas in my head---vague ideas, mind you---and think they exist somewhere in reality. Unfortunately, it takes a good splash of reality to wake me from my dream. I have really enjoyed being in California and meeting and talking to people from all over the world. I don't know where else I could have found such a diverse combination of people. And, while I'm glad I came here, I am ready to be home now. One week to go still.
Tomorrow I'm going hiking with some friends. Hopefully I'll live to tell about it.
I decided that my 'Language and Identity' class was misnamed. It should have been 'Language and Sexuality.' I've really been surprised that so many (i.e., all) of the lectures have centered around various transgender groups and ways that we express sexuality in language. I suppose the fact that many languages have a grammatical gender may have something to do with it. Anyway, I thought the class would have covered very different ground than it has been covering.
I've been pelted with a lot of statistics, too, in all my classes except for morphology. Sociolinguistics is a lot of stats and psycholinguistics is too. I realized that I start getting bored after a while in my 'Language and Thought' class because we have already looked at 50 bar graphs and have 20 more to go. In fact, many of the questions in that class are just about the behavioral tests that were done and how a control was used for a particular study, and if this or that was accounted for, etc., etc.
Despite the complaints, I am glad I came here. I have a tendency to get ideas in my head---vague ideas, mind you---and think they exist somewhere in reality. Unfortunately, it takes a good splash of reality to wake me from my dream. I have really enjoyed being in California and meeting and talking to people from all over the world. I don't know where else I could have found such a diverse combination of people. And, while I'm glad I came here, I am ready to be home now. One week to go still.
Tomorrow I'm going hiking with some friends. Hopefully I'll live to tell about it.
this is not what i thought it was
am·biv·a·lence [am-biv-uh-luhns] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun
So, I thought ambivalence meant not caring. Now I know that I am much more ambivalent than I once thought!
| 1. | uncertainty or fluctuation, esp. when caused by inability to make a choice or by a simultaneous desire to say or do two opposite or conflicting things. |
| 2. | Psychology. the coexistence within an individual of positive and negative feelings toward the same person, object, or action, simultaneously drawing him or her in opposite directions. |
So, I thought ambivalence meant not caring. Now I know that I am much more ambivalent than I once thought!
7.16.2007
People and such
The trip to LA was well worth every effort. As I was leaving, I realized that that's the first time I've spent more than four hours at a time with April since she moved from Mississippi five years ago. We chattered away about everything the whole time. It was great.
Friday I made it there in time to hang out with April and Chris before the Christmas party. They took me for my first taste of Cuban food (it's scrumptious!) and then down to visit the Pacific ocean. The party was fun, even though the Christmas lights didn't work. We had (most of the folks, anyway) festive attire and all the usual Christmas fare and a game of Dirty Santa. Except no one ever stole anything except for once. I got to meet John and Cindy Rankin, pastor and wife of Redeemer, Chris and April's church.
Saturday April and I ate at their favorite Korean restaurant, which was delicious food and thrilling experience rolled into one. Then April brought me down to see Hollywood. I don't think I ever would have gone if April hadn't been living in LA and chosen to bring me there, but it was lots of fun to get to see some of the sights with her.
Our last stop was Trader Joe's, April's favorite store. It's probably a good thing we don't have one in Jackson, or I'd buy more than I can eat . . . all the time.
And I have to mention Sally, Chris and April's Very Good cat. Sally is an elderly kitty with very good taste and manners. She has a few basic needs (food, water, a short chase around the house, thorough head-scratching) as all cats do, and as long as those are met, she behaves as the ideal cat.
And I'd like to bring special attention to the wonderful patience of my husband-to-be, Trey. We haven't liked being downsized to the phone all that much, and found that I kept getting angry with him when he needed to get off the phone. In my head, of course, I know he can't spend his days with a phone strapped to his ear, but I'd always feel bad when he tried to say goodbye, so I decided he must have hurt my feelings . . . somehow. We decided I needed to figure out why I kept getting mad at him, and I figured out that I missed him and misinterpreted that twinge of parting-pain as hurt feelings. Poor Trey! So now, instead of being angry at him, I can tell him I miss him, and I can actually miss him. I'm glad he puts up with me!
Friday I made it there in time to hang out with April and Chris before the Christmas party. They took me for my first taste of Cuban food (it's scrumptious!) and then down to visit the Pacific ocean. The party was fun, even though the Christmas lights didn't work. We had (most of the folks, anyway) festive attire and all the usual Christmas fare and a game of Dirty Santa. Except no one ever stole anything except for once. I got to meet John and Cindy Rankin, pastor and wife of Redeemer, Chris and April's church.
Saturday April and I ate at their favorite Korean restaurant, which was delicious food and thrilling experience rolled into one. Then April brought me down to see Hollywood. I don't think I ever would have gone if April hadn't been living in LA and chosen to bring me there, but it was lots of fun to get to see some of the sights with her.
Our last stop was Trader Joe's, April's favorite store. It's probably a good thing we don't have one in Jackson, or I'd buy more than I can eat . . . all the time.
And I have to mention Sally, Chris and April's Very Good cat. Sally is an elderly kitty with very good taste and manners. She has a few basic needs (food, water, a short chase around the house, thorough head-scratching) as all cats do, and as long as those are met, she behaves as the ideal cat.
And I'd like to bring special attention to the wonderful patience of my husband-to-be, Trey. We haven't liked being downsized to the phone all that much, and found that I kept getting angry with him when he needed to get off the phone. In my head, of course, I know he can't spend his days with a phone strapped to his ear, but I'd always feel bad when he tried to say goodbye, so I decided he must have hurt my feelings . . . somehow. We decided I needed to figure out why I kept getting mad at him, and I figured out that I missed him and misinterpreted that twinge of parting-pain as hurt feelings. Poor Trey! So now, instead of being angry at him, I can tell him I miss him, and I can actually miss him. I'm glad he puts up with me!
7.12.2007
Los Angeles
I just completed my most impulsive and expensive transaction ever. I booked a flight to LA to see my friend April Duvall. I'm leaving tomorrow and coming back Sunday. The plane flight looked like it would be comparable to renting a car, paying for gas, etc, and I would spend less time traveling and more time with April. The real splurge, though, was when I signed up for a shuttle to come pick me up. Of course, the cost pales in comparison to the cost of the plane ticket, but it's a lot more than the $1.75 bus fare. I just didn't know enough about the connection points on the bus trips to be confident I wouldn't get totally lost and off schedule.
The other thing is that my flight tomorrow said my 'reservation is guaranteed' but the airline isn't assigning seats right now??? Hm. April and I thought that the 'guaranteed' part was comforting, but Chris, April's husband, just squinted his eyes. Y'all can pray about that. The schedule worked out pretty well (assuming I get there). April doesn't have work tomorrow and Chris is working all weekend. Not that I don't want to see Chris, too, but this way I can have April to myself. :)
So, one of the worst things about a time difference is you can't call home when something exciting happens at 9 PM.
The other thing is that my flight tomorrow said my 'reservation is guaranteed' but the airline isn't assigning seats right now??? Hm. April and I thought that the 'guaranteed' part was comforting, but Chris, April's husband, just squinted his eyes. Y'all can pray about that. The schedule worked out pretty well (assuming I get there). April doesn't have work tomorrow and Chris is working all weekend. Not that I don't want to see Chris, too, but this way I can have April to myself. :)
So, one of the worst things about a time difference is you can't call home when something exciting happens at 9 PM.
7.11.2007
way cool
My highlighter is amazing. I marked highlighter over the typed words 'Item and process' (IP) and the words literally raised off the page! They looked like they were floating over the highlighter stuff!!!
And then I touched them and realized that the paper had actually bubbled from the moisture (like that, Meredith? maybe I should have said 'moist-ness') of the highlighter stuff.
The last few days have been easy. The schedule is routine now; we've been having some interesting lectures. In the general lectures I can usually pick up the main point, but the details are lost on me. I did have breakfast with some PhD and post-doc students who were critiquing the lectures and one of the classes I'm attending. I found listening to their critique more helpful than the class, at least for getting an idea of what the academic controversies are in the field (numeric data vs. qualitative data, for example) and what academic ideas of professionalism are.
My roommate, Kyoko, is presenting a paper at a conference in Sweden. She'll be back Sunday. Saturday I'm going to be in a workshop all day. It's called 'Ethnographic Methods in Sociocultural Linguistics.' Sounds exciting, huh? At first, I was thinking I wouldn't go to any of the workshops here, just because I'm not involved in any type of research, so what would I have to work on? Then I realized that this is my chance to get exposure to all that I can, so heck, I might as well go for it. It helped too, that the profs in one of my classes are running the workshop and handed out a flyer, so I actually knew what would be presented.
Now I'll go back to studying Item and process.
And then I touched them and realized that the paper had actually bubbled from the moisture (like that, Meredith? maybe I should have said 'moist-ness') of the highlighter stuff.
The last few days have been easy. The schedule is routine now; we've been having some interesting lectures. In the general lectures I can usually pick up the main point, but the details are lost on me. I did have breakfast with some PhD and post-doc students who were critiquing the lectures and one of the classes I'm attending. I found listening to their critique more helpful than the class, at least for getting an idea of what the academic controversies are in the field (numeric data vs. qualitative data, for example) and what academic ideas of professionalism are.
My roommate, Kyoko, is presenting a paper at a conference in Sweden. She'll be back Sunday. Saturday I'm going to be in a workshop all day. It's called 'Ethnographic Methods in Sociocultural Linguistics.' Sounds exciting, huh? At first, I was thinking I wouldn't go to any of the workshops here, just because I'm not involved in any type of research, so what would I have to work on? Then I realized that this is my chance to get exposure to all that I can, so heck, I might as well go for it. It helped too, that the profs in one of my classes are running the workshop and handed out a flyer, so I actually knew what would be presented.
Now I'll go back to studying Item and process.
7.09.2007
dark chocolate
Today I met some high school teachers who are just here for the week. They teach AP classes and are having an intensive week of classes with the teachers who grade AP exams.
This morning I sat at breakfast with Tom from San Diego. He has a daughter about my age who is apparently having a hard time deciding her niche in the world, at least a niche that will pay for her living expenses and provide health insurance. After learning that I was from Mississippi, he informed me that I have a very nice California accent. Tom teaches English literature and his demeanor reminded me of my favorite English professors at Delta State. And it made me wonder why I've never gone ahead and gotten a MA in English. English professors are so nice.
At lunch I sat with two ladies (I think one was named Christina) who were English teachers and had both tried nursing before and found it didn't suit them. Boy! Did I feel at home today! They also thought I had a very nice California accent. Is it really that bad? Does it come across in my typing?
I wonder who I'll sit with tonight.
This morning I sat at breakfast with Tom from San Diego. He has a daughter about my age who is apparently having a hard time deciding her niche in the world, at least a niche that will pay for her living expenses and provide health insurance. After learning that I was from Mississippi, he informed me that I have a very nice California accent. Tom teaches English literature and his demeanor reminded me of my favorite English professors at Delta State. And it made me wonder why I've never gone ahead and gotten a MA in English. English professors are so nice.
At lunch I sat with two ladies (I think one was named Christina) who were English teachers and had both tried nursing before and found it didn't suit them. Boy! Did I feel at home today! They also thought I had a very nice California accent. Is it really that bad? Does it come across in my typing?
I wonder who I'll sit with tonight.
7.08.2007
70th post
Things I've learned at linguistics camp:
^ is at the middle of everything. I'm often tempted to ask, what is ^? just because everybody refers to it like a person. ^ requires no article.
The meaning of life is ║life ║
Thank you.
^ is at the middle of everything. I'm often tempted to ask, what is ^? just because everybody refers to it like a person. ^ requires no article.
The meaning of life is ║life ║
Thank you.
7.06.2007
Language and . . . Everything!
Today I had my language and identity and language and thought classes. They are both located in a basement classroom. The ceiling is high, the walls are gray, and the desks look very institutional. The hallway leading to the classroom is even depressing---it is wide, vacuous, and totally uninspiring. Funny that it's in an art building.
Anyway, the language and identity class turned out to be not so interesting, at least at first. We were discussing "identity" and the various ways language is used in constructing identity. A student from Greece brought up the point that the Latin root of the word "identity" refers to a being or essence, not something constructed, but something that is. I thought that might have led to an interesting subject if people had wanted to discuss the Creator/creation distinction, but instead the instructors said, oh, that's a very good critique and other people have tried to come up with different terms to define "identity" blah blah blah. At that point I wanted to pull a Bertie Wooster "Right, ho!" and beetle right out of the classroom. Instead I remained constrained to my seat by potential guilt. By the end of the class, we were listening to an interview recording and analyzing the way the interviewee's word choice and elocution reflected possible thought patterns. Anything with analysis is pretty fun for me.
Language and thought, I think will be more interesting. We're looking at such questions as, do people who speak different languages think differently? does language structure the way we think? (it does, but how and to what extent, etc.) are there things that are unthinkable in some languages? can language and thought be defined apart from each other? fun stuff like that.
In other news, I'm trying not to spend hours a day looking for bridesmaids dresses. I don't think I ever imagined it would be this difficult to find something I liked. Maybe I can just tell them to all wear their favorite dresses. I think that would be fun. And they would be comfortable and happy, so I would, too. The only problem would be making sure the flowers matched everything. Maybe I can just have them hold one of those balls. Remember when those flower-balls on a ribbon were in fashion? I could do the balls on a ribbon, but make them with pine cones instead. It is an October wedding.
Anyway, the language and identity class turned out to be not so interesting, at least at first. We were discussing "identity" and the various ways language is used in constructing identity. A student from Greece brought up the point that the Latin root of the word "identity" refers to a being or essence, not something constructed, but something that is. I thought that might have led to an interesting subject if people had wanted to discuss the Creator/creation distinction, but instead the instructors said, oh, that's a very good critique and other people have tried to come up with different terms to define "identity" blah blah blah. At that point I wanted to pull a Bertie Wooster "Right, ho!" and beetle right out of the classroom. Instead I remained constrained to my seat by potential guilt. By the end of the class, we were listening to an interview recording and analyzing the way the interviewee's word choice and elocution reflected possible thought patterns. Anything with analysis is pretty fun for me.
Language and thought, I think will be more interesting. We're looking at such questions as, do people who speak different languages think differently? does language structure the way we think? (it does, but how and to what extent, etc.) are there things that are unthinkable in some languages? can language and thought be defined apart from each other? fun stuff like that.
In other news, I'm trying not to spend hours a day looking for bridesmaids dresses. I don't think I ever imagined it would be this difficult to find something I liked. Maybe I can just tell them to all wear their favorite dresses. I think that would be fun. And they would be comfortable and happy, so I would, too. The only problem would be making sure the flowers matched everything. Maybe I can just have them hold one of those balls. Remember when those flower-balls on a ribbon were in fashion? I could do the balls on a ribbon, but make them with pine cones instead. It is an October wedding.
7.05.2007
A Good Day
Today has been a good day.
The highlight was my trip to the mail room. I wasn't sure there would be anything, but I had been alerted to the possibility. I had to wait on the housing assistant to get off the phone, and then I followed her to the mail room. There were boxes and letters all over the place. She navigated to the LSA pile and started looking through the stack. The first few were addressed to other people. They were sizable envelopes, which was as much as I expected to get, and I began to think there wasn't anything for me. Then she looked at the large box underneath the letters and saw my name about the same time I noticed the Godiva tape on the box. I literally gasped for breath.
I muttered some incoherent things as she told me to enjoy, and grinned all the way back to the dorm. Therein, I found a beautiful birthday package of mixed chocolates with a sweet note from Trey. I think I complained to him once that I didn't have any chocolate out here. (I've been complaining that he's not out here, but I don't know if he can ship in a box.) In the spirit of good Christian giving, I offered a piece of the chocolate to my roommate, Yoko, after I'd had a few pieces, but I think that's a case of motivation that will definitely have to be covered in the blood of Christ :). Chocolate is wonderful! and I want it all for me. Thank you, Trey!
This morning, my intro to morphology class started. A friend yesterday told me that if I like puzzles, I'd like morphology, and I can see how that's true. Instead of messing with truth and the meanings of things (like the semantics), morphology is more about how the pieces of language fit together. It's different from syntax (though some apparently define it as the last step in syntactical analysis), and some languages don't even have morphology! I'm just regurgitating some of the facts I garnered from class this morning; hopefully by the end of the course, I'll be able to speak more knowledgeably on the subject. But I do think it's something I'm going to enjoy if I can get a grip on the terminology.
My other class on literacy acquisition was very exciting. It is dually taught and both professors are passionate about helping kids learn to read and using linguistic tools to help them. They look at phonology and how that relates to the written word, but they also take into account things like kids' discouragement about learning to read and teacher/student misunderstandings, lack of family support, etc. as obstacles to literacy acquisition. It makes me wish that I wanted to/could work with kids on reading and had had some experience doing it. It seems like something that would be so useful, especially at Redeemer's tutoring program or Alice Lusk's summer reading program that is going on at Redeemer while I'm out here. Maybe I'd do better tutoring than in a classroom. I'm not sure what I'll end up with from this class, but I hope I can pull out something I can put to use back in Jackson.
Also, on Sunday I'm going to Peninsula Bible Church with Jeeyoung, my friend from Korea whose name I now can spell, and her husband. I think I'll go with them to get either Vietnamese or Korean food afterwards, too. She usually goes to lunch with her bible study group, and invited me to come along.
God is good!
The highlight was my trip to the mail room. I wasn't sure there would be anything, but I had been alerted to the possibility. I had to wait on the housing assistant to get off the phone, and then I followed her to the mail room. There were boxes and letters all over the place. She navigated to the LSA pile and started looking through the stack. The first few were addressed to other people. They were sizable envelopes, which was as much as I expected to get, and I began to think there wasn't anything for me. Then she looked at the large box underneath the letters and saw my name about the same time I noticed the Godiva tape on the box. I literally gasped for breath.
I muttered some incoherent things as she told me to enjoy, and grinned all the way back to the dorm. Therein, I found a beautiful birthday package of mixed chocolates with a sweet note from Trey. I think I complained to him once that I didn't have any chocolate out here. (I've been complaining that he's not out here, but I don't know if he can ship in a box.) In the spirit of good Christian giving, I offered a piece of the chocolate to my roommate, Yoko, after I'd had a few pieces, but I think that's a case of motivation that will definitely have to be covered in the blood of Christ :). Chocolate is wonderful! and I want it all for me. Thank you, Trey!
This morning, my intro to morphology class started. A friend yesterday told me that if I like puzzles, I'd like morphology, and I can see how that's true. Instead of messing with truth and the meanings of things (like the semantics), morphology is more about how the pieces of language fit together. It's different from syntax (though some apparently define it as the last step in syntactical analysis), and some languages don't even have morphology! I'm just regurgitating some of the facts I garnered from class this morning; hopefully by the end of the course, I'll be able to speak more knowledgeably on the subject. But I do think it's something I'm going to enjoy if I can get a grip on the terminology.
My other class on literacy acquisition was very exciting. It is dually taught and both professors are passionate about helping kids learn to read and using linguistic tools to help them. They look at phonology and how that relates to the written word, but they also take into account things like kids' discouragement about learning to read and teacher/student misunderstandings, lack of family support, etc. as obstacles to literacy acquisition. It makes me wish that I wanted to/could work with kids on reading and had had some experience doing it. It seems like something that would be so useful, especially at Redeemer's tutoring program or Alice Lusk's summer reading program that is going on at Redeemer while I'm out here. Maybe I'd do better tutoring than in a classroom. I'm not sure what I'll end up with from this class, but I hope I can pull out something I can put to use back in Jackson.
Also, on Sunday I'm going to Peninsula Bible Church with Jeeyoung, my friend from Korea whose name I now can spell, and her husband. I think I'll go with them to get either Vietnamese or Korean food afterwards, too. She usually goes to lunch with her bible study group, and invited me to come along.
God is good!
7.04.2007
Cont.
So, to finish out my thoughts from yesterday, I don't think semantics is a field I want to explore further, at least not as a specialty. I kept wanting the "so what?" answered, and no one really seemed interested in that question. The logic class wanted to pin language down as a machine. You put this (x) in, you'll get this (y) out. While admitting that this hasn't been accomplished, I don't really know why people would think you could do that to language. Even the human "machine" doesn't always act like it's supposed to . . . because it's not a machine! I don't think language is, either.
I think the classes I'll be taking in the regular session will have some more practical applications, though. And I don't mean to be saying that I dislike the exploration of theory. I just like to know the "so what?" And I know that semantics can be useful and helpful, but just trying to break down words into component, isolated meanings for the sake of breaking them down, doesn't appeal to me. I suppose the object then is to build them back up into a language, supposedly superior to natural language? And I think "natural language" is another technical term I don't know.
Can you tell I'm barely able to swim through this stuff?
This morning for breakfast, I had a little bit of raisin bran (which made me think of Uncle Jim), which I mixed with granola and a few cocoa puffs for flavor. The mixing of the cereals made me think of Aunt Melinda, Aunt Susan, Mom, and Grandma, who all taught me how to mix my cereals. So, it was like I got to have breakfast with my family! :) If only they had Daddy's bread to toast, I could eat with him, too.
Yipe! now it's time for lunch. It's weird when you have a closed window of time to get your food. Maybe being on a schedule will be good for me. :)
Happy 4th, everyone! Neills, blow something up for me. Thanks. Grace, you can send off some firecrackers for me, too. I hope the Owens, Jr. family time with the Owens, Sr. family is blessed. I'm sorry I can't be there to meet everyone. Love y'all!
I think the classes I'll be taking in the regular session will have some more practical applications, though. And I don't mean to be saying that I dislike the exploration of theory. I just like to know the "so what?" And I know that semantics can be useful and helpful, but just trying to break down words into component, isolated meanings for the sake of breaking them down, doesn't appeal to me. I suppose the object then is to build them back up into a language, supposedly superior to natural language? And I think "natural language" is another technical term I don't know.
Can you tell I'm barely able to swim through this stuff?
This morning for breakfast, I had a little bit of raisin bran (which made me think of Uncle Jim), which I mixed with granola and a few cocoa puffs for flavor. The mixing of the cereals made me think of Aunt Melinda, Aunt Susan, Mom, and Grandma, who all taught me how to mix my cereals. So, it was like I got to have breakfast with my family! :) If only they had Daddy's bread to toast, I could eat with him, too.
Yipe! now it's time for lunch. It's weird when you have a closed window of time to get your food. Maybe being on a schedule will be good for me. :)
Happy 4th, everyone! Neills, blow something up for me. Thanks. Grace, you can send off some firecrackers for me, too. I hope the Owens, Jr. family time with the Owens, Sr. family is blessed. I'm sorry I can't be there to meet everyone. Love y'all!
7.03.2007
Lexical Semantics
Pretty much everybody I spoke to who has any exposure to linguistics said the lexical semantics of verbs is a rather small area of focus. Truthfully, the class consisted of a lot of words apparently said in no particular order. Ha! I guess some people may have understood some of it.
Basically---what I gathered, at least---to study the lexical semantics of verbs, you are trying to pull the verb out of a sentence and by observing its behavior determine its meaning or the meaning of its component parts that make it behave in a certain way. Since I didn't have a general introduction to lexical semantics in the first place, I may be way off the mark. Unfortunately, I really know nothing about semantics, either, but I didn't see how it would be useful to try to determine the function of a component of a sentence outside of the sentence. It's like pulling a leaf off a plant to see how it works; once you have it off, it doesn't work because it's made to work with the plant. I guess you may be able to garner some helpful information (take, for instance, cadaver dissection) in looking at a dead thing to learn how the living thing functions. But it seemed like taking a dead thing and trying to find life in it apart from what makes it alive.
More on this later! I have my floundering statistics class to attend!
Basically---what I gathered, at least---to study the lexical semantics of verbs, you are trying to pull the verb out of a sentence and by observing its behavior determine its meaning or the meaning of its component parts that make it behave in a certain way. Since I didn't have a general introduction to lexical semantics in the first place, I may be way off the mark. Unfortunately, I really know nothing about semantics, either, but I didn't see how it would be useful to try to determine the function of a component of a sentence outside of the sentence. It's like pulling a leaf off a plant to see how it works; once you have it off, it doesn't work because it's made to work with the plant. I guess you may be able to garner some helpful information (take, for instance, cadaver dissection) in looking at a dead thing to learn how the living thing functions. But it seemed like taking a dead thing and trying to find life in it apart from what makes it alive.
More on this later! I have my floundering statistics class to attend!
7.01.2007
Day 1
Well, I don't remember much from my first two classes. About mid-afternoon, I talked to Trey and we decided I should go ahead and drink some coffee. The idea that I can't focus or have energy without coffee disconcerts me. I suppose I could have caffeine in some other form, but I do prefer to take it in coffee form. Anyway, I'm starting tomorrow off with coffee. Then maybe I can tell you more about my classes!
The most exciting thing today was meeting Chiyungye, whose name I unfortunately have no idea how to spell. We were chatting---she's from South Korea and is studying Asian languages at Stanford; her husband is getting a PhD in electrical engineering---and when I mentioned I was engaged, she asked about Trey. I told her he was a seminary student. "Oh, are you Christians?" "Yes, we are." "We are too!" Yay! So, now I have a Christian friend here! She's going to take me to her church next Sunday.
I got lots of wonderful birthday messages today. People tended to call while I was in class, which wasn't hard considering that's where I was for most of the day! But I'm glad I have messages now, I can save them for a while and re-listen to them.
In the dining hall tonight, there were lots of kids with "Great Books Conference" on their t-shirts. Any of you who have heard me talk about the positively amazing Great Books class I took my sophomore year will know I was practically drooling. But I guess I can't do two conferences at once. I also sat at a table with some high school students who are here for eight weeks total (they've already been here one week), taking summer courses for college credit. One was from Spain, one from Austria, one from Wisconsin, and one from Texas. I also ran into the professor from Pakistan who shared a cab with me to campus. I'm getting lots of cultural exposure over here. I just wish I could remember foreign names better than I do.
And I think I'll go do a little reading before my classes tomorrow. We have two more days of this schedule, a big barbecue and no classes on Wednesday, and the regular courses starting Thursday, which I think I already mentioned. I'll be taking MORE fun classes like Language and Identity, Language and Thought, Introduction to Morphology, and Minority Dialects and Literacy Acquisition.
I've got a mosquito bite. I thought they didn't have those over here. :(
The most exciting thing today was meeting Chiyungye, whose name I unfortunately have no idea how to spell. We were chatting---she's from South Korea and is studying Asian languages at Stanford; her husband is getting a PhD in electrical engineering---and when I mentioned I was engaged, she asked about Trey. I told her he was a seminary student. "Oh, are you Christians?" "Yes, we are." "We are too!" Yay! So, now I have a Christian friend here! She's going to take me to her church next Sunday.
I got lots of wonderful birthday messages today. People tended to call while I was in class, which wasn't hard considering that's where I was for most of the day! But I'm glad I have messages now, I can save them for a while and re-listen to them.
In the dining hall tonight, there were lots of kids with "Great Books Conference" on their t-shirts. Any of you who have heard me talk about the positively amazing Great Books class I took my sophomore year will know I was practically drooling. But I guess I can't do two conferences at once. I also sat at a table with some high school students who are here for eight weeks total (they've already been here one week), taking summer courses for college credit. One was from Spain, one from Austria, one from Wisconsin, and one from Texas. I also ran into the professor from Pakistan who shared a cab with me to campus. I'm getting lots of cultural exposure over here. I just wish I could remember foreign names better than I do.
And I think I'll go do a little reading before my classes tomorrow. We have two more days of this schedule, a big barbecue and no classes on Wednesday, and the regular courses starting Thursday, which I think I already mentioned. I'll be taking MORE fun classes like Language and Identity, Language and Thought, Introduction to Morphology, and Minority Dialects and Literacy Acquisition.
I've got a mosquito bite. I thought they didn't have those over here. :(
Quick update
I'm in California. The weather is as beautiful as everyone said, and the campus is amazing. I'll hopefully get some pictures up here or on facebook sometime soon.
The Owens will be happy to know that this computer lab has all of three PCs and approx. seven Macs. I guess y'all (you, Owenses) will take over the world one day. Glad I'm marrying one of ya. :)
I signed up for a three person dorm room, but so far there is only me and Yoko, who is a graduate student studying in Canada (Toronto, I think), originally from Japan. I'm not sure about the grammar of that sentence.
We unfortunately have classes today, but the following Sundays will not be like this. These are some presession classes; the regular session classes start Thursday. So, today I have the Lexical Semantics of Verbs (oooOOooo!), Statistics for Linguists A (eeeeek!), and Logic for Linguists.
The dorm room is very nice for a dorm room. There are three adjoining rooms; the middle one has two bunk beds. The side rooms have shelves, desks, and a little closet with a sink in it. There are great big windows in all the rooms that open but not without a little noise, as Trey can confirm.
My shoulders are very sore from carrying all those bags around yesterday. And I had something extra salty for supper last night because my eyes are all puffy this morning. I think the food will be very good. I got to have Indian AND Chinese food last night (hm, and I wonder where the salty came from. . . .).
I'll try to post more info later. I get a little sad when I think about how long it will be before I see any of y'all, but I can't really do anything about that right now, so I'll just keep on keepin' on.
The Owens will be happy to know that this computer lab has all of three PCs and approx. seven Macs. I guess y'all (you, Owenses) will take over the world one day. Glad I'm marrying one of ya. :)
I signed up for a three person dorm room, but so far there is only me and Yoko, who is a graduate student studying in Canada (Toronto, I think), originally from Japan. I'm not sure about the grammar of that sentence.
We unfortunately have classes today, but the following Sundays will not be like this. These are some presession classes; the regular session classes start Thursday. So, today I have the Lexical Semantics of Verbs (oooOOooo!), Statistics for Linguists A (eeeeek!), and Logic for Linguists.
The dorm room is very nice for a dorm room. There are three adjoining rooms; the middle one has two bunk beds. The side rooms have shelves, desks, and a little closet with a sink in it. There are great big windows in all the rooms that open but not without a little noise, as Trey can confirm.
My shoulders are very sore from carrying all those bags around yesterday. And I had something extra salty for supper last night because my eyes are all puffy this morning. I think the food will be very good. I got to have Indian AND Chinese food last night (hm, and I wonder where the salty came from. . . .).
I'll try to post more info later. I get a little sad when I think about how long it will be before I see any of y'all, but I can't really do anything about that right now, so I'll just keep on keepin' on.
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