Monday, February 25, 2008
The Age fo American Unreason
I found this article particularly interesting personally and also in the context of our class. The use of American language and how it is being degraded and/or changed is of particular interest to Freshman Composition (I think). It also shows the importance of discussing the interconnectedness of language and why it is so important to teach students to be aware of what they are saying, not just how they are saying it.
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Well, I would put this book and its author in the camp of language conservatives, who harkin back to some so-called golden era of speech and writing. Language conservatives defend the status quo of language as if it always existed in the form they nostigically remember it. Mike Rose, who we'll read, calls this the "myth of transience." Truth is language evolves, always has, always will. The use of the word "folks," for example, is becomming more common because it is a nonsexist alternative to "guys" or "boys." I suppose part of this whole Age of Unreason in language is the recognization that language used to be male dominated and signaled the exclusion of women from all but family contexts?
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