Language: March 2006 Archive Page

Oh newfanglenesse! Y have learned the privitees of the manye abbreviaciouns ywritten on the internette. OMG: "oh mine ++DOMINUS++". ROFL: "rollinge on the floore laughinge". IRL: "in reale lyfe." WTF: "whatte the swyve?"

Beinge somethinge of an innovator myselfe, Y presente to yow, churles and gentils alle, the followynge abbreviaciouns. May they serven yow welle in your internette communicacioun:

GP: gentil person

WC: woole customes

XC: Exchequer

BATJG: biggere arsehole thanne john gowere

BSL!: by seinte loy!

OTPBRB: Offe to parliamente, be ryghte back

SNAPFU - BYXCA: supposedely nyce annuitie paymente fuckede uppe by the XC againe

KRBMA: Kynge Richarde II buggynge me againe

AOMSHJDOTBD: anothere of myne servauntes hath just dyede of the blacke death

EISBYMIWATCHDNSTHD: eftsoon I shall be ycleped mad if worke atte the customes house doth not settle the helle downe --abbreviaciouns (Geoffrey Chaucer Hath A Blog)

Taking our previous analogies for punctuation, what happens when it isn't used? Well, if punctuation is the stitching of language, language comes apart, obviously, and all the buttons fall off. If punctuation provides the traffic signals, words bang into each other and everyone ends up in Minehead.... The reason to stand up for punctuation is that without there is no reliable way of communiating meaning. Punctuation herds words together, keeps others apart. Punctuation directs you how to read, in the way musical notation directs a musician how to play. --Lynn Truss, Eats, Shoots & LeavesDash It! We're All Trussed Up: Eating, Shooting, and Blogging (Jerz's Literacy Weblog)

When I first taught this book in Intro to Literary Study last year, some student responses were negative. Truss adopts an insider tone, preaching to a choir of fellow "sticklers." I worried that, since many of my students already feel inadequate about their punctuation skills, perhaps they felt that Truss was mocking them -- and that, through my selection of a book, I, too was mocking them.

There are other books that speak more directly to a young American audience, but I liked this book so much I wanted to give it another try.

On Monday, when I introduced the students to the book, I gave a little speech about the importance of punctuation, and noted that it's not their fault that they've gotten this far without being forced to learn it. I tried to reassure them that I understood this was new and challenging material, and I reassured them that even if they don't know all the rules explicitly, they've developed an intuitive sense of punctuation. So most of the rules will simply codify knowledge that they already know on somelevel.

Still, I pointed out that if SHU were to graduate English majors who can't punctuate, then I'm not doing my job.

As students blogged about their reading, Elyse paid me a high compliment when she asked, "Does this NOT remind you of Professor Jerz?" Amanda and Denamarie said they had steeled themselves to hate the book, but they found themselves pleasantly surprised. Andy said the book "does an excellent job of making 'boring material' (no offense) something fun and interesting."

Kevin even made a paper badge that said "U.S. Punctuation Patrol" and wore it to class. Erin and Sarah both said they wanted to keep reading, and Amanda actually did keep reading.

A few students reported feeling paranoid about punctuation mistakes they might make on their blogs. That led to a discussion of formal and informal writing rules, and my expectation that a blog is somewhere between formal and informal. I'm pleased to stand by and observe as they notice their own proofreading skills sharpening. Nobody has ever accused me of a lack of enthusiasm, but I think I was even more enthusiastic than usual when I related the release of endorphins in the brain when one catches a punctuation error to the rush that one gets when besting one's own score in a race or finishing a really good book. I said something like, "If you're an athlete and you beat your own record, you feel a little rush of pleasure because your DNA is telling you that you've just done something that's likely going to increase your chances of survival and making it more likely you'll pass on your genes to your future children. If you feel that same little rush of pleasure when you catch a punctuation mark or finish a really good book, that's your cells telling you that the literary skills you're developing in this class are making you more likely to be successful in the world."

Somewhere in there I managed to co-opt the lizard-brain hunting instinct (as opposed to the lizard brain-hunting instinct) and connect it to proofreading. I saw heads nodding, so I think it went pretty well.

Now I wish I had given them more chapters of Truss to read back-to-back. As I said, last time I got a bit of resistance when I introduced this book, so when I put the schedule together this year I figured I'd give them some time to absorb the first part of the book, and I'd gradually start increasing my expectations in the area of accurate punctuation. Now I worry it might be harder to restore the momentum, since Truss was hilarious in the introduction, but the body of the book doesn't sustain quite that level.

I tried to shift the last part of class time to a discussion of their literary criticism papers, but coming down off of that punctuation speech, it was a bumpy ride. I ended up letting them go early.

Welcome to World of Warcraft: The Text Adventure.

You are standing at the end of a road before a small brick building. Around you is a forest. A small stream flows out of the building and down a gully. There is an elf with an exclamation point above her head here.

>Talk elf

"Alas," she says. "There is a great darkness upon the land. Fifty years ago the Dwarf Lord Al'ham'bra came upon the Dragon Locket in the Miremuck Caverns. He immediately recognized the ..."

> Click Accept

"Hey," the elf protests. "This is important expository. Azeroth is a rich and storied land, with a tapestry of interwoven ..."

> Click Accept

"OK, fine. Bring me six kobold tails."

> Shout "Where are the Kobolds?" --Lore Sjöberg --WOW: the Text Adventure (Wired)

Apparently, World of Warcraft is getting too texty.

I have noticed many people at fest, such as shopkeepers, pull out what they believe is their most formal language when the royalty visits them. This often means they struggle along with "thee/thou" in addressing the King & Queen when they should properly be using "you" (the phrase "Thy Majesty" doesn't make sense, does it? It's "Your Majesty."). We don't criticize them--they are putting forth an effort. But now you all know that it's (grammatically!) easy to address the nobility--just use the modern "you" form. --Renspeak Language Guide (Rosalily's Renfest Regalia)

Soon my students are going to write a sonnet, and some of them are going to want to echo the antiquated language.

If they do, this guide will help them avoid the cringe-inducing mistakes one often hears at Renaissance fairs.