Dear Ansuya, Congratulations. This is really a big number. It is all because of the quality of the thread ... I congratulate the members like Jyothi, confused and others who are regular contributors to this thread...Kudos :thumbsup.. Though not a regular contributor I definitely read every single post. I am sure there will be many like me...So, keep up the good work and keep going people.
Congrats Ansuya ...for both quantity as well as quality..There are a lot of silent readers who read this post everyday (like me) and learn new things...Long way to go...
If we are talking about articulateness, this poem may be just the thing. Totally like whatever, you know? By Taylor Mali In case you hadn't noticed, it has somehow become uncool to sound like you know what you're talking about? Or believe strongly in what you're saying? Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)'s have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences? Even when those sentences aren't, like, questions? You know? Declarative sentences - so-called because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true as opposed to other things which were, like, not - have been infected by a totally hip and tragically cool interrogative tone? You know? Like, don't think I'm uncool just because I've noticed this; this is just like the word on the street, you know? It's like what I've heard? I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay? I'm just inviting you to join me in my uncertainty? What has happened to our conviction? Where are the limbs out on which we once walked? Have they been, like, chopped down with the rest of the rain forest? Or do we have, like, nothing to say? Has society become so, like, totally . . . I mean absolutely . . . You know? That we've just gotten to the point where it's just, like . . . whatever! And so actually our disarticulation . . . ness is just a clever sort of . . . thing to disguise the fact that we've become the most aggressively inarticulate generation to come along since . . . you know, a long, long time ago! I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you, I challenge you: To speak with conviction. To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks the determination with which you believe it. Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker, it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY. You have to speak with it, too. -eom- I have been wanting to look up this thread ever so long. Glad to jump into the middle again.
Dear Elites :crazy, I have been away for a long time now and missed this virtual phrontistery. Skimming through the pages of fun , knowledge and excellent posts on the semantics of English languge , I could not help but wonder at the treasure trail everyone has left behind with every passing post. Coming back to the intent of my post , something caught my attention today while ambling in one of our local bookstores.A book titled 'Confused English Words' stirred up something in my mind.I started to recollect all those confusing homonyms which took a long time to be imprinted in my mind with correct definitions. I can still remember the trio harangue , tirade and diatribe.For some inexplicable reason , I always had trouble remembering the context and correct usuage of this words.I always use to associate them with force , vehemence and miss out of the nuance. Would love to hear any words which took a long time to seep through your active vocabulary though you always had them in your passive lexicon but very confused when you actually had to use them, unable to make out if it had been used appropraitely.
That is such a funny poem, tikka! My goodness, I remember walking down the sidewalk during graduate school with an undergrad boys or girls group walking in front of or behind me, jabbering away. "And I was like, dude! And he was like, dudette!" "I went to buy that (a quotation mark between a question mark and a period) And the clerk was so, like, you know, like rude, you know?" It was amusing sometimes. But most times, it was like, you know, dude, speak properly or whatever, you know?
Sowmya, thank you for the good wishes, and the vote of confidence. Ubellah, it's great to hear from you. I appreciate the silent readers as much as the not-so-silent ones, so keep doing whatever makes you comfortable. I am very glad that you think the thread is of benefit to you. Tikka, welcome back, and thank you for an amusing poem. It's lovely to read such scathing criticism couched in such a clever format. I'm afraid, though, that as such, I'm not sure the audience to whom it is addressed will actually understand any of it! I don't mind it when kids are kids, but when the time and place demands it, they should be able to switch codes and speak in a more formal register. Here is an interesting little discussion that links informal language use with socio-economic factors, although I agree that (like the poem says) it's more of a generational issue now. + Teach “Code Switching”: How to Speak in a Formal Register Dyslexia Tutor: News-Resources Sabitha, welcome back to you too! You've raised an interesting topic - I can't think of any words right now (although I have more than my fair share of confusion in that regard), but hopefully others can jump in here.
Remember that generational gap discussion we had, Ansuya? I had the hardest time remembering the spelling of 'friend' in 4th grade or so. I memorized it as being spelt like 'free-end'. To remember which comes first 'i' or 'e'. For the longest time around kindergarten, I thought that the names blue and pink suited the other color more. I had to remind myself that they weren't what I thought they should be, and now I am good ;-). I know this wasn't quite what Sabitha was asking about. These are very simple words that confused me, however. I think my spelling's gone down the drain now because I don't have to think. The computer tells me if I spell something wrong. I should write on paper more. Or turn off spell-check.
Hello Anasuya and all the other members of EM... Nice to see a thread like this which is very informative and useful. It took me around 10-15 days to read all the posts and I found it more interesting everyday.I am new to IL and this is just my second post, I was one among the silent readers here all these days. I like the way Anasuya and everyone explains the things. I write and read english well however when it comes to speaking I stammer all the time trying to remember the words. To overcome this problem of mine recently I've also developed the habit of reading books and to start with something simple I chose Chicken Soup series. But the things are still the same when I speak. Could anyone please suggest a solution to my problem. Thanks. Smrithi.
Hi Smrithi, Stand in front of a mirror and let yourself go. Don't think. Just keep talking. Hold imaginary conversations. Some times, doing that with someone you are itching for an argument with helps you avoid an argument too. Helps! Make sure no one thinks that you are going crazy, though! Do it behind a closed door. HTH.
Smrithi, You are so right ! Spoken English is different to written and read English.Since English is not our native language , no matter how much we master in vocabulary and grammer, comfort level is a very decisive factor in determining the ease with which we speak. As Confused has already mentioned , mock monologues is a very good training session to equip oneself with the confidence to speak in public. If you are looking for some kind of public speaking club then Toastmasters is a very good forum to hone one's communication skills. Check if there are any toastmasters in your area and enrol in one.The format of the meeting and people in the club are extremely friendly and I have seen cases where members have improved dramatically oozing confidence ,exceeding everyone's expectations by the time they finished off their competent toastmaster manual. You can check more about the club here Toastmasters International - Home Also , try to detemine which aspect of speech do you find the toughest. Accent : I would say stick with your accent as long as you sound fluent and eloquent.Make an extra effort to speak slow with good diction.Do not try to imitate any US accent as you might end up sounding more alien to them.So maintain your own accent but be loud and clear. Pronounciation: Are you confused if you are pronouncing the words right ? There are lot of words in English which are pronounced differently across the globe including the bemusing 'schedule'. I would suggest you to keep your ears wide open when you are viewing english channels and try to discern the perceivable syllable sounds.I have actually encountered a lot of words which are pronounced wrong in India and we are taught to pronounce it that way in schools.As I mentioned, language is not a static bundle of communication protocol and it has evolved picking up locale specific guttural sounds. Fear: It has got nothing to do with the english knowledge you possess and deep down you are fraught that people may not understand , you may stammer ...what if I just forget and what I am supposed to say. Believe me everyone has those moments including the US President who does not orate less than 10 speeches a day.You need to triumph over this feeling and only you alone can do it ! Go with the feeling that hell is not going to break lose ,and it is just a language.You can beat it. As you have already mentioned that you read and write well , so the tough part is crossed and now you only need to go out there and implement. Do not shy away from making mistakes.The more you make the better your language is going to be after corrections.When someone corrects you , take it in a good spirit and not be embarrassed.I have met people who do not communicate in english for fear of making mistakes.I would say that is a lousy approach to confront something.Go out , make mistakes, no matter how ludicruous mistakes you make ,at the end of the day you are enriched ! Hope this information was useful.All the best :thumbsup
