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The Language Mavens

The Language Mavens. Hannah Heinrichsen Language and Culture Prof. R. Hickey SS06 Hauptstudium LN. Contents. Rules “Correct English“ Language Mavens 3.1 Types of Mavens 3.2 History of the Mavens Standard English vs. Non Standard English Conclusion References. 1. Rules.

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The Language Mavens

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  1. The Language Mavens Hannah Heinrichsen Language and Culture Prof. R. Hickey SS06 Hauptstudium LN

  2. Contents • Rules • “Correct English“ • Language Mavens 3.1 Types of Mavens 3.2 History of the Mavens • Standard English vs. Non Standard English • Conclusion • References

  3. 1. Rules • Prescriptive rules: prescribe how one „ought“ to talk • Descriptive rules: describe how people do talk • Fundamental rules: create sentences, define the infinitives and list the words…

  4. 2. „Correct English“ • What is “correct English”? Who tells us so? • no English language Academy • no Founding Fathers at some English Language Constitution Conference at the beginning

  5. 2. „Correct English“ • Legislators of “correct English”: • network of copy-editors • dictionary usage panellists • style manual and handbook writers • English teachers • Essayists • Columnists • pundits

  6. 3. The Language Mavens • Maven from a Yiddish word meaning expert • make prescriptive rules or keep them alive

  7. 3.1 Types of Mavens • The Wordwatcher • The Jeremiah • The Sage • The Entertainer

  8. 3.1 Types of Mavens • The Wordwatcher Wordwatchers train their binoculars on the especially capricious, eccentric, and poorly documented words and idioms that get sighed from time to time

  9. 3.1 Types of Mavens 2. The Jeremiah Jeremiahs express their bitter laments and righteous prophecies of doom

  10. 3.1 Types of Mavens 3. The Entertainer The entertainer shows off his collection of palindromes, puns, anagrams, rebuses, malapropisms, Goldwysms, eponyms, sesquipedalian, howlers, and bloopers.

  11. 3.1 Types of Mavens 4. The Sage The sages are known for taking a moderate, common-sense approach to matters of usage, and they tease their victims with wit rather than savaging them with invective

  12. 3.2 History of the Language Mavens 18th century: • London political and financial centre of England • England centre of a powerful empire • London dialect suddenly became an important world language • Unprecedented social mobility for anyone who desired education • demand for handbooks and style manuals • Competition: manuals tried to outdo one another by including greater numbers of increasingly fastidious rules that no refined person could afford to ignore

  13. 4. Standard vs. Non Standard • The American Language (H.L. Mencken): • dialect of English spoken throughout the country • didn’t become the standard of government and education • the language maven claims that non-standard American English is not just different but less sophisticated and logical

  14. 4. Standard vs. Non Standard • e.g.: the notorious double negative • Non Standard English:“I can’t get no satisfaction.” The two negatives cancel each other out • “I can’t get no satisfaction.” = “I am satisfied.” • Standard English: “I can’t get any satisfaction”

  15. 4. Standard vs. Non Standard • Logical grammatical errors: • Everyone returned to their seats. • Everyone means every one, singular subject which may not serve as the antecedent of a plural pronoun like them • Everyone returned to his seat.

  16. 4. Standard vs. Non Standard • Logical grammatical errors: • If anyone calls, tell them I can’t come to the phone. • Anyone means any one, singular subject which may not serve as the antecedent of a plural pronoun like them • If anyone calls, tell him I can’t come to the phone.

  17. 4. Standard vs. Non Standard • Further Errors: • Hopefully, the treaty will pass. • Mavens say, it should be used only when the sentence refers to a person who is doing something in a hopeful manner • Mavens’ suggestions: • It is hoped that the treaty will pass. • If hopes are realized, the treaty will pass.

  18. 4. Standard vs. Non Standard • 2 kinds of adverbs: • “verb phrase” adverbs, e.g. carefully  refer to the actor • “noun phrase” adverbs, e.g. frankly  indicate the attitude of the speaker toward the content of the sentence • some other sentence adverbs: accordingly curiously oddly admittedly generally honestly

  19. 5. Conclusion The whole presentation is based on Steven Pinker‘s book "The Language instinct.“ In his chapter about the language Mavens it becomes obvious that not all rules the Mavens prescribe make sense, nor are they useful.

  20. 6. References • Steven Pinker; The Language Instinct: The New Science of Language and Mind, Penguin 1994

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