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Tag Archives: cultural criticism
August 5, 2017 by exMarineTeacher
The Collapse of American English
Perhaps my accompanying photos are a trifle hyperbolic. Perhaps. It's a truism among our global neighbors that Americans (by which I mean U.S. citizens) expect everyone, everywhere, to speak English. The corollary, of course, is that most refuse to learn other languages, such as Spanish, even when the utility of doing so is abundantly clear. But a looming problem for our culture in the 21st century seems to be that Americans increasingly decline even to learn English–at least beyond the 3rd or 4th grade level.
This level, supported by weak resources in the slang of the moment, proves sufficient for basic writing and speaking, but does not carry us far into the realm of critical thought and communication.
I choose the word "collapse" for my title, rather than "decline," because I mean just that–what used to be a language with hundreds of thousands of specific, nuanced and descriptive choices has and continues to converge and impode into fewer and fewer. With the recession of traditional print media in the face of digital dissemination of what can charitably be called information, even simple affirmations like "Yes," "certainly," "definitely," "acknowledged," and "no doubt," in the most extreme example of private text messaging, have all been replaced by a single letter: "K."
Need this be a bad thing? After all, what's more efficient than "K"? Doesn't that free us up for more important, or at least more, activity? Before answering, let's look at some other casualties in this war for the space in our brains.
Examine the following short list of commonly used expressions, and you'll realize that either they are purposefully and even defiantly vague, or that one word takes the place of many–indicative of the digital age we live in (compression, homogenization, and subtle loss of nuanced information):
"Do" replaces the verbs/actions "try" "give" "accept" "participate in" "contribute to" "tolerate" "clean." As in "I don't do Christmas."
"Go" travel/venture/explore/pedal/fly/walk/hike/swim/jog and even "communicate something uncomfortable," as in "Don't go there."
"huge" /big/large/important/significant/influential/knowledgeable/enthusiastic. "I'm a huge fan." In my ear, this sounds ridiculous even on the face of it. We all speak in metaphors of one degree or another all the time ("collapse" is a minor metaphor when not speaking of a physical structure,) but the above expression equates to saying the gushing adorer is an abnormally large person (or ventilating device.) One might as well offer to wave oversized palm leaves, ancient-Egyptian style, at the object of worship.
"way" very/much/far/long ("This license is way out of date." "This sauce has way more garlic than the recipe calls for.") This one in particular disturbs me because it demonstrates we aren't just discussing slang here. "Way" has been adopted not just in common speech, but by professional writers. It has infiltrated the language in a permanent, um, way–ahem–manner.
"You're all set."
"It's all good."
"comes into play"
"deals with"
Of course, words are invented, repurposed, and recombined all the time. I must be overracting. Aren't these replacing archaic usages? We've got "tweet." And "text." "Sick," "diesel." Oh, and "literally" can apparently now mean just the opposite, "metaphorically"–I mean, does it really matter?
"[ ] is a thing." Ah, yes, thing–the one catch-all noun when people grasp for a word and cannot find it, the very expression of inarticulateness, has become an official word to describe a fad, trend, icon, object of buzz or gossip, popular occurrence or consumer good, news item of the day, or week. We had all those expressions, and they all relied upon small distinctions. At this stage in human (d)evolution, we needed "thing"?
Okay. Let's say I'm right. So the language is imploding. What's at stake here?
Many will not miss the subtleties that have dispersed into ether, I imagine. Then again, it's difficult to miss something you never knew you had. What about the millions of unborn youngsters who will grow up with effective working vocabularies of a mere few thousand words? Will they write poetry that amounts to more than a colorful tag on a railroad bridge? Will they read it? Will they understand the U.S. Constitution, even as they are called increasingly upon to "defend" it? Will the historical records of the 19th and 20th centuries begin to sound as impenetrable as Shakespearean solilioquies do to us? And I'm not talking about the kind of missing material in a contraction: to anyone but a fiction-writer or screenwriter, the distinction between "I've" and "I have" is not great. One might use it to distinguish among charaters who are high-born or low-born, for example. For the rest of us, it's merely a convenience.
George Orwell warned writers not to compose in cliche's. He claimed, essentially, that writing in the pre-digested shorthand phrases of others leads to thinking in the pre-digested shorthand phrases of others. Other signs that your thinking has been compromised: Do you find yourself regularly Googling information that you could remember with just a bit of effort? Are you trusting that information (or that from Wikipedia, Mapquest, Siri, or the CBS Evening News) enough to act upon it or pass it on to another human being without double-checking it? Are you cut-and-pasting that information (either in written or verbal form) without rephrasing it? My overall point here is there exist vital differences among raw data, information (processed data), and intelligence (interpreted information). And yet many of us are not bothering to recognize them. Not because we lack the cognitive ability, but because we lack the critical tools and the will to use them.
A brief [ mostly harmless] experiment should serve here. Raise your hand if you like music.
That should include most of you, one hopes. If you like music, you have probably in your time looked up some song lyrics. In the old days, we read them out of LP album covers–which meant the source was the band's record label, presumably direct from the songwriters themselves, which meant little chance of transmissional error. Nowadays, we all know where song lyrics get found. Dozens of websites cater to this need; even Google has gotten directly into the act through their search engine. Look up a song or two that you know intimately, but the performed and recorded lyrics of which are not 100% crystal-clear by listening. I can guarantee you that, as transcribed onto your website of choice, you will not be long in discovering blatant errors in those lyrics which materially alter their meaning. Furthermore, and more appallingly to me, you will discover upon cross-checking that most, if not all, of the alternative websites repeat that same error. Which means, of course, that they are all "borrowing" from each other, and profiting off both you and the songwriters with little regard for the truth. Now, if the stakes here seem low to you, import your experiment to the television news programs. Jon Stewart had a running bit on his incarnation of The Daily Show dedicated to proving that not only do major news outlets shamelessly plagiarize from each other, but they do so in unedited cliche's. Again, in the old days, we might double-check their intelligence in what used to be called printed newspapers. Umm. Except. . .
One of the great virtues of written language is its precision, yet increasingly written English begins to resemble spoken English, even in widely disseminated and professionally published print media. And spoken English begins to resemble colloquial English. Don't think so? Ask an octogenarian (someone born roughly during the Great Depression, as of 2017) if their parents would use the word "cool" as part of their everyday discourse. Nowadays, try to find someone who doesn't. Not that I think "cool" has done the language any great harm. As far as I can tell, it was first used in America, in its modern sense, by Emerson in the 1840s–which probably means it dates back even farther and derives from the British. But this word may prove the exception rather than the rule. As it is, it conflates a much more typically detailed appraisal of a person, event, or object. A girl who might once have been variously described as "tolerant," "forgiving," "loose," "free-thinking," "substance-abusing," or "not a nag" is now simply "cool."
Of course, one might argue that simple is better; the fewer moving parts in a machine, the more reliable it is likely to be (read "mousetrap.")
I doubt the sustainability of that argument. Another, more insidious example: "fewer" vs. "lesser" (or less). Almost no one but your English teacher bothers with this one anymore. Here's why: who cares if your supermarket checkout line reads (correctly) "fewer than 12 items" or (incorrectly) "less than 12 items"? Can't we just dispense with one of these? Well, we could. Except one of them refers predominantly to individual items and people, and the other refers objects in bulk or concepts. That is, "fewer people are finding jobs their college degrees prepared them for." NOT "less people." Because those people are individuals, not some vague statistic. There's less forest, which means fewer trees. There may be "less opportunity." There may be "less rain this year" or even "less cod in these waters." But if there are unaccountably "less people," we had better start looking for them. And reevaluating the value we place on human life.
I'd like to conclude with a different, and more familiar example; possibly the mostly commonly transmitted text message in English:
Where R U
It (or some variant) is quick, servicible, doesn't cost much effort to send, or–hypothetically–to answer. And yet this message has probably caused more misunderstandings and needless arguments than most. Why? It's laden with ambiguity (or even what deconstructors call "undecideability"). In the absence of voice intonation, facial expression, pronunciation, linguistic context, primary and/or secondary punctuation, and so on, the receiver must interpolate those for herself. Here's how that might go, in response:
"None of your damn business."
"Uh oh, he's saying I'm late again."
"Did I promise to be somewhere right now?"
"I'm at Main Street and Vine"
"She really wants to know Who am I with, and What am I doing?"
"I left an hour ago."
Texts and tweets may count portability and quickness among their virtues, but they certainly cannot include clarity in that list. Even among intimates, this message is as likely to lead to a dispute as an informative reply. Another aspect that's missing, and increasingly missing from written communication especially, is any sense of formality, professionalism, or what used be called politeness. Now, you may say, "Well, that's just a text message." Sure. But ask yourself how many e-mails you have received without a greeting, a signature, an identification of the sender or introduction, or even so much as a rudimentary spell-check? Did you answer them? If you did, you, as are we all, are complicit in the process of collapse. Compare these two e-mails, typical of what I, as a college professor, have received from freshman students:
[2007] Dear Professor: I'm sorry I missed class last Tuesday and Thursday as my grandmother died. I misplaced my copy of the syllabus. Can you tell me what we did in class so I can make up the work? Thanks, Kayla
[2017] I missed class last week would you tell me what I missed
Neither one of these qualifies as polished, professional communication–especially from a writing student–but I think you'll agree that the former has a few lingering virtues to recommend it, which have gone glimmering in the latter. In fact, were I to delve deeper into my records of the past, we'd find that the students of the 1990s had bothered to include my actual name; that the excuses were often more inventive and frequently included such touches as offers of doctor's notes; that a request to meet in office hours was not unheard of upon missing a week's worth of training; that the student might have actually acquired class notes from a peer before writing; that the student would bother to identify which of the four classes I teach she was enrolled in.
I'm not sure that the degradation of the language–as slow and inevitable as abuse of the atmosphere that has summoned the effects of global warming– will contribute materially to the collapse of the society, the culture, or possibly even our civilization. But I don't fancy it helping. It's perhaps predictable that as our planet becomes more overpopulated, as more wealth becomes concentrated into fewer hands, and as such factors demand a parallel dynamic of information becoming the province of fewer people (collectors,) the rest of us will not find encouragement to strengthen our language skills beyond the consumer sphere (that is, you and I only need know how communicate well enough to work and buy and perhaps sell a bit.)
As for writing, a culture's written language is the primary repository of its history. Without a sense of history, it cannot evolve.
The solution? Same as it's always been, and the advice is good not just for writers, but for anyone who wishes to grow their brain and live up to something approaching their potential: READ. Read anything. Comic books, advertisements, editorials, romance novels, cereal boxes, movie credits. Some are better than others, obviously. Personally, I recommend Hawthorne, Hemingway, and Wharton, along with Carl Sagan for those whose tastes require something a little more contemporary–here was a man who knew a bit about large-scale collapse–but that's just me.
Tagged cultural criticism, language, music, pop culture, speaking, verbs, Writing
Weight, Warmth, and Writing: Return of the Analog
If only that were true; but the signs are there. Signs that a few people yearn for a more authentic, true, immediate, and visceral experience, and that the shadows and echoes we're being served don't quite satisfy us. I mean, why struggle through Paradise Lost, Homer's Odyssey, or The Grapes of Wrath when you can get the Wiki-version, or better yet catch a Simpsons' parody? When was the last time a movie gave you joy? Follow-up: Good for you. How much CGI did it have?
Somehow, people still wear faced wristwatches–not because they are in a hurry, but because the object emanates beauty: through design, precision, aesthetic qualities. They still search the night sky, with their naked eyes. A few even read, in their best if flawed voices, to their children.
Let's not forget that both analog and digital are recording technologies–rather than see and hear a live performance (a play, concert, reading, interview, and so on) we get the convenience of having it to experience, not live, but at our leisure. This usually means, of course, that we'll be doing it alone rather than among a crowd–or with far fewer people around, at any rate. I will never forget attending a screening of Eastwood's Unforgiven at Red Rocks Amphitheater on a hot July night in Colorado, along with three thousand other people, under an open canopy of stars. That experience ranks second only to my eleven-year-old self seeing the original Star Wars in the local theater–never has a film received a standing ovation and cheering, in my memory, by an audience of adults, reliving their childhood enthusiasm for right over might. However, these experiences pale in comparison to getting one's chest thumped at a Bachman Turner Overdrive or Blue Oyster Cult show in a small club and amusement park, respectively–those were rehearsed and orchestrated, of course–but they sure weren't Memorex. They were live, baby.
And I have held pen-and-ink manuscripts more than one-hundred years old in my own hands, at the risk of them falling apart, to study the past, and pass on what I discovered. I could not be present at the crucifixion of Christ, but I have the Pieta and the New Testament.
I won't wax nostalgic about analog recording, which is being brought back most recently in the form of 180g vinyl LPs of many popular, classic albums. Yes, there was tape hiss–hell, there was tape breakage. Records are delicate, and they scratch. Film gets exposed, or deteriorates. Paint chips; sculptures erode; and readings fade into memory. But you have to realize that digital recordings, even more so, are from the moment of creation MISSING SOMETHING. The dynamic range is clipped off at the edges, compressed–the warmth goes away, and portability doesn't come free: we trade away what used to be called "Hi Fidelity"–and fidelity, in its primary definition, means Truth. It can be experienced authentically as a thump in your chest–but today, what is absent in the sound wave is substituted for/covered up by more power and volume.
This phenomenon is not confined to music and movies (they used to be called "films.") Your money has been digitized: what was once a barter of labor or product for something of like value, was substituted for precious metal, later non-precious metal, then paper, and now a bunch of ones and zeroes in a computer database. It earns interest at perhaps one-quarter of the inflation rate, which means it's shrinking all the time. Furthermore, this compression and convenience has resulted in the fact that one man can hold a billion times more money units than his neighbors (this could never happen under a barter system.) And you can now spend your whole roll from your chair, at places like Amazon. Your friendships have been digitized: so much so that many of us prefer a text message to a phone conversation, which is a bastardized version of a visit. Don't even mention writing letters. Your very identity is in the process of being digitized–don't think it isn't. You, the sum total of tens of thousands of years of human evolution, can be represented by a bar code. You're being tracked and profiled by traffic cameras, GPS chips, your phone, advertisers, and the IRS. And you are either a one or a zero: dangerous or harmless, a lead or not a lead, worthy of further scrutiny, or not.
Digital means two choices only, no gray: Black or white. One or zero. The TV reception is either there, or it's not. You're wise, or a fool. Female, or male. Rich, or poor. Good, or evil. Successful, or a bum. See the limitation? Analog may mean static, inefficiency, gradual loss, getting old, warped, dirty, wrinkled. But you're still there.
When we turn off the television, in our moments of sanity, and insist on HANDWRITING a note and READING a paper book, PAINTING and DRAWING, shooting PICTURES, conversing on the PHONE, we're doing analog, one step closer to revealing how much we'd prefer to be TALKING, ARGUING, STEERING, WRESTLING ON THE GRASS, THINKING FOR OURSELVES, PLAYING BALL, HAVING SEX, USING INSTRUMENTS or otherwise PERFORMING and LAUGHING (a.k.a. living.)
We need to hold on to the analog. It has its ups and downs, literally, but at least there's more than two choices.
Otherwise, it's which are you? Harmless, or dangerous?
Tagged amazon, analog, big data, clotho's loom, cultural criticism, digital, pontiac grand prix, Red Rocks Amphitheater, shawn stjean, star wars, surveillance, Writers, Writing
March 20, 2015 by exMarineTeacher
Sniper-Think, Killer Narratives, and The Loss of Presence
No cultural phenomenon could better support the U.S. government's interminable "War on Terror" than the current wave of sniper hagiographies on screens and in bookstores in 2015. It's not surprising, given a public forced to accept drone strikes as some kind of moral and even righteous activity. But I say, hey, let some of those shooter-turned-writers cash in on their experiences–they earned it better than the guys who sent them into harm's way. But it's all killing from a distance, isn't it–presidents have been doing it since long before the Mexican and Indian Wars of the 19th century. And now the average guy can do it vicariously from his armchair, raising a glass to "Reaper" or the next one, as he flips the page on yet another patriot claiming to be "the one" who got Bin Laden.
Partially because I was a Marine long ago, and knew several snipers, and received a fair amount of long-distance weapons training myself, I devoted a good portion of my novel Clotho's Loom to a sniper narrative, in order to show its dehumanizing effect on the shooter. Hey, these guys have red blood like the rest of us: some are as decent as anyone you'll ever meet, some are relentless fools. But let's not kid each other–what they do is not heroic, and not anything a mother or father should want sons and daughters to aspire to. Thirty-three confirmed kills may sound cool on your video game board at 17 years old. If you're older than that, it should start to bother you. At best, it's a necessary battle tactic; at worst, murder. It sure ain't fighting fires.
But I'm not really here to talk politics. Like a submarine story, there's no denying the inherent suspense in writing about military adventurism on the ground. And a novel ought to present the story, and let the reader judge. The problem is, biographies and pseudo-biographies and autobiographies like the present ones aren't confined by that limitation. So by definition, the "pro" position gets articulated, while the rest of us with hesitations stand mute.
No, then, I'm really here to point out the underlying lack-of-thought process that is echoes in our everyday lives by the sniper mentality, which is: Get More Distance. And how to do that? Simple: Better Technology.
Wait! you might say, what about skill, discipline, commitment? True, but the rest of us are living a diluted version. We have the distance, in spades. The rest?
Think about it. We have: headphones with artificial rhythms insulating us from the natural rhythms of our respiration, LCD screens blocking us from our views of the world and each other, mirrors distorting our sense of self-worth, drugs and alcohol deflecting the pain, noise between us and the silence or our own thoughts, texts saving us from lengthy telephone conversations, telephones saving us from inconvenient visits to friends and family, two tons of steel, glass and airbags between us and the next driver, navigation systems telling us which way to steer, calculators doing the math for us, Google searching for us, virtual dating and break-up by text, contact lists remembering numbers and even names for us, long-distance college classrooms taught by God-knows-who, kevlar and rubber cushioning our feet from the grass, an average 38-minute commute between home and job. Cameras digitize our faces to keep our loved ones apprised of our appearances. Tattoos and piercings take the place of scars. We do our best trash-talking online [ahem].
And 7000 miles between us and the wars. So many that we don't think about them for days at a time.
From my list above, half of the items did not exist a generation ago. A century ago, almost none. In 1915, you visited with your people if you could, wrote them letters if you couldn't. And you wrote "I miss you," because you really did–no technology dulled the pain for you, because that kind of pain is normal, it's healthy, and it's designed into us at the genetic level in order to help us keep our priorities straight. And in those days, if you wanted the land or the resources or the lives of another country, you had to send tens of thousands of your own husbands and fathers and sons, with a very real probability you'd never see them again, over there to either take those things, OR decide they weren't worth the risk and violence after all, and come home or stay in the first place.
We're all snipers now. Most, risk-free. Are we heroic?
You'll be a better hero to your kids if you hug them when they need it, and scold them or grab them by the shirt-collar when they deserve it, and put up with the discomfort-level, either way. A text and emoticon just keeps you too far away.
Tagged america, army, bin laden, clotho's loom, cultural criticism, led zeppelin, marines, military, politics, shawn stjean, sniper, technology, USA, war on terror
February 2, 2015 by exMarineTeacher
Colors On the Street: Red, White and Blue
This may seem like I'm simply nostalgic over the past, but believe me, I'm not. So bear with me.
When the snow-plows only take a single, half-hearted pass down most of the side streets, but make the main roads whistle clean, it's hard not to notice what's on them. By main roads I mean not just highways, but streets occupied by one thing, predominantly: stores.
When I was a kid, my hometown didn't support more merchants than the average American small city: a few markets, toy store, library, newsstands, jeweler, cobbler, pharmacy. Most of our citizens worked in the factories scattered along the river. Those jobs and businesses have all but bled out now, or moved first to Mexico and later to China, but the ghosts of the old buildings remain today. Not all bad news: 'cuz back in the '80s, along with cable TV, we got a big, shiny new mall and some big-box stores.
Somewhere along the way, one of the elementary schools was closed, and burned down after remaining vacant for about a year. The lot was cleared. It might have seemed slightly perverse in those days (Sunday night television, for example, featured Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, followed by The Wonderful World of Disney) to directly replace a school with the liquor store that stands there currently. After all, we already had a couple of them on the strip. So the rebuilt building functioned as a Chinese restaurant, for awhile.
During that era, the local hardware store succumbed to the competition from the new Home Depot a couple of miles to the south, and the Lowe's to the north. Today, it's a liquor store. Not far away, the pharmacy where I bought my comics from the husband of my 5th grade English teacher, transformed into a bank for about a decade, is now. . .a liquor store. Mid-sized mom and pop supermarket: a liquor store.
Just lately, as I was forced to avoid the back roads and use the snow-cleared main artery, I passed what I expected to be one of the few bookstores in the region. A large nationwide chain, that recently closed its doors. I'm sure you remember it. The building? You guessed it: now a cavernous liquor store.
Meanwhile, the new LED road signs warn us all to "Drive Sobah," conjuring images of cops who will run you down, if they haven't already towed you away or ticketed you for parking on the street in front of your own house, that won't get cleared anyway. (Where is that revenue going, anyway, if not to the snow removal budget?) I'd have thought that the local government controlling, through licensing, the number of outlets that sell spirits would have helped a bit–the same way the blue laws used to prohibit sales on Sunday–but it's a free country, you can't stop progress.
Notice some patterns here? What's the message, accumulating like unshoveled drifts, year after year, in Small Town, USA? After surviving a childhood in overcrowded classrooms with underpaid teachers: take your compromised education down the street to work a non-union retail job selling cell phones, computers, packaged food; then drive home, if you can get there; turn on the boob tube; by all means do not read a book; watch kittie videos on the internet; and most importantly. . .keep drinking. But, as you return to that job–which is probably much more of a commute than you'd like, though, hey, you have a new car (and five years of payments to go with it,) right?–stop by, spend some money, and always drive sober.
Tagged blizzard, clotho's loom, cops, cultural criticism, disney, economy, jobs, liquor store, local politics, main street, police, shawn stjean, snow removal, ticketing, towing, wild kingdom
December 8, 2014 by exMarineTeacher
(Re)Awakening the British Spirit in the Star Wars Mythology
No more basic example of cultural criticism exists than to recognize that the original Star Wars offered a subtextual retelling (in production during our nation's Bicentennial,) of the American Revolution. And even though it enjoyed success worldwide, US citizens, whether they thought consciously about it or not, had an extra layer of identification with Luke Skywalker and his outgunned band of rebels, battling the evil Imperials.
As the teaser trailer for the next iteration in the mythology has appeared, I'm reminded that there's an even deeper subtext that runs through both trilogies, running counter to American mythology, that apparently will move forward. I refer to the films' far-less discussed British-ness.
The screenshot above from the The Force Awakens teaser invokes nothing so much as a knight, straight out of Arthurian legend, leaving the shelter and protection of court, to enter the wilderness with medieval broadsword, and fulfill his quest. The hilted sword itself, while functional in its ability to turn an opponent's blade from the wielder's wrist, also in its time functioned as a readily identified icon for the cross, as carried by the Crusaders. Do not underestimate the connotative power of this image, especially when featured in a 88-second text that reintroduces us to a whole new phase of George Lucas' canon.
The 1977 original mixed in but downplayed, as much as it could, such elements. Filmed substantially at Elstree Studios outside London, and employing many Brits among crew and cast, including a real knight (Sir Alec Guiness) as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hammer films veteran Peter Cushing as Governor Tarkin, the story recounted not a civil war (as the opening crawl claims) but an open rebellion against a corrupt empire. In finally defeating its ultimate weapon, the Death Star, everyman Luke employs a Force for humanism bequeathed to him by his father. This is key. Because I doubt there was an 11-year old boy sitting in those theater seats in 1977 who didn't feel the strength of the thematic message of that climactic space battle. When Luke puts away his computer, and freely chooses to use the Force to guide his hand, we not only witnessed the superiority of the human spirit over technology (expressed in cheers and standing ovations by the crowds as the orgasmic explosion of the space station filled the screen). No gimmick or special effect could have achieved such a response. The film spoke to us at a much deeper level, told us that great feats of courage are possible by anyone, no matter how low their birth or background, no matter how small or weak their physical body, no matter how powerful the tech and resources arrayed against them.
Years later, as the second trilogy premiered with The Phantom Menace, commercial success welcomed it in arms of inevitability. But die-hard fans made no secret of their discomfort and dissatisfaction–these are a matter of public record. But the reasons cited were often unarticulated ("something's missing") or silly. Jar-Jar Binks could not have sabotaged that film, any more than British-butler droid C-3P0 could. I propose an alternate explanation: while catering intermittantly to an American sensibility, the Star Wars films progressively adopt disturbing (to us) trends from other cultures. Here I'll ignore the oriental, and direct my focus right across the pond. PM's plot hinges on a search for The Chosen One–unnamed by prophecy–and we discover that he was fathered by the Force itself (immaculate conception.) He's a born noble, like Oedipus, hidden in obscurity. Already this sounds much less North-American to me. We proceed to learn that this universal cosmic force which "surrounds us and binds us, all living things," as Obi-Wan had explained to Luke years earlier (or later, chronologically,) is in fact very elitist in its function: only certain special people have the gift, so much so that they are identified at birth and whisked away to be trained in the Jedi temple. It undoubtedly served Lucas' larger canvas to introduce slow compromises to the Jedi Order (beginning with Kenobi's initial lie to Luke about Vader murdering his father.) However, the audience's sympathies shift more and more away from the unconscious/mythological level to the conscious, intellectual level. Eventually the second trilogy pares down to a few moral characters with whom to sympathize, fighting on the side of internally degraded forces in a vain attempt to restore the principles of the Republic. This may all be much more "grown-up," and therefore more satisfying in a certain cerebral way. But Americans, especially, would much rather look away and point the finger at corrupt forms of foreign democracy (see Jon Stewart's 2014 Rosewater) than accept an allegory of the decline of their own. Here, the Republic works!
The initial resistance to The Empire Strikes Back is telling in this connection, for it stands as a film with a much less romantic, more "grey," European aesthetic: life as a series of disillusionments, defeats, and loss, sometimes compensated by survival. Many throughout the world welcome this sort of philosophical realism–but it is far from the "Everything will be alright" handholding that define 90 percent of American films (including Return of the Jedi, with its childish proposal that Vader could find redemption). Living Americans never have had to live under sustained aerial bombardment and blockade such as the English did during the mid-twentieth century, or occupation such as the French endured, or the sacrifice of many millions to outlast invasion, as the Russians, or had weapons of mass destruction unleashed upon them, as the Japanese. We have the luxury of our illusions, observing the world in exclusive terms of "the dark side, [or] the light."
So the six films increasingly reveal that the Force, like the truth itself, really resides in the custody of the few elites, to be employed against non-sensitives in such forms as mind tricks, telekinesis, and dueling/acrobatic skills. Anakin finds the Jedi order itself to be very hierarchical, in which padawans answer to knights who answer to masters who ultimately answer to the Council (or just Yoda, or even the Chancellor.) I'm not claiming that the United States is without its elitism or its class system–but we are very fond of telling ourselves that, and films defy that collective ego-image at their peril.
It isn't authentic British-ness (if there is such a thing), then, that undergirds the films, so much as the American vision of that entity: unquestioned authority and hierarchy by birth, elitism, exclusionism, expansionism, and a sense of racial/moral superiority, versus American democracy, inclusiveness, and tolerance. Obviously, to claim this "Yank vs. Brit" dichotomy is real would be absurd–but it certainly is what young people learn from Hollywood film and television. These dubious truisms may be more visible in Disney's Pirates of the Carribbean franchise, though no more palpable than in Star Wars.
Even though Lucas' films are truly postmodern, mixing languages, racial and cultural traditions, and visual iconography (Mark Hamill, for example, trained in Kendo for his lightsaber duels, and Lucas has acknowledged his debt to Japanese director Kurosawa), it's useful to unpack the various elements, to separate the less- from the more-meaningful. Will U.S. audiences embrace an even further push east as the Empire rises again, or will they insist on a return to their own cultural values?
link to the teaser trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erLk59H86ww
Tagged action adventure, alec guiness, america, archetypes, clotho's loom, cultural criticism, england, film studies, force awakens, george lucas, hollywood, james purefoy, king arthur, mark hamill, peter cushing, shawn stjean, star wars, trilogy
September 11, 2014 by exMarineTeacher
September 11 Reflection, for Kids: Do the Twin Towers Still Stand in 2014?
On this date, the anniversary of our great national tragedy, we often invite ourselves and others to "reflect." That is the purpose of this short primer. It is intended for younger children–those born since 2001, perhaps, but we can all use reminders, sometimes.
". . .life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. . ." –Declaration of Independence
". . .secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. . ." –U.S. Constitution
". . .with liberty and justice for all."–Pledge of Allegiance
". . .give me liberty or give me death"–Patrick Henry
We often speak carelessly of FREEDOM today, and the word has become a replacement somehow for a more complex concept that forms the first symbolic pillar or tower of our republic, as its founders conceived it: LIBERTY. Rarely will you find the word "freedom" as you study the early documents of our country, but the word liberty is abundant.
What is the difference between freedom and liberty?
The second contains the first. Freedom is the right and ability to do whatever you want. LIBERTY is the right and ability to do whatever you want, as long as it does not interfere with the rights and abilities of others.
In short, liberty is freedom with limits, just as a republic (what we really live in) is a democracy (what we say we live in,) with limits.
Think of a stoplight: it's, to me, the perfect symbol for liberty. Without it, two cars approach an intersection, each driver freely pursuing his happiness, and often this works fine. But, by chance, it may not: BANG! Collision. With a stoplight in place, each citizen agrees to surrender a small piece of his freedom (in this case, time) so that everyone can remain free. Other examples can be substituted: the paying of taxes to support government programs, service in the military, even the trouble it takes to educate oneself to vote. Young people contribute, too, by sharing, by standing in line and waiting their turn, by walking up public stairwells on the right side, by respecting another person's right to speak, or be different. All require a limitation on total freedom. So when you hear the phrase "Freedom isn't free!," you are hearing about the sacrifice required for the greater standard of LIBERTY.
People say "It's a free country," as if that were a struggle that ended 200 years ago, or 70 years ago, with our grandparents. But our country is only as free as each one of us can make it, today. As the American abolitionist Henry Thoreau wrote, "We have used up all our inherited freedom." And songwriter Tom Petty continued his thought: "Everybody has to fight to be free." "Fighting" may not be as dramatic as it sounds, day-to-day. It may only be not interrupting someone else, or cutting the lawn for Mom without having to be bribed, or apologizing when you hurt someone, or doing your homework (which means contributing your fair share,) or helping another kid who's having trouble.
Liberty is, without question, the first pillar or tower of our society. It can never be laid low by outsiders: We can only do it to ourselves, by forgetting a simple concept: if everybody isn't free, then nobody is free.
As for the second tower, I think the existence of the first enables the freedom for every free person to build it for herself or himself. In the coin pictured above, the Goddess of Liberty holds both a symbol of Peace (an olive branch) and a symbol of Vigilance and Defense (a shield). Notice, no offensive weapons. In fact, this original design reveals a mother's bare breast, suggesting Health, Kindness, and Love. The gate she strides through names God. For others, a pillar of their lives might be Generosity, or Charity, or Strength, Courage, Fortitude, or Intelligence.
So what's your second tower? And, Never Forget (as they say on this important anniversary,) that everyone has the right to build her own.
Tagged archetypes, cultural criticism, declaration of independence, essay, freedom, liberty, patrick henry, reflect, September 11, thomas jefferson, Thoreau, twin towers, us constitution


A full evening dedicated to showcasing of some of Palestine's most inventive and compelling spoken-word and musical artists. From protest songs to cunning social insights, humour and grief, four stellar artists come together to celebrate the power of words and meaning.
Award-winning Palestinian actor and writer, Dajani uses her theatrical background to give her spoken word a performative edge. With her signature style of theatrical spoken-word pieces, her poems are a passionate contributions to prominent themes of our time. She will be accompanied by Japanese percussionist Leo Komazawa.
Multi-genre musician, singer, songwriter Jowan has become celebrated for his iconic strand of sarcastic protest songs that give his work a rare and revealing edge. He started his career in the late 90s, building his popularity with three experimental albums yet reached his breakthough in 2012 with the release of his album 'Namrud'. Also known as the frontman of FISHSAMAK, the Arabic free-rock band, Jowan's lyrics don't shy away and are toned with his personal reflections on a wide range of issues related to politics, religion and philosophy, making him one of the most dynamic artists in the scene.
Hosting the night, will be renowned spoken-word artist, lecturer and human-rights activist Rafeef Ziadah. With wit and precision, her words touch a chord of honesty and beauty that transcends cultural barriers and entrenched beliefs – her poem "We Teach Life, Sir" went viral and she has since then toured the world as an advocate for displaced people all over the world.
Performances will be in English and Arabic.
Error: Error validating access token: Session has expired on Monday, 15-Apr-19 06:16:01 PDT. The current time is Saturday, 20-Apr-19 00:08:18 PDT.


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BIG Mainline Steam News to get FIRED UP over!
The Mainline Steam Page has just been updated with some big announcements for the 2019 Season!
In May, Union Pacific #844 and the newly restored Union Pacific "Big Boy" #4014 will operate separately from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Ogden Utah to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad together in Ogden. Following the event, the locomotives will double-head on their return to Cheyenne.
In May and June, Iowa Interstate "QJ" #6988 will operate in Iowa and Illinois for local firefighter fundraiser events.
And last, but certainly not least, Norfolk & Western "J" #611 will visit Strasburg Railroad in Strasburg PA this September and October where it will reunite with N&W #475 for a series of special events and opportunities.
Check out our Mainline Steam Page for links and to get more information.
Norfolk & Western Steam Locomotive #611 will make a special appearance at Strasburg Railroad in Pennsylvania.
Iowa Interstate Steam Locomotive #6988 will operate special excursions in Iowa and Illinois.
Union Pacific Steam Locomotive #844 will operate from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Ogden Utah to participate in the 150th Anniversary of the Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.
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Sub Zero true to its name meets the delivery, quality and service requirement of the customer with utmost precision and perfection. We differentiate ourselves in the marketplace by constantly upgrading our products in line with customer expectations through continual improvements.
As environment friendly company we ensure that the effluent and emission norms are met as per global standards. Systems for proper usage, recovery and disposal of refrigerants are well maintained in the company. The aim of our company is to be among the top ten admired companies in the field in the years to come.


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SC Verdicts To Be Available In Odia, 5 Other Regional Languages
By KalingaTV Bureau	 On Jul 4, 2019
New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: For litigants who are not well-versed with English, the Supreme Court has decided to make its verdicts available in six Indian languages on its official website by the end of this month.
Apart from Odia, the apex court orders will now be translated into five other regional languages viz. Assamese, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi and Telugu.
The languages to translate the judgements into were decided on the basis of the number of requests coming to the top court from various states.
Priority in translation will be given to orders relating to individual litigants such as civil disputes, criminal matters, landlord-tenant disputes, matrimonial issues etc.
According to reports, CJI Ranjan Gogoi has cleared a software indigenously developed by the Supreme Court's electronic software wing for the purpose.
The SC judgements written in English will be first uploaded and later the translated versions will be made available on its website after a week.
Noteworthy, this comes after President Ram Nath Kovind stressed on the need for translation of the court judgements in regional languages for the non-English speakers.
Also Read: Eating This Bacteria May Reduce Risk Of Heart Ailments & Diabetes
OdiaSC JudgementSC Judgement in OdiaSupreme Court of India
Eating This Bacteria May Reduce Risk Of Heart Ailments & Diabetes
President, PM, CM extend wishes on 2019 Rath Yatra


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Find a farmers market
Food facts - Broccoli
Broccoli Nutrition, Selection, Storage, and Availability The American Cancer Society has named broccoli an "anti-cancerous" food because it is so dense in nutrients. Broccoli is high in Vitamin A, calcium, folate, iron, and Vitamin C. Broccoli should be 8-10 inches in length with 3-6 inch wide heads, with dark green color and no yellowing or mush heads, and no limpness – avoid tough, woody broccoli. Broccoli can be stored fresh in loose or perforated bags in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, unwashed until just prior to using. Broccoli can also be frozen for long term storage with proper preparation. Fresh Broccoli is available in Wisconsin from July through mid-October.
Broccoli Extras In Europe, broccoli was first cultivated by the Romans. The name broccoli has developed from "brachium" which means branch, describing the structure of the plant. The leaves of the broccoli plant are also edible and nutritious and are similar to collard greens – they should be picked and consumed from younger broccoli plants because they become more bitter as the plant matures.
Information from the Wisconsin Fresh Market Vegetable Growers Association, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection and the University of Wisconsin - Extension.
© Wisconsin Farmers Market Association. Site map | Privacy Policy.


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Kiss Rockstar Gene Simmons Defends Tim Tebow, Says He Shouldn't Be Ridiculed for His Christian Faith
Kayla Koslosky | ChristianHeadlines.com Editor | Thursday, May 13, 2021
#Tim Tebow
#Christian athletes
#celebrities
In recent weeks, it was announced that former NFL quarterback and retired minor league baseball player Tim Tebow will likely be making an NFL comeback, except this time, he'll be playing tight end. The news of the 33-year-old athlete's potential return to professional football has already drawn mixed responses and even prompted Kiss Rockstar Gene Simmons to come to his defense.
On Tuesday, following the announcement that the Jacksonville Jaguars are likely to sign Tebow to a one-year contract, Simmons took to Twitter to defend the oft made fun of athlete.
Simmons wrote, "I support Tim Tebow. He was widely criticized and made fun of, simply because he is a man of faith, who believed in his Christian values. Shame on the NFL and the rest of the world for stooping so low."
I support @TimTebow . He was widely criticized and made fun of, simply because he is a man of faith, who believed in his Christian values. Shame on the NFL and the rest of the world for stooping so low. https://t.co/qU2uqqyIoG
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) May 11, 2021
Since his early days in the NFL, Tebow, an outspoken Christian, has been ridiculed for his Christian faith by football fans, media and fellow athletes.
In 2011, while Tebow was playing for the Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions' linebacker Stephen Tulloch and tight end Tony Scheffler openly mocked Tebow's viral kneeling pose known as "Tebowing" during a game. Tebow would often kneel on the field, offering his thanks to God through prayer. According to ESPN, Both Tulloch asserted that he was attempting to poke fun at Tebow and not his faith, though many on social media did not see it that way.
Several years later, in 2017, while pursuing a minor league baseball career, Tebow was again openly mocked on the field.
According to Newsweek, while playing for the Columbia Fireflys, Tebow's team traveled to Charleston to face off against the RiverDogs. In an attempt to make fun of Tebow's "celebrity status," the RiverDogs' mascot wore eye black stickers that had John 3:16 written on them, something Tebow was well known for during his time playing college football. The mascot was also later seen Tebowing. Further, as Tebow walked up to bat, the "Hallelujah Chorus" was played over the stadium's PA system.
The RiverDogs faced backlash for these actions, with many viewing it as an attack on Tebow's faith.
General Manager Dave Echols apologized for the actions claiming that the "promotions were poking fun at Mr. Tebow's celebrity status rather than his religion or baseball career." Nonetheless, he recognized that people were offended, and issued an apology. "Our intent was not to offend anyone, and for the fact that we did offend, we are sorry," Echols said in a statement to Charleston's Post and Courier.
Other notable moments of ridicule in Tebow's career include a moment on The Daily Show when comedian John Oliver asserted that while he dislikes Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe, he hates Tim Tebow.
Oliver said, "If I was in a room with Tim Tebow and [Osama] bin Laden, and I had a gun with one bullet, I'd shoot bin Laden. I'm not a monster. But if I had two bullets, I'd shoot Tim Tebow first."
According to Faithwire, the comedy skit show Saturday Night Live also dedicated an entire skit to poking fun at Tebowing.
Jacksonville Jaguars Expected to Sign Tim Tebow to 1-Year Contract
Tim Tebow Works Out As Tight End with the Jacksonville Jaguars
Saturday Night Live Host Pokes Fun at White Evangelicals for 'Refusing' to Get Vaccinated against COVID-19
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Frazer Harrison/Staff
Kayla Koslosky has been the Editor of ChristianHeadlines.com since 2018. She has B.A. degrees in English and History and previously wrote for and was the managing editor of the Yellow Jacket newspaper. She has written on her blog since 2012 and has also contributed to IBelieve.com and Crosswalk.com.


Minshu is a Chinese translator and Mandarin interpreter based in Hammond, Indiana. She covers the area of southern Chicago as well as northwestern Indiana. She frequently travels for Chinese translation and Mandarin interpretation assignments in Chicago and is praised by our clients to be one of the best Chinese translators in greater Chicago area.
Please see below for her information.
- Certified Mandarin/English translator/interpreter proficient in facilitating cross-lingual and cross-cultural communications.
1. Medical: regular check-ups; lab tests; gynecologist visits; dental work; mental therapy; emergencies.
3. Court: immigration and naturalization; small claims; bankruptcy.
2. Medical facilitation: early intervention.
- Drafting bilingual bilateral project proposals and MOUs, setting up project goal, detailing procedure, timetable, and evaluation standards.
- Consecutive interpreting for Chancellor and the Head of Center for International Programs on bilateral conferences; translating agreements, letters, emails, and other key documents.
- Facilitating communications in the multilingual and multicultural contexts among parties involving Purdue University faculty and staff, Chinese higher education scholars, Chinese students, etc.
- Coordinating with projects implementation, including the ESL (English as a Second Language) program between Purdue University and Changzhou University Town, and the Undergraduate Students Exchange program between Purdue University and Haerbin No.3 Middle School in China, etc.
- Initiating and realizing projects evaluation, including questionnaire designing and data analyzing.
- Helping expanding Purdue academic foreign exchange programs to include more countries such as India, Chile, South Korea, etc, shortening their "learning curve".
- Introducing successful projects to similar department at other Purdue campuses.
- Teaching TOEFL, reading comprehension and writing skills.
- Helping hiring and training new candidates for teaching positions.
- Participating in planning and designing training materials.
- Working as Chancellor's academic assistant.


text:
Q: sikuli, how to capture screen where the script did not run well Sikuli, how to capture screen where the script did not run well where I got an error from the script execution in Sikuli, I'm doing the Eclipse script.

A: You can use something like this to capture a screenshot:
def takeScreenShot(application):
 img = capture(SCREEN) # img is an image file .png in temp folder now
 ts = time.time()
 st = datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(ts).strftime('%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M-%S')
 if not os.path.exists('PATH'):
  os.makedirs('')
 shutil.move(img, 'PATH\\%(appName)s\\%(timeStamp)s.png' %{"appName": application, "timeStamp": st})

You can call this method as a part of a try catch block.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Translator – ProZ.com Pro member
Learning and teaching English in the Netherlands
~ A fine WordPress.com site
Tag Archives: Grammar translation
Effect of Grammar Teaching on Learners and Translators
Posted by ZJShen-PSimon in education, foreign language teaching, language learning, language teaching, language testing, translation
Grammar translation, grammar-translation method, language correction approaches, tests, Translation
I have been relatively new to translators' sites, but on a discussion forum, I've already come across a lot of very professional explanations of problems in English. Translators are language experts after all.
However, I've recently seen a question that, surprisingly, at first sight, veiled the sight of professionals as well. The question was about how to translate the following part of a test into another language:
"Q X. The School of Art is
a. moving to a new site in the near future
b. lifting to a new site in the near future
c. sending to a new site in the near future"
The asker (somewhat grammatically incorrectly) said "I think that answers B and C are not grammatically corrects" but asked for other people's opinion.
My feeling is that the foreign language teaching which we all underwent at a young age left an indelible mark on us to an extent that most of the best language professionals still think in terms of grammar when faced with wrong language items. They clearly identify what is wrong language, but when the question referred to wrong grammar, they left it at that and were mostly busy discussing how strange the idea is to translate a language test into another language. That is also a very valid question, but at the same time, of the 5 or 6 people involved in the discussion, only one pointed out that it is not the grammar which is wrong, but "it's a problem of vocabulary — simply the incorrect choice of verb". And this amazed me.
I suspect that language teaching that focuses on grammar leads to a tunnel vision of languages with most of us, and we accept all, or most, language mistakes to be those of grammar, the rest being allowed for spelling and punctuation, but which are almost never pointed out to fellow professionals for fear of being called impolite.
In this particular case, what was really important was indeed the incorrect two choices. But, though asked about grammar, some people may have also been afraid to correct the conceptual mistake. Yes, grammar is usually to blame. To a language teacher, this indicates that treating vocabulary, or lexis, as increasingly referred to at least since Michael Lewis' 'lexical approach' appeared in ELT, is still the basic concept we deal with about language. His work has apparently not gained enough kudos to counteract the good old reference to 'grammar', whatever is understood under this umbrella term.
Besides, one other very valid point was also raised, namely, to what extent wrong language can be called incorrect. It often happens in language classes that teachers (or native voluntary helpers here in the Netherlands) jump on any mistake learners make. Besides possibly intimidating most learners, this also overshadows the fact that language is for communicating ideas even through mistakes. Haven't we all, as babies, started out making millions of mistakes, and yet, our families understood us the way we intended? There was correction, too, but it was not only patient, it also accepted the extent the faulty language was still communicative enough.
Besides, it was all done without reference to 'grammar'. I increasingly suspect that the concept itself is to blame for the mere question. If it is enough for language professionals, and indeed all native and high, or even mid-level speakers of the language to identify a mistake as wrong, is it necessary to call it a name and thereby fall back on falsely trained concepts? If we have to teach along lines of concepts at all, then teachers and learners should learn to call a spade a spade and call a wrong word a mistake of lexis, and not grammar. Or abandon 'grammar' almost completely.
It is also time to point out to language learners that when they make lexical mistakes, they may be grammatically correct, but most lexical mistakes are completely wrong because of the meaning, and often simply because of general usage. In schools, the stress is on grammar, whereas the most urgently necessary material to be learned is vocabulary, and in the proper usage. Without lexis, grammar is dead, but proper words have a meaning even when ungrammatically used. "Papa, rug pein?" with good intonation is completely understandable from the toddler, although an applicant at a Dutch language exam would fail. "Kici, nagyi?" is completely wrong Hungarian even on pronunciation level, yet all Hungarians in Chinese take-aways understand this in Budapest and react without problems. This importance of lexis is perhaps most apparent using Chinese, a language rather void of grammar, when, for example, politely asking someone to "Qing zuo ba" would become wrong if we changed the declining voice pattern on 'zuò' to 'zuǒ' (as in 坐 v. 左). Of course, the context helps, and in the case of Chinese, due to the characteristics of the language, phrases with wrong tones are still understood. But a mistake is a mistake, but it is almost never one of grammar, especially in writing.
This all shows as well how mistaken language testing itself could be, and that language tests should not be translated. Language tests are to measure the level of use of language of learners based on the characteristics of the given language, not of another one. Also, tests do not provide context, even for grammatical correctness. Thus teachers and then tests end up having to transcribe active sentences to passive "equivalents", which, in the vast majority of cases, cannot sensibly be done. What would be the active version of "The last member of the family could not be rescued from the burning house"? An accusation against whom? The normal British press item "Our government has failed to realize the threat involved in allowing hedge funds to …." would be completely unheard-of if translated into Hungarian without using an impersonalized kind of language reminiscent of passive voice, but such a Hungarian item would lose all its usual critical edge translated into English in the passive, as a result of the fact that no acting party would be mentioned as subject. Languages have their internal characteristics besides and above mere 'grammar'. But when the question turns to 'correct grammar', even a native language professional suggests, however tentatively, that in sentence C above, the passive would be more correct. Except for the meaning involved.
by P. S.
A criticism of translation methods from the point of view of dictionaries
Posted by ZJShen-PSimon in English teaching, foreign language teaching, teacher training
Dutch dictionary, Grammar translation, Van Dale
In this post I'd like to provide further basis for the discredit of the grammar-translation method through looking at the possibility of misinterpretation based on dictionaries.
Lots of English linguists insist that there are actually no precise synonyms in a language, and I can just copy that in my mother tongue too, but even if we allow for synonyms encompassing words meaning almost the same as another word, no wonder that dictionary translations to another language rarely meet the criteria necessary to achieve successful word-to-word translations. Unfortunately, I'm not skilled enough in Dutch so that I can give you convincing examples in the field of meanings, but I face the problem daily if I get near a Dutch person who I could ask. "Yes, what you say/write is ok, I understand more-or-less what you mean, but this is not exactly how we would put it in Dutch."
Besides this fact, there are probably hundreds and hundreds of cases when the meaning of a word can be completely misinterpreted using the exact foreign equivalent a dictionary uses. This is simply the result when dictionaries don't bother to give details for exact meaning of the foreign equivalent, and sometimes even failing to mention which part of speech they are quoting. Often there is a mistake to the extent that the purported foreign equivalent doesn't even exist.
My examples come from two bilingual dictionaries I have, the 'Kramers handwoordenboek/Engels-Nederlands/Nederlands-Engels' and the 'Van Dale Studiewoordenboek/Nederlands-Engels'. When necessary, I check the real meaning of the words with the help of 'Kramers woordenboek Nederlands', where English is not used. I know for a fact that smaller dictionaries in the Netherlands are just as often void and useless as in Hungary – I've tried to use one or two, then quickly got rid of them. I don't suppose that the lot of other two-language dictionaries found in abundance in the country are any better – the small Hungarian dictionary is definitely not better, why should the Farsi-Dutch, or Russian-Dutch dictionary be any better? So, here is a bunch of problems I've discovered over the last few months in the two large dictionaries, where Dutch learners of English are also likely to look up meanings of Dutch words.
Het weer is omgeslagen – the weather has broken, or Het weer slaat om – the weather is breaking? The clouds, but not the weather. Medemens is frivolously turned to be a fellow man, which would be a fellow creature if used at all by Englishmen. Handelen over iets is correctly given to mean deal with, but to treat (of)? What were the makers thinking of?
Bonenkruid is given as savoury, which is fine if one notices that it's a noun. Most learners wouldn't notice the small 'o' after the headword, which means it is a genderless, so-called 'het-word', and because 'savoury' is very rarely used as a noun in English, an unsuspecting learner-translator would be likely to use 'bonenkruid' as an adjective, or 'savoury' as a noun after encountering the word.
I owe gratitude to the dual-language 'Kramers handwoordenboek' that it doesn't include 'beamer' in either the English, or in the Dutch section. This widely-used Dutch word represents the wide-spread misunderstanding that it is an English word, which the 'Van Dale' includes, but which the single-language 'Kramers Woordenboek Nederlands' excludes. Rightly so.
It can also happen that after the foreign equivalent is given, the headword is put into phrases as examples of use. This should always be part of a good dictionary, though, sadly, it never makes into smaller dictionaries. However, what can a learner do with entries like the following:
eigen 1 own, private, personal met de hem eigen bescheidenheid with his characteristic modesty; dat is hem eigen that is typical of him, (inf) that's him all over; zich iets eigen maken (ook m.b.y. taal) make o.s. familiar with sth., (m.b.t. taal ook) master, pick up …
I personally appreciate the effort that the makers of the dictionary took pains in this case as in numerous others to supply an appropriate translation to the whole phrase. But shouldn't there be at least one example where the translation conforms to the given English headwords? In all the three expressions with 'eigen', there's not one which contains the three originally given translations. How is the student supposed to learn the meaning in English if he is to use the grammar-translation method for his own sake? Besides, I can also call it typical that, for the sake of a foreigner studying Dutch, the necessary preposition in the Dutch phrase equivalent with 'familiar with' is blissfully missing: "zich iets eigen maken" – van? met? aan? over?
In some cases the translations in the two dictionaries don't match enough for a learner. 'het gedrang' is correctly interpreted as jostling, pushing from the original meaning of the stem-word, dringen, but it's very likely that the other dictionary is closer to normal use translating it to be crowd, throng. However, even this second one creates problems with giving crush, which lots of young learners must be all too familiar with here from British soaps. Further, if one needs the meaning of in het gedrang komen in his translation, which meaning shall he/she choose: 1. get in a crowd 2. fig. be hard pressed, suffer from one, or (fig) get into a tight corner or be liable to be pushed aside/to be postponed (???)/to suffer from the other dictionary?
In other cases there is simply the danger that the learner can't find which meaning quoted under the headword is the one he/she needs at the place and moment required.
Bent is given as set, clique, party, which together may vaguely indicate what the word means. Still, one keeps wondering, what if the meanings are apart? Then which meaning of set, or party is to be understood out of many?
Het voorbehoud is translated as reservation; which meaning of reservation? It is a bit hidden among other information that this is not about booking a flight, but about partial disbelief, a restriction.
Summier is defined as summary, brief , and only bn(=bijvoeglijk naamwoord) shows that these are meant to be adjectives (and summier is also an adverb according to the big 'Kramers'), although 'brief' is often used as a noun or a verb, 'summary' is mostly used as a noun in English, and neither can function as adverbs.
Het vermoeden means suspicion, surmise, supposition, presumption, still, this word doesn't mean mistrust as we could also deduct from suspicion. It's not really a synonym of argwaan as the synonym section in the big 'Kramer' lets us believe.
There are similar problems with words like boorijzer bit (which meaning?), zijgen strain (which sort?), solutie solution (to a problem, or chemical?), soos club (a meeting-place, or a bat?), spaander chip (a piece of wood given for a silicon chip in the computer age?), keuvelaarij and keuvelen given as chat (in the internet age, when the meaning is restricted to broken speech of toddlers?), most given as must (when neither culture is used to what steps grapevine-making goes through until wine, the odd learner may be enticed to take it to be a form of the auxiliary – this translation misleads even a wine-savvy Hungarian where the exact same word must is used, with a difference of pronunciation).
I'm not sure that very many Dutch teachers of English are capable of explaining the subtle differences in the fields of meaning of English words in English – one can't really suppose they can maintain their level of English high without speaking English in class to their students in the first place. Then, if they manage to maintain their English, they can mostly do it with dictionaries. They don't have so much time to immerse themselves in life in Britain with all those teaching hours over the year. But they should remain the main source of vocabulary input, what with the quality of dictionaries as we've seen it, and the probably short hours students invest in studying outside class.
I'm not saying that all my examples play a big part in learners' experience either. But there are lots of similar examples wherever I look. One can meet these problems in Hungarian, Sino-English or other dictionaries as well. But to do it only in Dutch seems to be just as weird as it is in Chinese or in Hungarian. Sometimes it may lead to situations similar to having to explain to a Beduin what 'snow' is like in Arabic, or to a North-Korean what 'democracy' means. Or to explain to a Chinese, or a Dutch, for that matter, what the difference between adjective and adverb is. There's no distinction between the two in those languages …
by P.S.
The situation of language teaching – comparisons: China
Posted by ZJShen-PSimon in English teaching, language learning
China, Chinese language, education, English language, Grammar translation, Netherlands, Teaching English as a foreign language
The country where the grammar-translation method breaks down is China. Chinese, in its utter grammatical simplicity, resists most grammatical explanations about kinds of words and word forms that exist in European languages, the differences between adverbs, adjectives, verbs and nouns that mostly do not exist in Chinese, also about singular and plural, or conjugated, pre- or suffixed forms in complex languages especially like Russian, Hungarian or French and the like.
This Chinglish is not so bad …
On the other hand, the fields of meanings can be so different that simple word-for-word equivalents in dictionaries may completely miss the point in both ways. One can't explain this to Chinese students of English, they keep doing what they have done for the last couple of decades, or perhaps for centuries with all subjects, that is, walk around campus holding their copy-books or books mumbling out lists of words or sentences half aloud hoping that they'll be performing well at test the following class. Yet, wherever we go in the country, we can't miss the perverted English translations of public signs wherever they make the attempt, like on these ones in this collection. The fun is a bit lessened by the fact that we don't know the real meanings of the original Chinese sings.
Thirdly, and this may sound strange, there are the sometimes insurmountable cultural differences that a European first finds exceptionally strange. If we, for example, ask Chinese students to translate the following, "Next week, citizens of the Netherlands are going to election to vote for candidates to represent them in the lower house of Parliament", except for 'next week' (and perhaps 'the Netherlands'), they will ask for the meaning of each and every word and will still shake their heads for lack of understanding the explanations. There are no direct elections, no representation, no known candidates to vote for, voting in our sense doesn't exist, and there's no parliament, let alone a lower or upper house to it in China, so how should they express these notions and institutions? I know about the problem, because I already had a hard time trying to explain this stuff to university students in one of the most highly developed area, the South-East. Then, even if they manage to put the sentence somehow into Chinese, inserting the name of the Congress of the People's Communist Party for 'Parliament', we will wonder why 'the Netherlands' was left out, because in this language, internationally well-known names necessarily come in disguise for lack of suitable phonemes.
So how do language differences of these kind translate into foreign language education? Let's have a look at public education before discussing teacher training at universities.
Compulsory education starts at age 7, but for most kids, community teaching starts in babyhood, with the whole overage and underage neighbourhood handling them simply because most working-age mothers must work for lack of childcare benefits after the first few months and for the low wages that press them to add to the family budgets. After a couple of years, children have to be taken to kindergarten, usually provided by the workplace, and it can often happen that they already get used to some English nursery rhymes there, simply out of being fashionable on the part of the kindergarten. At primary school in modern China, kids start studying some of the Latin ABC along with some Chinese, and when they go into the higher levels, this naturally increases in scope and depth. Unfortunately, not all teachers know the real English pronunciation of the Latin ABC, and overall, they inevitably drive the notion into children that that's the only pronunciation of the letters. This may lead to huge problems if somebody might later try to study a language other than English, although this happens very rarely.
Most primary schools are inside town, but with the spreading of private schooling institutions over the last two decades, if the school has primary as well as secondary section, the pupils may usually be moved for a decade outside cities, where the land is cheaper for building a new school. So although there are still lots of traditional state secondary schools in the cities, an alarming rate of emerging private schools means that perhaps a quarter or more of secondary school children in the developed areas go to 'high school' to enclosed, though spacious institutions, where they mostly remain within the campus walls, simply for lack of the time it would take to get to town and back.
a private school near a housing estate way outside town in SE-China
Staying within the school means that children have no way of meeting the few foreign people who may come to town, thus missing any opportunity to communicate in English. Although they often have 6 or 8 English classes in lower (3 years) and upper high (3 years) school, they receive them from Chinese teachers of English, who, with few exceptions, hold their classes in their mother tongue, as if the class were about Latin a hundred years ago. So the focus is on understanding English texts, translating them, however difficult that may be as we've just seen above, and then talk about the grammar and taking tests. Tests are the ultimate goal because English is necessary for students to get to universities of any value.
The trend is a bit counteracted by another trend, vis. the one that schools, especially private schools, lure one or two native English speakers to teach with them. In practice, the need is so high that people of other nationalities, like myself, Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Russians also often get such a position. The requirement for such 'foreign experts' is of course proficiency in English, which is usually thoroughly tested by a native associated somewhere along the line with the school.
On the other hand, the system hardly works well in practice. The foreign expert, be it native or not, is given one hour per week per group and simply told to 'teach them something'. The only chance we get to do something useful occurs if the school is able to set up a group of students aspiring to university in Australia, or the USA, and for them, the foreigner gets several hours of teaching that one group.
Then the difficulties of being understood multiplies. In most classes, it's an uphill struggle to get yourself understood, as can be guessed from lessons in Chinese and lack of meeting any foreigners before. Chines media don't help either: there aren't any foreign-language programmes on TV except for the occasional Chinese lesson by an expat and the occasional English-language news for English-speaking folk resident in the country on one of the 15 channels of China Central TV. And students rarely watch anything but NBA matches with Chinese commentary. No wonder, then, that students keep asking each other 'shenma, shenma' (what? what?) for several weeks, that is, for several lessons. Some do believe that the 'laowei' (that is, foreign devil, as every white person in the country is referred to) doesn't speak English and possibly they do. Of course, nobody can utter an English sentence for a while except "What's your name?" and "Where do you come from?", and the sound of English stays completely alien for most.
Although my American colleague wasn't understood much better, I was often complained about as being impossible to understand until the American explained to everybody that I speak with a British accent and that's more difficult to follow than educated standard American. Still, we succeeded somehow, managed to make an impact by employing all techniques available for explaining everything without speaking the students' mother tongue. The message to Dutch English teachers worried about this is that it's not easy, but can be done and it can sometimes be great fun and a great experience for all concerned – we can be the very first foreigners, and for a long time the only ones that the students can talk to, and that's a big thing for most kids there. We can also learn some local language if things go well.
'foreign devil' at sports event in school
For the sake of those aspiring to take up this line and try to get to China to teach English, I must admit that for most of the groups and time and schools, the foreigner is a figurehead used for representing the status of the school. There are no real responsibilities for us other than the requirement to be present when prospective parents are met, or existing parents visit the school. Besides, the foreigners should be present at all school events, be that about sports, or singing competitions of classes and the like. In exchange for this, standard salaries for foreigners are considerably higher than for local teachers, which inevitably makes some of the staff jealous (usually those who have no English competence at all), still, they are hilariously low by western standards, comparable to salaries in Eastern and Central Europe. So the experience is for the fun and experience and adventure of it almost exclusively, especially because in most provinces, most of the salary saved (living costs are very low, so saving can be expected) is not allowed to be taken out of China. But at least most schools provide very spacious, new, if not altogether high-quality living quarters free of charge.
Back then and in the particular city where I worked, it was possible to be discovered and lured over from the school to teach at the local university, so I also had experience about that. Let me add in a rush that since then, age has been restricted to 40, employment at universities have been linked to PhD and the native speaker requirement has really been enforced. But as university is the origin of the future generations of teachers, I have to talk about the situation there.
new friends in the street
Although perhaps not as general as in Europe, tertiary education is still already open to masses of young people in the more developed regions. At the same time, it's really not for the uneducated. Those making the entrance exam really have to work hard and achieve high standards to be admitted. As English is on the list of tests to be taken, most students have some English, at least a grasp of grammar and basic vocabulary. It means that in and around campuses, the 'laowei' more often encounters those usual questions, and is even sometimes approached by the request that the foreigner become a friend (on the spot) and improve the guy's English (also on the spot, and ever after). Most such young people then can't understand a word of our answer. These are the ones with a good heart and intentions, but they don't study English at the Uni.
after a happy end-of-year class
Those that come to study English are the real cream of the area concerning English. The 'laowei' has a chance of being understood, and also of enticing tentative responses from the students. Students majoring in English have two or three classes a week with the foreigner, sometimes even four, and several of them regularly come to take part in the weekly 'English corner' activities intended to further providing a chance for their improvement. They tend to be open-minded, caring, interested and very friendly, often years after the departure of their former teacher: a few keep mailing me even after five years.
only in English at the English corner
On the other hand, we must bear in mind that by the time the 'foreign expert' meets them, those students had already had about 10 years' of formal teaching in about 6 to 10 hours a week by mostly Chinese people who themselves may never have met a living specimen of English speakers. The Chinese co-author of this web-site was born before Deng Xiaoping got to power and graduated in the mid-90's in one of the largest cities, and had never received any English tuition, so that's how usual it was to be able to study English at all. This is the generation that teaches the future English teachers at universities nowadays. We can realistically hope that with the opening to the West the situation improves fast, but we know that in education, results are slow to achieve.
some of the better, young generation of teachers
Besides the personnel and outside-of-school possibilities, we must also consider teaching/learning material available for developing knowledge. In this regard, I found a much wider range of internationally published material in South-East China than in the Netherlands, though, naturally, less than in Eastern-Europe, where publishers and the BC are very active. I must also stress, however, that these were Chinese editions, supported with Chinese explanations and translation tasks very unlike those originals available in Eastern-Europe. Listening material was also hard to come by. It must be added that I also found Chinese-made teaching material reasonable, except the excessive test material often full of mistakes. For what we think of testing, our readers are kindly requested to click here.
A few more words here about the new requirements for 'foreign experts'. I would have no problem with the native requirement if it weren't for the ridiculously low salaries, according to western standards, the country can offer. It results in drawing only the young and adventurous to the country, with a few talented ones alongside, who are inexperienced, but at least strive to do their best and are interested in really discovering the local language and culture, like my own colleague, Chris was. As a result, secondary education would get an influx of talented Middle- and East-Europeans, who would be as happy as I was with the few hundred dollars to take back home after a year's work and exploration of the country. They would, if it weren't for the more strictly enforced laws.
This requirement looks superfluous, because any reasonable school can demand and execute high-level spoken interviews over the telephone as it happened to me, so the quality can be made sure. It also goes against the fact that English has so many variations around the globe that any perceived deviation from the so-called 'standard English' may also be regarded as standard enough. Besides, almost any dialect can be beneficial in the face of the very low quality of Chinese English, and if the school so wishes, the dialect of the applicant can be monitored over the phone, as this happened around me, people saying that the school wanted to avoid the Indian pronunciation, which they regarded too distorted compared to American. Which American, we may ask though. All in all, this requirement is counter-productive to the interests of language education in China.
Universities apply the PhD requirement quite strongly nowadays. This I find ridiculous, seeing the ridiculous wages, even though they are considerably higher for a PhD than it was for those without a few years back, but the biggest problem is that a PhD is usually quite inexperienced in teaching. He has become a researcher over the years spent on his special field and has given a certain number of lectures to younger fellow students, but that doesn't make them comparably competent teachers to career teachers. A PhD's purpose is not teaching but researching, so he or she is also less focused on teaching in China than 'ordinary teachers', who also have taught a huge number of lessons while the PhD was doing his/her research. As a result, as it also happens in other countries, like in Hungarian universities, university lecturers give lectures in ways that don't appeal to young adults at universities at all. As it happens with English, teaching it at universities can't be efficiently done by lecturing, especially not in China, where the language itself still needs developing while they also have to study the usual linguistic aspects. Experts only in linguistics are not well disposed and well equipped in this department. Those who are, haven't had the time and interest, but often only the money, to go on studying for PhD after getting their Masters, and went into practicing teaching instead. So China would do better without enforcing this requirement, they could employ far better teachers that way.
But the PhD requirement in itself may not be so counterproductive, as those who go into teaching after getting their PhD's have a chance of becoming better teachers in time. However, many areas have also imposed an age limit, which is usually 40, and only in a few cases 50. Well, how does a young PhD acquire teaching skills without having time to do so? This beats me.
Experienced foreign English teachers at the National Conference in Beijing in 2004
Fortunately, those already in the country for several years haven't been required to leave their jobs everywhere for their advancing age, and can also often find a new work-place too. Most institutions understand the advantages of the foreign expert having expertise with the system and possibly also the language after years of work there. But the PhD requirement is often rudely imposed, having resulted in releasing many competent teachers only for lack of the degree. We can't really understand the reason why this so happens, but, then again, that's the way they are. Also, they will think again another time, very possibly.
One word of warning for those who have managed to read through our article thus far. What we've discussed and criticized above may not apply to some of the largest and oldest university cities in China, like Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, or probably a few more, but is likely to hold more-or-less true for most other areas. But then again, China is such a vast country, with so many differences, and such fast changes, that, hopefully, our points about weaknesses hold less and less true for more and more areas.
regularly updated with newly-emerging memories
by P.S. and Z.J.S.
The effects of the role play instructional model on Taiwanese ESL students' learning attitude, social skill and oral performance (udini.proquest.com)
Teaching China to speak English (bbc.co.uk)
Is English or Mandarin the language of the future? (chinadailymail.com)
ProZ.com Pro translator
Language teaching (?) March 28, 2021
And the First Prize in Chinglish Goes to… July 8, 2020
Statistical truth about problems caused by asylum seekers in the Netherlands February 1, 2018
In honour of the immigrant 2 April 20, 2017
Can something, anything, be more stupid? December 14, 2016
Intercultural life in the Netherlands June 6, 2016
Good books to learn from May 22, 2016
Teach Dutch to refugees January 17, 2016
Arnhem's cultural week and the famous Dutch railways September 12, 2015
Hilarious Hungarian-English mistranslation June 19, 2015
Cello concertos almost forgotten June 1, 2015
Send Dutch applicants … no. 2 March 13, 2015
Eastern-European views on the Netherlands November 23, 2014
Everywhere … October 16, 2014
Chinglish, or Dunglish? June 9, 2014
English testing issue in Hungary May 13, 2014
Effect of Grammar Teaching on Learners and Translators April 4, 2014
Neurobiologist on the brain development of children – part 3 March 28, 2014
Neurobiologist on the brain development of children March 25, 2014
The extent translation is 'correct' March 14, 2014
Translating using translation software January 19, 2014
Translation problems with machine translation January 13, 2014
Translation difficulties January 11, 2014
Translation in the extreme November 16, 2013
Life is looking up at long last October 4, 2013
Summer disappointment on the Dutch job market August 2, 2013
Send Dutch applicants abroad back home! June 21, 2013
What Teacher Education Programs Don't Tell You June 10, 2013
Werkloos = waardeloos, i.e., jobless = worthless? May 27, 2013
Grammar of the 'grammar-translation' method May 21, 2013
The System of the Dutch State Language Examination – part 2 April 26, 2013
Bending immigration statistics – English version March 15, 2013
Bending immigration statistics March 14, 2013
A famous literary mistranslation between Hungarian and German February 23, 2013
A criticism of translation methods from the point of view of dictionaries February 22, 2013
IamExpat: How learning Dutch can ruin relationships February 18, 2013
(no title) February 18, 2013
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My second photo site
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My web-site with photos
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text:
ACCEPTED

#### According to
Index Fungorum

#### Published in
Bull. Soc. mycol. Fr. 13: 213 (1897)

#### Original name
Septoria fagoniae Pat.

### Remarks
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text:
Biggest evolution of Facebook marketing since 2008
It's no secret that Facebook has a lot of traffic to which you can distribute your marketing. Facebook ads are very popular among internet marketers because you can laser target your ads based on the wealth of data that Facebook has about its users – age, location, interests, career and the list goes on.
Facebook actually started selling ads from day 1, back in 2004. However, for many years, only elite advertisers had access to Facebook's traffic, and it was done through a sales team.
In 2008, things changed. This was when Facebook launched its self-service ad platform. Now, anyone can place an ad on Facebook, no matter how low their budget and without speaking to the sales team.
In 2017, the next big evolution of Facebook marketing is happening.
Now, you can place ads on Facebook directly from within another piece of software. MailChimp, a simple email marketing and customer relationship management system, is one of the first to offer this new feature.
In other words, you can place Facebook ads directly from within MailChimp. The advantage is that MailChimp takes care of a lot of the work for you and simplifies the process.
Katie of MailChimp says it allows you to do more of your marketing in one place.
Until now, you had at least two main internet marketing activities that you would have to do in separate places:
Use a customer relationship management or marketing system to write your emails, sales pages, etc
Go to a popular website or traffic source and place ads to distribute your offer to people
In the future, it will be possible to do both of these things from one place. Interesting times ahead!
Facebook Messenger Ads
Still on the topic of Facebook ads, there are now ads in Messenger.
For now, they are actually the same as the news feed ads but distributed in a different place, and only being tested out to users in Australia and Thailand.
Here is the official announcement by Eddie Zhang.
WordPress is an open source and free content management system that has been a hugely popular and powerful tool for internet marketing since 2003. Most of the who's who of internet marketing use WordPress for their websites.
A major new version of WordPress is released about three times a year. Last month, version 4.7 came out with some new features and behind the scenes improvements.
Now, version 4.7.2 of WordPress is out. This is a security release that you should install to fix security holes with previous versions. Here is the official announcement by Aaron D. Campbell.
AWeber Stats 2.1
AWeber is a very popular email marketing product and simple customer relationship management system. It's also one of the oldest systems that people trust to power their internet marketing.
Did you know that AWeber includes a mobile app? It's called AWeber Stats and it allows you to see all the results – opens, clicks, unsubscribes – of the recent emails you've sent out to your list. It's free to all AWeber customers.
Tom Tate of the AWeber team just announced version 2.1 of this app, which has made some improvements to make it more user friendly.
"In fact, people are already regularly messaging businesses with over 1 billion messages sent between people and businesses on Messenger each month.
– Eddie Zhang