Saturday, 01 October 2011

• Autumn's bittersweet embrace

  Ah, it's finally autumn again.  I mean- it came out of no where and I am suddenly lethargic and lazy as hell.  But when that's over, I'll be happy autumn is here- or it'll be winter.  Heavy clothes, hot cider and chocolate, German, Spanish, and Russian folk music, and a pulsating sense of nostalgia.  Reevaluation.  Weird dreams.  Tis the season to be Shyft!

  This week's end I master a remix that DJ Istapp/Vanr did of a song off of the BlazBlue sound track and start a remix for DJ Counterforce's new release.  ...And write an essay about how little I have learned about linguistics over the past month...  Should be fun!

  I can't for the life of me spill words upon the keys to express my self any more, but I'm sure that I'm only mildly less self-obsessed than I once was...  I considered sharing some dreams here, but they are too personal- not too personal to comfortably share, but too personal to make sense to just about any one but my self.  What's there to say?  I like to love and I love to fight.  I'm extremely sensitive and exceptionally resilient.  I trust others based on consistency of their actions, not by how attractive any bit of their mind or body might be.  I might be far more wild and spontaneous, if I am not aware that this matters.  I tend to hold grudges until redemption or a change of consistency which reflects the issue of conflict.  If you lie to me once, I will be offended.  If you lie to me many times, I will have simply learned to disbelieve you- no hard feelings.  I have trouble balancing my moods.  My passions are strong but conflicting.  I wish that I could simply pick one or two and go with them for a few years, but they have thus far failed to be inspired consistently for so long.  Some times I feel like there's no point in trying to contribute to some thing novel and just want to go back to sleep.  Some times I force my self to get out of bed, because my dreams are doing absolutely no thing for my sentimentality.  There.  I tried really hard.  Now for a rant, an observation, and some crude advice!

   

  On language:

  I find the in-between stage where children are using known words in strings that can be interpreted, but in an improper fashion, to be rather interesting. The meaning of their speech can be understood, but it is incorrect. This lack of rules is similar to some acceptable dialects of languages that are essentially the foundation language with broken grammar rules. Of course the lack of vocabulary is a factor, as well, but I wonder about how easy it is to distinguish children's English from simply a very lax English. How different is the grammar of the child spoken phrase 'mommy go', to mean 'my mother is leaving', from the grammar of the adult spoken phrase 'she fine' to mean 'She is attractive'? If we didn't know the context and the speaker, the distinction between 'stage of development' and 'dialect' might fade away.

  Is black English or 'ebonics' a dialect?  Dialect can be used to point out very subtle differences, so, in that sense, sure.  'Dialect' can also refer to a group of similar languages that share the same ancestor (which is the definition to be used during the rest of this segment), and some people who think that the poor black masses need pity have elected this definition for black English.  In this same sense, is American English a legitimate dialect which contrasts United Kingdom English?  Some moron Americans who can't understand the British and Irish for what ever embarrassing reason seem to cast that implication.  Last year the DEA was apparently seeking out 'ebonics translators'.  If you need a translator, a means of speaking might be legitimately separate on these terms.  If you need a translator to communicate with black Americans speaking English, how ever, you are simply lacking in the problem solving department.  Is English Netspeak a dialect?  No.  It's just slang.  Would you snicker at a college class that teaches ebonics or Netspeak?  Yes.  You would.  If ebonics is a dialect, then every method of filling in the gaps of broken English used by those trying to learn a new language in a foreign land under a heavy accent from their native tongue is forming a new dialect.  I can understand every thing those ganstas in the ghetto are saying, and it's not because I have rigorously studied hip hop.

  Let's consider the implications.  Shall we?  Black English is a acknowledged and respected as a dialect of American English.  You try to write a scholarly article using it.  It gets rejected outright from every relevant scientific institution.  Why?  Because its grammar and use of slang are outrageous.  A submission of this nature tends to have a very strict policy for the sake of understanding.  Most institutions relying on English as their primary vehicle of communication will only accept a very strict usage of English.  So this first example might be unfair, but it brings to mind a second example: if this is the case, and people who speak black English as a first language are incapable of writing scholarly articles, should we then be expected to offer college level classes that teach 'professional English' to black English speakers?  You might suggest the ordinary English courses available today, but- oh no!  They might not understand what is expected of them, because you're speaking a different language!  There are just as many white people in the United States who can't express their selves on a professional level of English, either.  It is not because they are speaking a different kind of English, it is because they are ignorant of many aspects of English.

  Let's consider the history.  Shall we?  English has been growing and changing since its beginning.  Ye olde English from the bygone tymes is nearly impossible for most modern speakers to understand all of the way through.  One English has survived.  Black English words will never be immortalized in historical documents as a significant phase of the language.  It will not contribute to the future of the language.  Neither will 1337.  Do you want to know why?  No one has ever said any thing of any long term cultural significance using either of them to their fullest degree.  Black English and Netspeak are practically synonymous with ignorance and foolishness, regardless of out side bias.  It is a self inflicted association with a purpose of being so.  No matter how loosely you choose to use the word dialect, labeling black English in this way is only serving to segregate uneducated, black Americans farther from the rest of us.  Next you'll want to send them to their own schools, and eventually lock them away in caves under the ground.  We are all Americans and we share the same language, just like we share every thing else.  If there was some biological programming that forced every black person to speak a specific brand of English which was unaffected by regional terminology, and every other subtle change in speaking across the country was likewise set in stone for every one else, that might make a difference, but it's really not that hard to adapt to an accent and a few odd terms here and there.

   

  A revised claim on being picky:

  I have come to believe that there are three things that might keep some one from liking a song that they would otherwise enjoy: genre/style bias, familiarity, and mood. Since I am biased against hip hop and country, and generally any thing with an exceptionally whiny, nasal sounding vocalist, I tend to measure songs fitted to those categories and with that trait with great prejudice. If I am hearing a cool song for the first time, my mind is gauging it against cool songs that I have memorized and have a deeper appreciation for simply because I know the notes and words and can recall good times while listening to them. Finally, if I am in the mood for some thing energetic and violent, a soft, soothing ballad will lose its subtle intensity as it is taken up by my ears. Who knew enjoying a good tune could be so complicated? The 'six listens rule' ('you don't like it?  You'll never like it until after you've listened to it six times, any way'- it's sort of a joke trend that my brother and I devised) helps with familiarity and increases the chances that during at least one of those listens you will be in the appropriate mood to receive the song's emotion.

  This can be applied to many things. Let's briefly take film, for example. I usually wish that they would leave sex scenes out of action movies, because a three minute sex scene is too brief for my mind to get out of 'I WANNA SEE SHIT EXPLODE AND GUNS GO BOOM' mode (disregard assignable innuendo to that phrase in quotes). It is possible for one mood to flow flawlessly in to the next, but all too often sensual nudity is just thrown in there with no regard to this matter, and I'm left almost feeling as though sex is a waste of my time, which isn't true at all! Thankfully, it is often easier to become attached to a film or a book than to a song, because I'll be damned, if I have to watch a movie or read a book six times before I am sure if I enjoy it or not.

   

  On depression:

  You look sad.  Kill your self}:

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