Lupton

When reading text, we have found ways to interpret it in our ways. For example, in Thinking With Type by Ellen Lupton, she states “A word set in ALL CAPS within running text can look big and bulky, and A LONG PASSAGE SET ENTIRELY IN CAPITALS CAN LOOK UTTERLY INSANE.” Because, as readers, we interpret text that is in all capitals is considered yelling or shouting.

So who decided this was how we conveyed shouting at each other via text? By using different texts like capitals, italics, etc., we have the opportunity to convey texts in a completely different way. It’s intriguing to think that text can be altered in such a way that changes our perception of its meaning. 

Polemic: Right or Wrong?

When reading Technology and Literacy in the Twenty-First Century, Cynthia Selfe introduces her thoughts on polemic. By definition, polemic is a variety of arguments or controversies made against one opinion, doctrine, or person, or a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something. So in her book, Selfe poses two arguments about the link between technology and literacy.

Selfe describes the two arguments as boon, the way in which humans use technology to further progress interaction and communication amongst each other. The other argument or representation is bane, which describes how technology has caused a negative impact on communication, reading and writing skills, etc.

So what's the problem with polemic? Selfe creates this argument that it's so black and white. It's either one way or the other. However, I feel as though technology can impact a person in the way they allow it to. There is definitely some gray area in between these arguments that Selfe doesn't address.

Language and the Way We Think

While reading an article by Lera Boroditsky called, "How Does Our Language Shape the Way We Think?" I was interested, but not surprised. Boroditsky brings up interesting arguments and examples of how people who speak different languages think, well, differently.

Boroditsky states that language effects the way we think about space, time, colors, and objects. She also says that other studies have found that languages effect how people "construe events, reason about causality, keep track of number, understand material substance, perceive and experience emotion, reason about other people's minds, choose to take risks, and even in the way they choose professions and spouses." To me, that seems like a lot of stuff language can effect.

That's incredible!

According to Boroditsky, "it's possible that everyone thinks the same way, notices the same things, but just talks differently." But to me, it is obvious that the thinking process in which one uses to speak different languages is vastly different than others. When you have to go through a slew of processes just to read one sentence in one language, but a completely different thought process to read the same sentence in a different language, there is a difference there.

Language also plays a role in how we learn other languages. "everyone does not pay attention to the same things: if everyone did, one might think it would be easy to learn to speak other languages. Unfortunately, learning a new language (especially one not closely related to those you know) is never easy; it seems to require paying attention to a new set of distinctions. . . it requires paying attention to the right things in the world so that you have the correct information to include in what you say." When learning a new language, you have to acquire a completely new thinking process that may be completely novel to you. That's why learning languages can be so challenging for so many people. It's not just the words you have to remember, but it's the thinking process that you need to get you there.

This article completely fascinates me. As an English teacher, I need to be aware of these kind of things to better understand my subject, but especially my future students. There will be times that I have students and there might be a language barrier. Understanding their thinking process will make it much easier for me to explain things to them, understand their homework, and most important, to understand them.





"But what would your life be like if you had never learned a language? Could you still have friends, get an education, hold a job, start a family? Language is so fundamental to our experience, so deeply a part of being human, that it's hard to imagine life without it." -Lera Boroditsky

Rhetoric Reflection

Rhetoric is used in writing, speeches, and many other forms of communication. Given the definition of rhetoric, situated, strategic discourse, I want to sift through this and come to a few valid conclusions.

To me, this definition has a few meanings. If it is situated, it is organized or thought out in an organized manner. Being strategic can mean a lot of things. To me, in regards to rhetoric, one is strategic in order to carefully plan their thoughts and feelings in order to get a specific outcome. The outcome can be many different things. It could be persuasion, informative, etc. Lastly, we have discourse. Discourse in this situation means language in use.

Let’s put this all together. Situated, strategic discourse. Planned language in order to gain a specific outcome. Is this the meaning of rhetoric? It seems incredibly accurate. When writing and speaking, one must keep these aspects in mind in order to impress or persuade their audience.