Day text – bees worker bees are between 8-19 mm in length. They are divided into three distinct(alohida)
DAY 2 TEXT 3 – THE GENERATION LANGUAGE GAP
Download 41.15 Kb.
|
reading marathon
DAY 2 TEXT 3 – THE GENERATION LANGUAGE GAP
As America changes, the English language changes, too. Some words have vanished and others have appeared to replace them. Words and phrases that mean completely different things. This was illustrated pretty vividly a couple of days ago when we were having our daily budget meeting - that’s the meeting when we decide which stories will go on which pages the next day. Naturally, we’ve joined the Internet age. We offer morning, afternoon and late afternoon updates as well as Twitter alerts. Since you can use only so many words in a Twitter message, we try to “Twitter” a story that’s especially important. We have to find something that is “tweet worthy.” Managing Editor Samantha Perry wondered how we would have reacted just a few years ago if any of us had suggested that a story was “tweet worthy.” My guess is that person would have gotten a lot of stares. Then sports writer Tom Bone remarked that a World War II soldier who had just come home would think that we’re all a bit nutty if he overheard us complaining about the spam in our mailbox. We think of messages while the soldier thinks of hundreds of rectangular cans of Spam overflowing the kind of mailbox we see along the side of the road; in fact, I think a Vietnam soldier from back in the 1960s would have the same vision. Who could imagine that a name for canned meat could become a word that means electronic junk mail? Terms like PC, Internet and laptop are fairly new, too. Folks who suddenly time traveled here from 30 or 40 years in the past wouldn’t understand what we were talking about. To them, a virus is only something that makes you sick. Complaining that your computer has a virus would earn you some stares. A “pop up” would be something that comes from a toaster and a “tweet” would be that sound a bird makes. Frankly, our language wouldn’t make much sense. Even my favorite literary character, Sherlock Holmes, is used in a creative way. If somebody makes a painfully obvious observation - somebody comes into your house soaking wet and you deduce that it’s raining outside - your observation is likely to be greeted with something like “No kidding, Sherlock.” Coping with this new, growing vocabulary isn’t easy. Sometimes I try to use new words and, again, get stares. Reporter Kate Coil told us the story of an aunt who thought LOL, Laugh Out Loud, meant Lots of Love. She commented on a web page about a relative who had died of cancer, ending her message with LOL. Naturally, a younger person interpreted this a bit differently. “Dude, you aunt is harsh!” he told his friend. This generation language gap was harsh on me when I tried the teaching profession. A few years ago I was teaching English Composition at a Virginia high school, and my kids often didn’t understand my vocabulary. Another teacher told me that I often “spoke over the head” of the students. Frankly, I thought they had a pretty poor vocabulary. Most of them rarely read anything longer than a text message - another term I wouldn’t have understood 20 years ago - so their vocabulary is pretty limited. I’m not the only person who has these feelings. I sometimes visit YouTube and watch programs like “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.” Naturally, fellow Holmes fans and myself will comment about the shows and talk about related subjects. One time we started lamenting the fact that our language seems downright crude compared to the flowing phrases used in Victorian England. I said that Holmes and his friend and colleague, Dr. Watson, might as well be speaking Russian as far as my students were concerned. However, one person argued that kids’ vocabularies are more about English changing than decaying. They have different priorities and different needs, so they need new words to go with them. I’m fine with that as long as I don’t get compositions written in texting language, a habit that dropped more than one grade under my control. I insist on real words, not text slang or text abbreviations. My students thought I was harsh. Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. 1. At the budget meetings the publishing team A. discuss the impact of the Internet on their business B. joke about the way language is changing C. talk about how to organise their content 2. Tom Bone thinks that World War II soldiers A. would probably disapprove of the use of the term SPAM B. would be happy to receive 'spam' in their mail box C. would think the people of today to be a bit crazy 3. The reporter Kate Coil A. tells a funny story B. gives an example of how young people can misinterpret language C. describes how her aunt misinterpreted LOL. 4. When teaching English composition A. the writer's colleague was impressed with the writer's teaching B. the writer's students were not interested in learning C. the writer perhaps used the wrong kind of language 5. The writer feels that A. Victorian English was more sophisticated than today's English B. young people could learn a lot from Victorian English C. in some ways Victorian English was more effective than today's English 6. Some people believe that A. the English used by young people reflects changing times B. the English language is being decayed by young people C. young people prefer to use a simpler language Download 41.15 Kb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
Ma'lumotlar bazasi mualliflik huquqi bilan himoyalangan ©fayllar.org 2024
ma'muriyatiga murojaat qiling
ma'muriyatiga murojaat qiling