Steven Fry on Language AttitudesSteven Fry is an author, comedian, actor etc. This is a "kinetic typography" video of some of his comments on language.
Watch this video and respond: What do you find interesting about his comments? What do you see as important in them? How and why, do you think, that the language attitudes he's against persist? How can teachers of writing guide and adjust negative language attitudes?
3 Comments
Laikyn Hackett
3/22/2017 06:09:55 am
What I found most interesting about his comments throughout the video is how he believes that there is no right or wrong language, and that wording can be considered 'wrong' just because it doesn't sound pretty and people don't like it. I also like how he mentioned that Shakespeare, undoubtedly one of the many great classical writers who has shaped the way we look at language today, was also known for making up words and that now, we look accept those words as if they have always existed. What's most important about Fry's commentary is that while he understands that in a professional setting it is only understandable that we comply to the traditional language that we've been taught because it is what society views as correct, it is okay to also use a different style of language that you're more comfortable with and it shouldn't take away from your intellect or correctness. However, I do feel that these attitudes towards language persist because they have been embedded into our minds at such a young age, and there is a constant pressure that 'teachers have not properly taught their students grammar' and 'no child in the 21st century can write'. It freaks people out, and as a result, everyone is becoming hypersensitive to grammar. Instead of this, teachers should continue to teach the traditional language that we accept as correct, but not try to drill it into a child's head and not fuss at them if they choose to speak differently. The important thing is that the child knows how to use language properly in the correct context, and teachers are not supposed to brainwash their students into having 'perfect language'. Acceptance is key, but because society still harbors an elitist outlook on language, we need to continue to teach the traditional methods.
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Sara Cain
4/3/2017 10:36:25 am
What I found interesting about Fry's statements was that I agreed with so many of them. I've always thought of language as a continuously shifting entity, something that changes as time progresses. It is a human invention, meaning that any human has the ability to modify it. To say that there is a "right" or "wrong" language is ridiculous because this denies the very nature of language itself. Language is creative and lacks restrictions, allowing writers like Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde to use it in such beautiful, possibly 'incorrect' ways.
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Matt Potts
4/17/2017 09:58:55 am
This argument about language is quite interesting. He says that using perfect grammar will never land you a job. there is no "right language or wrong language" and that sometimes people just try to dress it up. This makes me think of teaching students how to write for certain circumstances. For example writing a note to their teacher versus writing and employment letter. I think that sometimes we as teacher focus on our own goals and not the eventual goal of the students. That's a mistake.
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