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Celebrating small kindnesses and basking in the little things.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Language and the World

Everywhere I look, language is there. I see it on bumper stickers, stickers put on car windows, billboards, song lyrics, shirts, advertisements, etc... We have become a culture of subconscious readers. We cannot even zone out in front of the television without having to read something that flashes across the screen.

Movie and television writers have even taken to providing clues to the endings of their shows by embedding the clues on t-shirts, ticket stubs, newspapers. We have become a multi-genre society that takes in as many forms of language, genres of writing, as possible in a moments time.

A movie that I watched this weekend, Evan Almighty, gave information in the form of the alarm clock, the wood delivery bill, the license plates, the realty sign, television, birth announcement and I am sure that I have missed a few more.

We are surrounded by language. As you go about life this week, pay attention to the language, information, forms of information that you are exposed to. What are all of the ways that you are exposed to language and when do you know that you are exposed to it? Do you know or is it so ingrained into your daily lives that you do it without thought? What are some of the examples of language you encounter on a daily basis?

34 comments:

♠♥ƔƟƝ♣♦ said...

Hmm, that made me feel like words are radioactive XD. Well when I go on the internet I visit the same five websites, I get so use to wear there little advertisments are that I really don't look at them, so that kind-of got ingrained with my daily life, but when I see bumper stickers I'll get all excited and tell my father to pull up closer to the car so I can read it. Shirts are my favorite way to get your name out there, it's so affective but yet it has to be pretty otherwise people won't really look at it. Shirts, because they always change, has to be an awesome and refreshed way. But sometimes we don't need words, like the ipod symbol a person danceing with white earphones, we know it's the ipod. Sometimes words aren't needed after the first impression.

david said...

people show many kinds of language. They use shirts, hats, and many other kinds of things mainly to get attention. People use words differently to mean something different even though it sounds almost the same. People use slang to sound cool... and people abbreviate a lot and use text messaging to have conversation faster and to get your point across quicker. Our bodies even have language. How we sit, how we look, what our facial expressions are and so forth. How people dress also is a language. If someone wears their pants down to their knees, than that person needs a belt, or they want to look "cool".

Bryan said...

In my life everything is words. My life is surrounded by music which is all words-sheet music, lyrics, etc. I agree with daisy about the t shirts. People you dont know can know about your personality just by your shirt.

bryan

Unknown said...

i never really thought that we were exposed to language that much. now that i think of it everything we do in life we usually have to read, like on the internet, tv, advertisements, it seems everything is about language. when i see bumper stickers on cars there expressing opinions, like with the presidential debate. language is all around us with everything we do even when we don't realize is.

-kirstie oravec

Selena said...

Mrs. Perrin,
The first example that came to my mind when I read posters inside of teachers rooms. I read hem over every day automatically as I walk into the class. I don't have to think about it at all, I just do it. The great thing is, is that we practice reading all the time that it becomes so automatic to us.when I walk through the school hallways I read peoples shirts and bags if they say something, because it is just automatic to see words and comprehend them. I am exposed to language so much that i don't even realize it. Before you posted, I had never really thought about all the things I read.
I am a very avid reader, so I will read just about everything. I am also a quick reader, so I read more faster. Reading is spreading language from one person to another. When a screen on the computer pops up, my eyes start to dart around reading every tiny thing in sight, maybe thats just me, but it could be everyone.
Language is everything, it really is, so next time spread a good message for others to read.
(sorry if that was lame)
--SELENA

Leanne ♥ said...

Language is ingrained in everything that we do. Watching TV, going on different websites online, Even on peoples t shirts, like Daisy said. I never really thought about how much language is ingrained in my life. Basically everything we do, you have to read and process something. Like Daisy said, sometimes it doesn't have to be a word but a symbol,such as the iPod symbol. Language is in everything we do and it often gets ignored, when we see it all the time. I see the same signs on the roads when I drive to school but when I am driving somewhere I have never been, I am more likely to look at them and read them.

Leanne

Tony H. said...

We see laungauge all around us. Like david said people use hats, and shirts to show what they are feeling. I think that is a kind of language.


-Tony

Constantly Emily said...

Yeah, language sure is everywhere. It really is something that has become ingrained in my life, I'm sure most people would have to agree. For example, when Harvey was being produced, they gave minimal verbal announcements about it, but the flyers were everywhere! Sure, I noticed those because they really were everywhere but most things you read it is just a habit. Sometimes I like to watch this anime show called Death Note. I don't like the English-dub version on television, so I go to the site and watch it in Japanese with sub-titles. I don't even realize that I don't speak Japanese, I'm so programmed with the words. I'm sure people who can't read have a much different experiace, but reading is honestly one of the most important skills to have this day and age, I think. Writing and reading is what this country is based on, is it not? Was the Declaration of Independence read aloud to England? Or, did we write it down and have tons of people sign it, so it was official? All important documents are in writing, with signatures. Copyright laws don't apply to speech, do they? In school, does the teacher just tell you the whole lesson and expect you to remember it? Will you write down your notes? Language is surrounding us, and I'll try my best to look out for it this week, but I might not even notice; I never have before anyways!

Unknown said...

well, first off language is everywhere: TV,computers,schools, building, clothing, etc. the most common language is writing. i agree with daisy and selena with symbols, and reading anything with words on it.i automatically read the hall way signs, notes,buses, everything. Yesterday at lunch, some girls were walking around the tables trying to hand out the bhs newspaper. language. we speak it, read it, and see it. no matter how many times i would walk into a teacher's room, i would always look at the signs and posters hanging up, regardless the times i've seen and read them. everyday the most obvious language i use it verbal. i talk to my friends, teachers, etc. Since i go to school 5 days a week, reading and writing is also a language i use daily.

Jena said...

There are many different forms of language. Just because something isn't spelled out for you doesn't mean it isn't there. Language is the way people cummunicate, how they talk and get the message across are just subcatagories of language. The way we look is one example of language. If someone is dressed like their going to beat the next person who talks to them up, then you most likely won't tlk to them. Langugae basically is symbolism. We don't need to tell anybody that sees us crying that we are sad or when we are laughing hysterically that we found something funny. They just know, it is how our bodies symbolize or give a visual to our feeelings.

JESS(:! said...

As I go about my day to day life I always see advertisements if its posters in the school halls, sings for food places and I drive to soccer or at NEO there everywhere, trying to drag peoples attention into doing, or buy what they are advertising. I am a person who always likes to be aware of things like to know all the latest information, or the lowest prices on clothing in ad’s and magazines. I notice that I’m exposed to it pretty much everywhere I go, depending on what it is I almost always stop to look. I go on one website ALL the time and like the first person said there are tons of ad’s that are on the website log in page that I go on and I really don’t even pay attention or have any intent to read them. Also on a daily basis as I drive to soccer I always see the big signs that have all the specials for the food places like Subway, Rallys, and Burger King and I usually read them as I go by just because I’m always hungry.
But everywhere I go and everyday I tend to be surrounded by information, ads and different languages.

Anonymous said...

Well I am going to take this political again. First though, I do have to say I really did like Evan Almighty, and boy did it really sock it to those tree huggers and PITA, which I always love to see. Change. I honestly am so sick of that word. We see it on bumper stickers, billboards, signs, clothes, commercials, hear it in songs and so many other places. Biggest thing is that Millhouse isn't change.He is more of the same. His first few official cabinet appointments already have more DC experience than the entire Bush or Clinton cabinets. Imagine how much more DC experience that his cabinet will have when he figures out the rest of the spots! This isn't change, but some people are going to say that it's still change. Well, I am going to correct myself because socialism is change, but not in the sense his brainwashing campaign want you to believe. He is supposed to be the Mesiah, the annointed one, the person who will have Arabs and Jews sitting next to each other holding hands and singing "Kumbaya".

It won't happen though. Look at the attacks in India and the Somali pirates. Another thing the media is covering up for this guy is the Chinese. On a daily basis, they have human rights violations and restrict liberties like you couldn't believe. Do you think the ACLU is saying anything? Of course not. They turn their heads and ignore it.I'm not a tree hugger, but their environmental policies are ridiculous. They dump waste by the truckload and our EPA screams and whines like little babies if we put an eye dropper's worth of waste in our water. In China they get away with anything, yet the EPA constantly whines about Republicans. What is wrong with this? The reason they get away with it is because they're communist. Socialism and communism are this close away from being the same, and Obama is a socialist. He is farther left than other Senators that admit to being socialist, so he must be a socialist. "Change" is one of those words that will now change the world, but not for the better.

Adog said...

Language is everywhere. It's how we communicate. what are expressions without word? I know it's everywhere i look, but some are subliminal so i don't catch it, or i don't see it. On a daily basis... Talking with people, seeing signs, billboards, etc.. It's all over the place. I can't remember a day that i've gone without speaking or reading.

Jacob said...

We are exposed to a phenomenal amount of language it seems. Like you said, wherever you go, there is always something to read or interpret. Some of the types of language that I as an individual encounter most, are signs [street signs, billboards, etc.], musical lyrics, and books. I encounter all of those mulpitile times throughout the day, without really noticing it. I read the signs without realizing it, and listen to the songs not really realizing i hear them. I think that knowing how to speak, and read, and understand language is really a skill that you need to get by. I've tried to imagine like without talking or hearing, and it's really difficult. It seems that it would be a completely different life.

austin said...

After I read that, it made me realize how much we actually use language, but don't even realize it. I noticed that when I get on a computer, i know where I am going, and what I am using it for. I dont even think of reading anything else than what I want. And even when I am reading that, I do not notice that I am actually reading. It just happens. The only time I notice that I am reading is if it is in a book, newspaper, or worksheet in school. Everything else just happens without me even thinking. Language is so ingrained in our lives, that we do not even know that we are reading or using it half of the time.

Carme said...

There are many ways of how we are exposed to language. Language is all over clothes, shoes, bags, purses, cars, schoolbooks, and a lot more. I have to say that they main way of how you would know you are exposed to language is if you start reading something that catches your eye. Everyone has different interests, so people who produce items to sell want to have a different variety of their product for people of all kinds to look at and read. I have to say that language is in my life so much , that I do it without thought. I'm so used to seeing something that catches my eye, I want to just go up and investigate it. I want to know why it caught my eye. I want to know why it caught my interest with me half knowing it was even there.

Unknown said...

Now that you've mentioned it, I see information everywhere...signs in a room, t-shirts, hats, television, textbooks, articles, the radio, and the internet. I guess its just gone past me sometimes. I think the pieces of info that really catch my attention are the t-shirts and signs, they have been pieces of information iam aware i pay attention to. I think sometimes they can give a subliminal message, with the different colors and they way things are worded...the type of language they use. On a daily basis i see a lot of motivating and influencful language, especaillly in school. I also see language on t-shirts that tend to be jokes, or sort of make the reader feel stupid for reading the shirt.

Unknown said...

HEY EVERYBODY! I think language is pushed through a person in an almost second-nature way, if they are exposed to it enough. If people are exposed to bad or certain types of language, I believe they are disposed to use that language themselves. For example, my dad said that when he was younger he never swore. However, when he was older (about 23, I think) he went to a construction site environment to work. He said this changed him because a lot of people there swore, and he said it unknowingly creeped in to him, the behavior of the people around him.

-have a uber week!
Hiroki Witt

Tom Ludwig, PHD said...

First of all, I would like to congratulate you on watching a very funny movie. However, I would like to add that Bruce Almighty is even better. Adding to Tyler's previous comment on your traffic light paragraphs, I will procede to steal his idea and acknowledge the reverse traffic light paragraphs you have put into use. I must admit that I like the regular traffic light better, as it signifies to "go" in the final paragraph rather than "stop."

I agree that a lot of language is everywhere. After all, I am on the computer right now and on my way here (to this website) I encountered a rare species of language: something I like to call THE IJ! I invented its name. It stands for Internet Jargon. There was this one sentence on the home page that said "Register now for Zipidee on your FIOS service." Sadly, THE IJ is on the endangered list and is becoming extinct, because more and more people are learning more of it, which causes the "Jargon" part of it to go away, and turns it into THE I, which is just internet.

I agree that I encounter a lot of different language. The news is focusing on the stock market a lot lately. On this one kid's shirt today that will remain unnamed for certain reasons, I saw an awesome quote: "I used to think that I was lazy. Then I just decided not to think anymore." Think about it and it really makes sense. Or you can just not think. Either way, it is relevant because it how I treat a lot of advertizements now. I used to think that they were really annoying, and distracting, but now I just don't think about them anymore. I must admit that a lot of TV advertizements are funny, though. It seems that I don't think about them enough to remember them, though. One think I have ignored is the color red in the final paragraph, which seems to be signaling to stop, which wouldn't make sense because I hadn't even started.

I know when I am exposed to language, and the answer would be every day, all the time, except for when I'm sleeping, when I sometimes even dream and see different language, and then I don't remember it anyways, but I still saw it. Sorry about the run-on there, but online language has become really ungrammatical. It's really practical though, and I don't think it's lazy. AAMOF, it's 2G2BT! (As a matter of fact, it's too good to be true) For all those people who can't accept it, INUCOSM. (It's no use crying over spilt milk.) IMHEIUO, DBD about it.
(In My High Exalted Informed Unassailable Opinion, don't be dumb about it.) In other words, internet shorthand is good and I consider it intelligent, as it is efficient as long as you are familiar with it (which I am not but hey, I'm a hypocrite sometimes) and time-saving.

Btw, gtg! (By the way, got to go!)

Tom Ludwig, PHD said...

For anyone who wants to know where in the world I got those acronym-like things from, I used http://www.netlingo.com/emailsh.cfm

You're welcome.

And yes, I DO know what unassailable means, and the definition is "not subject to denial or dispute."

I'm leaving for good now.

bsman132 said...

Language is everywhere so we start to not notice it even when it is right in front of our face. Since we have become so accustomed to it, that means that we dont notice or care about what ppl are saying, wearing, writing, or even petitioning. We just dont care anymore. Did ppl vote for president just by what all the ads were saying or because they actualy researched and found out what their real standpoints on issues were.
So thats that and good-bye.
(This comment has been approved by president elect, Barack Obama)

Geissman301 said...

Hmm Language in the world... im exposed to it by the internet and the news stations and i know this is gonna make kevin mad but i like to watch CNN to tell me what is happeneing in the world. Also language in the wolrd makes it easier for people all over to communicate and they try to sound more intelligent even though must of know there not. I encounter it by watching the news and listening to the presidents speeches and how they are tring to improve the world

Gabrielle Schwall said...

Language is definatly all around us. Everywhere you go you'll see some form of language whether it's displayed as letters or pictures.
For me, sence I enjoy drawing, I often display my mood in my picture. Normally they're happy 'cos I'm a very happy person. But from time-to-time I'll have a small vent picture that makes me feel better. So there's all sorts of ways to show language and emotion.

Body language is also a common form of communication. Sometimes people don't like to say how they're feeling, so they keep it to them and use only body language to say something's wrong.

Most of the time you don't realize it though, because we're so used to running into language. (Heck, I didn't even notice some of this stuff before writing it out)

btw, Even Almighty was an amazing movie C: But Bruce Almighty was funnier~

Jahnavi said...

Mrs. Perrin,
Language is everywhere. From a bumper of a car to the wrapper on a pack of M&M's. This language for me is something that is ingrained into my life because i see it everyday. People wears shirts or hats to expose language. I encounter language differently throughout my day. I see it on cereal boxes, shirts, posters,textbooks(of course), tv, movies, and more. Language doesnt always have to be expressed in words either. Like Daisy said the person dancing with white earphones is a symbol for the ipod.
~jahnavi

Michelle =) said...

When thinking about language, what we say reflects how people view us. even if they don't know us, and we say something they disagree with when we are near them, their first impression on us is terrible. Yeah, language is every where. We cannot escape it. It would have been terrible to live in like major ancient B.C. times and just using grunts and pictures. Language defines us and also helps us to get out our emotions. I don't think that a cave drawing will show my exact feelings. I do like what Daisy said about the shirt thing. It's true. T-Shirts are hilarious to read. Some of them are stupid, yes, but every day our eyes see them and can't help to read them. Sometimes we don't even notice or do it on purpose. Wherever you look, you see language. Whether its online, on T.v, on shirts, on cars or even on radio, no one can escape language. There is no way to. Also, like symbols also are basically language because we know how to interpret them, turning them into a language.

Perkinsdrummer66 said...

Language, as an insane person would say "It's everywhere, it's everywhere." Not a day goes by when language is not experienced. A yawn, car horn, street signs, words, handshakes, it's endless. People can make a career off of language. Comedians make one by using language that's funny. Singers use language to write lyrics. Teachers use it to help students learn. Language is very important and without it we would probably not be here. -Perkins

P.S. Bird is the word

jackie said...

It's true, people use language everywhere. One I can think of is musicians. They use their lyrics to express what they are feeling, thinking, or explain their actions. One of my friends recently had to make a Lyrical Diary for their mass media class where they had to pick twenty songs that represent them. They had to explain what represented them in the song and why they like it. They also had to include pictures where they showed how they feel while listening to the song. Songs are used to tell stories, to release emotions, or for entertainment. Music is a very strong form of language because it's like poetry but set to music and the singers contribute to it too, because they can actually sing the words and add subtext to them. I'm taking Mass Media next year and I can't wait to do this project.

--jackie nash

Unknown said...

i havent really thought about it much, but its true, language is such a subconscious thing for us. we comprehend things without even realizing it, whether its something we see on tv, or on a sign. theres never really a time when you can look at something and some form of language isnt being expressed, whether its words, symbols, body language, facial expressions, and so on. a lot of things are just so ingrained in our lives that we dont even think about it. for example, im looking at a box of cheez- its and i realized that food is one of those things. you look at a box of food, or some kind of drink and you know what it is without thinking about it, because of the picture on it or the name. or if you go to a store and see the logo, you automatically know what it means like the target sign for target or the eagle on American Eagle clothes. i think that language is kind of taken for granted, because it isnt just your words.

Andy or Tyler said...

First off, I, Andy Ludwig the first would like to clarify that this is andy and not tyler. Anyhow, If I was tyler, I wouldn't have all of this rubish about myself being andy and not tyler and if I was tyler I would have to include a big word that no one has ever heard of. So to say it in simple terms, I am andy.

This language stuff all the time is getting a little boring. I mean, it is all that this blog has been about. "How do you use language," "How does language impact you," "How do you percive others by hearing how they talk." IT IS ALL LANGUAGE. Can't we talk about something that has to do with current events? (blog suggestion)

There are Many examples of language that I encounter on a daily basis. There are billboards, signs, books, boring books, Wuthering heights, dialect, poems, posters, ect... These are just some of the many examples of language that I see/hear every day. Some of the language that I hear is not apropriote for this post so it's best for me to not say them as one of Mrs. Perrin's young whipper-snappers might decide to be cool and say it in her class. There are also school appropriote forms of language that I see at school. Some examples of this are "Hey,can I borrow a pencil," or "Hey, do you have any gum?" These are a little boring so I think that I am going to ease my head outside of my shell and explore the outside world. This bring this post to a whole new level. Bumper stickers.

Bumper stickers:

This is an extremely interesting subject. There are no boundries to this form of language. Someone can write whatever that want on a bumper sticker and then the world has to deal with it. Now that I'm on the subject, I would like to give some examples before I blow a buffer. Here are some examples of very weird bumper stickers:

1. We're born cold wet and hungery, and it only gets worse.

2. I had a handle on life, but it broke.

3. FILTHY STINKING RICH (2 out of the 3 ain't bad.)

4. I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.

5. Support Cannibblism. EAT ME!

6. OUT OF MY MIND (BACK IN 5 MINUTES)

As you can see. There are no limits on what bumper stickers can be about. You just have to deal with them. Just like any other form of language. you just have to DEAL WITH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unknown said...

Well I see written language everywhere and I see it so often that I never really think about it as language. Now that I think about it however I see Language on thew backs of maccaroni boxes, on calender, machine buttens pictures, on (or in)cell phones,labels, tags, paper (obviously), and much more. As for what was said about the Even Almighty movie it makes me wonder if (since were used to seeing language everywhere)we ever miss something or not notice clear or hidden messages. For example I doint know about anyone else but whwn ever I see the little weather warnings flashing across the bottom of the television screen, half the time I just ignore it even though it could be saying something like a tornadoe's heading my way.

-Emily Rady

j.spear(: said...

there is tons of different ways to express your language but the one i personally notice the most is language through songs. One of my favorites songs sends a message through the lyrics. This song is How Far We've Come by Matchbox Twenty. It tells how the world is coming to the end and nobody is doing anything about it. I think langauge is something i try to observe a lot and analzye.


-jessica spear

Unknown said...

Wow i never realised how many things has information on it that i never payed that close of attention to. Like Selena said i find myself reding peoples t-shirts as i walk down the school hall not even thinking about what i am doing. i also see a lot of posters. A ton of teachers i noticed have a ton of positive posters in their class room. I too read those all the time. The ones i notice the most are the ones with a ton of different bright colors on them. i also notice them like if there a different writhing style too.
Language is something we use everyday. the most common one is verbal. I use it everyday when i talk to my friends and other people around me. Language is such a big part of our society that i think if we did not have it our world would not advanced. We wouldn't have computers' cellphones and the web would exist either. So people i think don't realise that.

Dr. Markus said...

Language again? OK, lets see, language is definately impacting us all in very many ways. One thing that I have been doing this week is reading the book, Twilight. At first I thought the book was a dumb love story and I would never read it. After talking to some people, somehow I got convinced to read it. When I started reading it, it instantly made an effect on me. The author does a good job of making you feel like you are actually there. Everything felt so realistic like a normal high school life. In a way, I felt addicted to this book and it has opened my eyes to another example of power the language of a novel can have. Something as simple as a book can have language that can twist your thoughts and feelings. Everyone have a nice weekend!

Dr. Markus

P.S. I finished Twilight today and I highly recommend it!

Andy or Tyler said...

Once agian it's Tyler, showing up to the blog fasionably late. I still have to post because it doesn't feel right with out me. I would also like to re-note that mrs. perrin just made some more traffic light paragraphs in this blog. So, now it is time to talk about the content of these paragraphs.

Well, I would like to talk about t-shirts. I know everyone will think I am a hipocrite for saying this, but everyone that goes to ambercrombe, aeropostole, holister, or american eagle, are all tools. I'm not saying your the devil, or that you are a bad person, its just that you are buying thier advertizing. By wearing that shirt with the company name, people will see that and they will say, cool holister shirt, and then they will go to holister and buy one of their own. Those big companies don't need commercails or posters to advertize themselves. I mean think here for a second. When was the last time you saw a holister comercal, or billboard? Never, they make you pay for their advertizing. It isn't a bad thing for you to do to buy it, it isn't a bad thing for them to do, but it is a smart thing. It's kind of like how in "I am legend" when the guy locks up the house. It's not bad for the zombie things, because the guy won't beat them up, it's not bad for the guy, cuz the zombies won't beat him up, and it's smart for the guy, because he gets to sleep in peace.

Another urgent issue that I would like to talk is about this "Automatic reading" thing. It creeps me out. Selena brought it up about in classrooms with the posters on the walls, and I came to a realization. Whenever we sit some where for a long time, we realize our sorroundings more. Have you ever went to fridays? when waiting for your food, you always seem to look at that junk on the wall, and when you are waiting for your doctor, you always look at the pictures on the walls. You know what. I think it is natrual to look at walls when you are waiting, and have nothing to do/no one to talk to. So, I don't think it is neccisaraly words, but I think words have become so farmiliar with us, that it is now almost like an image or a picture. So I wouldn't say it is just words.

So there we go, we see language everywhere, but I don't think it is language that we only see, it is everything within our visual range. YES! WE SEE EVERYTHING IN OUR VISUAL RANGE! I GOT IT! I AM SO AWESOME! THANK YOU FOR READING!

-Tyler Golias