The proper use and manipulation of the English language, a skill so difficult to learn, reaps a great deal of power when mastered. As hyperbolic as it sounds, being able to use and manipulate the English language properly into our writing and speaking can be very influential in advocating ideas towards a community. “As a speaker, you have some influence on the extent to which others see you as having authority” (Fontaine and Smith 13). To gain authority over an audience, one must write and speak with confidence and be skilled enough to use proper English: that is, following the standard rules of grammar, incorporating complex sentences and a wide range of vocabulary. In addition, the manipulation of the English language in writing and speaking, with as the use of figurative language and compositional techniques, makes the writing more persuasive and impactful. Speaking properly and effectively will change the way you talk and will change the way people will listen to you. By displaying knowledge and skill towards the widely accepted language, the audience gain trust towards the writer or speaker, fostering an authoritative relationship between the two. It was through my past experience that I came to a realization that impactful speech and writing, possible through the use and manipulation of proper English, serve as agents for gaining my audience’s attention. Being elected as the former President of my high school, it was my obligation to lead nearly a thousand students.
Journal Response The chapter “A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers” by Erika Lindemann describes how people use rhetoric unconsciously on their daily lives through writing or speaking. The term rhetoric is explained as being influential; teachers in particular are described to make use of rhetoric means to encourage their students into learning. Nevertheless, the rhetoric term has been under discussion over the years. The initials connotations given to this term were on the negative side; Lindemann describes how thinkers from old times expressed that the term rhetorical was mostly inclined towards the usage of appealing language leaving the importance of the message itself aside.
Laquintano, T., & Vee, A. (2017). How Automated Writing Systems Affect the Circulation of Political Information Online. Literacy in Composition Studies, 5(2), 43–62. https://doi.org/10.21623/1.5.2.4 Littlemore, J., & Low, G. (2006, January 1). Promoting Figurative Language Competence in the Foreign Language Classroom.
The information and opinions provided in the excerpt “Authority and American Usage” by David Foster Wallace give an understanding of what Standard Written English is and why it is influential. It also sets up what the teaching of SWE in schools means for students. Foster Wallace makes an argument about the Democratic spirit and its connection to grammar and the use of SWE by different people. The main point he tries to make about SWE is that it allows people from different upbringings and backgrounds to come together and speak or converse in a language that is common ground, including the grammar and nuances that come with SWE. He urges that SWE is important to conserve communication between people of different heritages and have effective
In the essay, “E-Prime: The True, the Beautiful, the Devine,” Ron W. Wheeler convincingly conveys that, “Judiciously controlling the use of English Prime offers communicators an efficient and effective tool for revision to powerfully express the actual, the artistic, and the eternal.” Writing in E-Prime involves the removal of am, is, are, was, were, be, being, and been, also known as “to be” verbs, from written and oral communication. Thus, argued by Wheeler, creating overall stronger communication. Five literary contexts provide the opportunity for “to be” verbs to occur.
Before the 19th century, English was not considered a discipline and the purpose of it is still debated. Throughout the years, new cultural, social, and philosophical trends have influenced the way English is taught and studied. During module 1, different videos were shown, and several readings were assigned that helped me to relate all the material. In this synthesis essay, I will describe what I learned throughout the videos and the readings by making connections among them.
Review of Vershawn Young Discussion After reading “Vershawn Ashanti Young: Should Writers Use They Own English?” against Rebecca Wheeler’s “Code-Switch to Teach Standard English (Young 111. Wheeler 108)”. Each paper expresses a different opinion regarding the teaching of English in the classrooms. Each author writes with different agendas, different tones, and different purposes. Each acts upon their beliefs as they perceive them, and as a result are poles apart.
In Stephen King's memoir, On Writing, he discusses many of the fundamentals of writing he believes are crucial to great writers. In the part of the book titled, "The Craft of Writing," King reveals some of his many rules which have led to great success in the writing field. Out of the many points he explained, I noticed three rules that could benefit my writing the most as an AP Language and Composition student. Though simple, these rules opened my eyes to how I could advance my writing skills by following a few easy fixes. King trusted in writing dialogue truthfully, using the most appropriate vocabulary, and his process of revising.
Giving a speech whether being for the public or not, offers personal, professional, and public benefits for the individual. The individual might find it easier to obtain a profession, build better relationships amongst peers, or even propel social movements by carefully constructing and delivering a well thought out speech. A speech needs to be excellent in order to do such things; it needs to have a clear concise thesis, a preview statement, a great organizational pattern, supporting material, memory, delivery and good representation of oneself. Thus, during the process of constructing and delivering a speech, one must have those aspects. This will ensure the speaker will deliver a powerful and moving speech.
After being chosen as the President of National Honor Society, the most active club at my school, one of my duties was inducting the new members each year. I remember the butterflies in my stomach as I looked out at all the NHS members and their parents sitting in the huge auditorium. My principal and head of school were both keenly listening to me speak as I prayed not to stutter on any words. However, with every word that left my mouth, I felt my level of confidence rising. After finishing off strong and hearing the roar of applause, I realized that effective public speaking is a vital leadership skill that I definitely
Writing is an essential part of an individual’s success. Writing comes in many forms, and it is not only used in an English course. It can be an email to a college professor, a resume, a lab report, a hotel review, etc. There are countless forms are writing, and it is important to understand how to approach each piece of writing. Writing is part of an individual’s daily life, and understanding the importance of rhetorical knowledge, genre knowledge, and audience awareness with make it easier to approach different types of writing, and ultimately improve one’s writing skills.
Lyndon Baines Johnson was elected Vice President as John F. Kennedy’s running mate. But on the November 22, 1963, when John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the President of the United States, with the vision to build a “Great Society” for the American people. The “Great Society” speech was given by Lyndon Baines Johnson as apart of his presidential campaign. After President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Johnson wanted to continue on the path he was taking, but also take a path of his own. In 1964, during an optimistic speech to the graduating class at the University of Michigan, Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 39th President of the United States, gave the hopeful graduates a task to accomplish
One of the most common uses of language is to manipulate. Over the course of English Language, we have learned the important ways in which people do this, including the three appeals, the use of pronouns, and tone. One way people use language to manipulate is by using the three appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. Firstly, ethos is used to prove credibility of a writer, or commonly, a speaker. This therefore manipulates the audience into trusting the speaker, as they seem to be more knowledgeable about the topic.
Among these are the tendency to pull tired metaphors, similes, and other figures of speech out of a hat, resulting in a Tetris level of participation. Then there is the common substitution of long, bloated words that carry the shallow appearance of intelligent thought in the place of shorter, meaningful words that get the point across, but may appear dull if the point is dull. Finally, there is the unfortunate padding of sentences with useless operators that cloud the original meaning with vague and passive phrases. Not only are these bad habits stunting creativity in writing, they are manipulating the
In the article, “Have we literally broken the English Language? ”, the author Martha Gill depicts a fact that the word “literally” has changed its semantic meaning from literally to figuratively. Gill’s perspective that people need to “avoid [the word “literally”] completely” indicates her prescriptive attitude towards the word’s meaning change since she focuses on correcting the rules how people should use a word. At first sight, prescriptivism emphasizes that people should follow rules learnt consciously in school to speak and write a language. At the beginning of the article, Gill provides the definition of the word “literally” based on Google to show that many words have developed their original meanings in recent days.
The Modern English language has a rich history, it develops and changes like many other world languages. The English language has mainly been influenced by Latin, Germanic and French over a period of two thousand years. The English Lexicon includes words from over 120 countries, however Latin, Germanic and Latin account approximately less than 30% each. The English language is second to none in the variety and amount of lexical words. The most penetrating influence on English in history is French during the Middle English period after the Norman conquests.