Language Myths

Language Myths: My own LA-reading journal.

1.
Myth 2: "Some Languages Are Just Not Good Enough" by Ray Harlow

Some people have the idea that some languages are just not good enough. They believe this for several different reasons, it is because  the language is not structured in terms of forming words, the language doesn't contain enough compounds and it can't be used as official language in areas such as administration, business communication, international air traffic etc. Sometimes people dislike a certain language because they think it is ugly.
I disagree with this myth. I believe that every language is precious to the people who speak the language. Harlow says: ‘Most languages are the first language of some community and serve the everyday functions of that community perfectly well.’  Communication is the most important aspect of a language. If a language serves this purpose it is good enough.

2.
Myth 5: "English Spelling Is Kattastroffik" by Edward Carney

Edward Carney believes that people shouldn't blame the English spelling system just because there are more speech- sounds than letters in English spelling. It is important to separate sounds and letters in English spelling. After studying Phonetics, spelling and pronunciation became easier for me. I learnt that one speech-sound can have different spelling and that one spelling may stand for different speech-sounds. Sounds very complicated at first, but after a while I started to understand why. This made spelling a lot easier for me.
I agree with the fact that English spelling is complex at first sight, but I disagree that it is kattastroffik. English spelling has to cater for a wide range of English accents to prevent people to spell the words as they speak it. That would be truly kattastroffik!


3.
Myth 6: "Women Talk Too Much" by Janet Holmes
I was pleasantly surprised to read that research has proven that when men and woman are together, it is the men who talk most. I think this is a big surprise to most men. There is no evidence that males are biologically programmed  to talk more then females, it is more likely that the explanation involves social factors. Men tend to speak more in  formal, public events. Women on the other hand, talk more in private, informal interactions. I agree with the author that there is no "yes" or "no" answer to the question:"Do women talk more than men.?". It depends on many different factors.

When I think about it, the outcome of this chapter is based on very common stereotypes. Men try to stereotype women by claiming that they talk too much. I agree this statement is sexist prejudice.
What does fit the man and woman stereotype is the fact that men talk more to be dominant in formal, public events and that women talk more to maintain social contacts, develop friendships and to intimate relationships. Men have to prove themselves more then women.








4.
Myth 7: "Some Languages Are Harder Than Others" by Lars-Gunnar Anderson

I wish that I could have learnt more languages when I was young. While studying the language acquisition module I found out that it is much easier to acquire a language when a person is young.
After the age of 13 it is much harder to learn a new language (according to the Critical Age Hypothesis)

The chapter says that one language cannot be easier or harder to learn than others. The author claims that when languages are related a person can learn the language sooner. Therefore a Swedish person can learn Norwegian easier than for example a person from Poland. This statement sounds agreeable to me, Languages which are familiar to the mother tongue of the speaker are easier to learn.

I don't agree with the author on the fact that all languages are equally difficult. I do believe that some languages are harder than others. I don't see myself speaking a Koishan language. I don't believe it is possible to learn to speak 78 different clicks if you are not used to speak in this way. This is why I think some languages are truly more difficult than others.

5.
Myth 8: "Children Can't Speak Or Write Properly Any more" by James Milroy

This chapter proves one thing: People always believe that things were better in the old days.
Milroy proves the myth wrong by giving proof that children can speak the language just as well as the previous generations and read and write it even better.
For example, in 1850 in England and in Wales, 31% of the bridegrooms and 46% of the brides could not write their names in the marriage register. This is evidence which proves that the literacy standards haven't declined.

I believe that language is constant changing. The way young people talk nowadays is completely different than fifty years ago. This does not mean that children can't speak properly any more.  The use of main-stream slang and the integration of different cultures has changed the English language. The use of internet- slang has changed the way children write. The way young people read has changed dramatically for they are used to read short messages on their smart phones and computers.

This does not mean that the literacy standards have declined. Children are just adapting to the new way of language. This is something that scares people who are used to use language in a different way. I think this is the reason for people to believe that children can't speak or write properly any more.

6.
Myth 9: "In The Appalachians They Speak Like Shakespeare" by Michael Montgomery.
This myth is about one of the hardier cultural beliefs in the collective American psyche, the use of "Elizabethan" or "Shakespearean" English in isolates places in  America. I agree it is a romantic myth.
A language which hasn't changed for a long time, spoken by people who are consistent in their use of it.
But, I am sceptic towards this myth. For me to believe that there are people who still speak English in such a way, is hard. I will believe such a myth if I were to hear it with my own ears.


7.
Myth 10: "Some Languages Have No Grammar" by Winifred Bauer.

The author of this chapter gives great examples to prove why a language always has grammar.
If a language has no rules, it wouldn't be possible to use it for communication. If there is, for example. no word order it is impossible to communicate. It would take forever to understand each other. A simple sentence as: "John said Pip hit the fence" can have 120 (!) possible word orders. It is just not possible for a language to have no grammar.  This chapter was very interesting to read.

8.
Myth 11: "Italian Is Beautiful, German Is Ugly" by Howard Giles and Nancy Niedsielsky

The authors of this chapter believe that "the beauty and ugliness of languages and dialects are built on cultural norms, pressures, and social connotations"  When I grew up I was always ashamed of the fact that I spoke Dutch with a Frisian accent. Whenever I was amongst people who only spoke Dutch, they would make fun of my accent. It made me feel ashamed to speak Frisian. But that feeling of shame disappeared when I grew up. Why would I be ashamed to have an accent when I speak Dutch? I am proud of the Frisian language! Even in Friesland there are five dialects in one language. When I am in a different area of Friesland, I hear people speak a different Frisian then I do. I like my own dialect the best, and they think theirs is the best. They will say that my Frisian is ugly! So I agree with the believe that language is built on cultural norms, pressures and social connotations


9.
Myth 13: "Black Children Are Verbally Deprived" by Walt Wolfram

This myth is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. The author says that myths about language inadequacy are like a Jack-in-the-box, always springing back op. It is just racial prejudice based on the believe that one cultural group is inferior to the other.

10.
Myth 14: "Double Negatives are Illogical" by Jenny Cheshire

The use of double negatives is a grammatical use which is very irritating to most people. They say it is illogical because when you use two negatives in a sentence, they cancel each other out, making it in fact a positive sentence.  But language is not maths, so the rule double negative is positive should not be applied.
This is the reason why double negatives, are, very definitely, not illogical.

11.
Myth 15: "TV Makes People Sound The Same" by J.K Chambers

J.K Chambers discusses the myth that says TV makes people sound the same. Language change is inevitable and we are often forced to admit that the motivation for a change is unclear.
There are people who assume that the main reason for this change in language must be TV, for the mass amount of people it reaches. Chambers gives examples to prove that TV does have influence on vocabulary changes, but not on the way we speak in terms of sounds, dialects and grammar.
TV makes people use catchphrases like "Ya ba da ba dooo" (Flinstones) . The author points out that TV provides us with these catchphrases, but the reason they stay so well known is through interaction with others. Catchphrases will be popular for a long time, but can be easily replaced by another popular phrase.
I don't believe that TV makes all people sound the same. I know from experience how hard it is to acquire a good English accent. It takes a lot of time and effort to acquire it. I wish this myth was true! I would be in front of the TV the whole time!

12.
Myth 17: "They Speak Really Bad English Down South and in New York City" by Dennis .R. Preston

Professional linguistics are happy with the idea that some varieties of a language are more standard than others; that is a product of social facts, and they believe every region in America has it's own standard variety.  The problem with this variety is that real people (not professional linguists) think that some regional varieties are more standard than others and that some regional varieties are far from standard. This is where the myth comes in; People from the South and New York City cannot speak correct English. There dialects are simply associated with the features assigned to it's residents. All Southerners  are rural, backward and uneducated and New Yorkers are brash, boorish, criminal and violent. Language linguistics know that language variety does not correlate with intelligence or competence and this proves that this myth is based on prejudice and the fact that every region believes that there variety is the best.


13.
Myth 18: "Some Languages are Spoken More Quickly than Others" by Peter Roach 

In term of sounds per second or syllables per second there is no difference between languages. This brings the question; Why do people believe that some languages are spoken faster that others? This myth is based on the illusion that some languages and dialects just sound faster or slower to people. Social factors also have a big influence on the speed of the spoken word and is therefore the most plausible explanation to this myth since research fails in proving this myth to be true.

14.
Myth 20: "Everyone Has an Accent Except Me" by John.H.Esling
Everyone has an accent. Accent defines and communicates who we are. It tells everything about a person. Where someone was born and raised, what gender they are and for example, if they are feeling well or ill at the moment of speak. This all can be perceived with our ears. I know what it is to have a different accent.
Because I am bilingual, I have a strong accent when I speak the Dutch language. Though I am a native speaker of Dutch, my mother tongue Frisian makes me sound different when I speak it. I work in Emmeloord and my colleagues think I sound really weird. I am used to this. I am not aware of the fact that I sound different then my colleagues. This is the way I have always spoken and it serves the most important part of language, communication. I don't feel an outsider just because I have a different accent, I am actually very proud of it.

15.
Myth 21: "America is Ruining the English Language" by John Algeo

For more than 200 years, right up through Prince Charles, people have complained that Americans trash the English language. But is it corruption — or simply normal change? The idea that language will never change is an illusion. Both British and American English have changed and will continue to change over time.
British and American English started to become different when English speaker first set foot on American soil. British colonists found new things which they had no words for. So, is America really ruining the English language? Only if you believe that change is ruin. I believe a language should evolve but evolving needs boundaries. The language should always keep it's identity.