Wednesday, February 05, 2014

Socio-what?

I read that an English lecturer at Nottingham University has got into hot water by posting disparaging remarks about his students on Facebook. Apparently he teaches sociolinguistics.

As it happens I graduated from Nottingham many years ago, with a degree in English, but try as I may I cannot recall any mention of socio-whatsits.

I am pretty relieved not to have been subjected to it (them?). I had enough trouble getting my head round extrinsic metacriticism.

I had one lecturer whose words I  attempted to take down verbatim. I only got a shortish paragraph, but I took it back to my room, and sat down to read it. "Hang on" thought I. "English is my first language and I even have an 'A' level in it, but I cannot for the life of me work out what this means". So I put it down to Emperor's Suit of Clothes  syndrome and went for a beer.

Perhaps that is why I only got a modest degree (and have enjoyed beer ever since).

9 comments:

  1. My daughter is studying linguistics and I learn, indirectly, quite a lot from her about it. As one who is both active in the law and can speak a couple of foreign languages - English being my native language, despite my typing - sociolinguistics does have a certain relevance to the practise of law.

    Firstly, understanding what people mean when they speak, as misunderstanding due to class (yes, it's alive and kicking in England), social and regional differences is important. Without a certain understanding and empathy it's very easy to misread someone's intentions, which is not the same thing as giving them an easy ride.

    Secondly, the analysis of language use in the assessment of certain psychological conditions, in particular Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a subject of serious study and application. In a legal context, particularly in the "crime and punishment, and hopefully rehabilitation" approach to the law, having an understanding of this, or at taking people who do understand it seriously is, I would suggest, a requirement of the job.

    Things have changed since I first graduated as well! One of which is that I now learn an awful lot from people who are much younger than me - including my impressive children.

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    1. I once had an interesting chat with a seasoned barrister about the language to use in court, where it is vital to be understood. Pomposity is the heffalump trap that awaits anyone who speaks in a court. We agreed on "Adopt the demotic, but eschew the vulgar".

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  2. More importantly can you remember where did the beer took place ? Yates Wine Lodge perhaps, The Olde Trip to Jerusalem or the Uni bar ?

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  3. The Old Trip was mostly tourists in those days, and Yates' could be a bit rough - one night my pal and I were told by a very large Irishman that "You're taking up too much room" which we took as a clear hint to find a different pub. So it was probably the Buttery in the Union building where bitter was 1s 10d a pint (that's 9p to you kids).

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  4. Then there are the customers who have TWO copies of Gone with the Wind.
    Or how else do you explain Two Rhetts? ;-)

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    1. How dare you! (Assumes Frankie Howerd face)

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  5. Anti-social behaviour in the Market Square was discouraged in those days by the presence of PC Tug Wilson standing outside Yates'. As he stood 7 ft tall in his helmet, he tended not to be subject to the sort of abuse that nowadays is all too often direct at police officers.

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    1. By mentioning his hight you appear to be suggesting that he didn't get abused because he was physically intimidating, if this is the case why do you feel it is acceptable for innocent members of the public to feel intimidated by a police officer?

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  6. When I was at university we had a series of lectures on the nature of proof given by the professors of the various faculties. We scientists were completely baffled by the English professor. He was clearly speaking English but we had no idea what he was talking about. We understood the individual words but they were used in a very different way.

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