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| The Diva Speaks: To Calvin, Upon His Graduation Back to The Family Diva Speaks |
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Listening to the radio the other day during the quick trip home after dropping off my Kindergartner, I heard about the latest source of anxiety and panic in US high schools: the new essay portion of the SAT. I immediately thought of two things: a recent message board thread in an online community that I occasion, and the fact that my first nephew will soon be graduating from high school and entering a prestigious journalism college.
The thread of friendly discourse among a group of mothers who tend toward the creative and brainy side was all about the extent to which some felt they are "grammar snobs." Several admitted proudly that they are, indeed, particular about where their words land on a page and in the spoken air. Naturally, they also admitted a bit more sheepishly that this means they also care about how well the words of others fit together as measured by this standard or that one. | |||
| As a woman who makes a living with words and as one who is frequently corrected by an English minor in the house, I felt that a comment from my corner may fit in the online discussion. After highly recommending the study of sociolinguistics to anyone who had any interest in how and which words are uttered by human beings, I offered up this chunk of wisdom, which I now offer to my soon-to-be journalist nephew:
The dumber I write, the more money I make. Sounds disgusting to some folks, I know. But the truth is simply that I used to write with such a high-falutin' (try looking that up at http://m-w.com) tone, I had a hard time making a living as a writer. "You write just beautifully," I'd hear from potential employers, "but I'm not sure our readers will really get what you're saying."
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Intro: The Family Diva Speaks Delusions of Youthful Grandeur The Case for War Silly Unwieldy Varmints (SUVs) Mama, What is Autumn? The (Northeastern) U.S. Standard My Oldest Friend All He Really Wants Holly's Legacy Enough Hate for Everyone For Calvin, Upon His Graduation A Reason for Being Subscribe to The Blueprint: Be first to hear what's new on HTMAF |
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It's called 'dumbing down' -- and no, it's nothing new. You've all heard of it, even you, Calboonie (I love being an Aunt -- I can get away with calling my nephew by his pet name in public.) And yes, there was a time when it made me feel hopeless, like the entire American civilization was poised perilously on the edge of collapse, sort of like I remember feeling during the late 80's - early 90's crack frenzy. 'We're all going to hell in a handbasket because nobody can understand well-written English.' Age is a wonderful tranquilizer. At some point, I reached the realization that most (I write with hope) adults reach, i.e., that they see finally there are few things that really matter in the end; that the human species is still capable of evolution; and that so many things, if not most, that we sometimes think of as catastrophic are really just temporal. My advice to Cal and anyone else heading off to college: This too shall pass. Here's what's important: In this day and age of "you'll never get anywhere without at least one college diploma," I still think that getting through the first twelve years of formal education is nothing short of a grand accomplishment for anyone. Even those folks who seemed to whiz through unchecked had to at least stick to it. Any of us could have bailed. There's likely no more valuable lesson learned from that first twelve years than the importance of perseverance, even if it's easy. Congratulations, Calboonie. I'm impressed, dude. |
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