I’ve just learned from Stan Carey what a snowclone is. Geoffrey Pullum developed the concept on Language Log back in 2004, for a clichéd phrasal template that gets repeated in innumerable variants.

Geoffrey Pullum:
“I was looking at things like “In space, no one can hear you X”, where the customizability is that you get to choose the verb X, but the laziness is that you don’t have to do anything else, and just about everyone will know you are alluding to the poster slogan for Alien. The concept was named later by someone else, Glen Whitman, who chose “snowclone” because of the practice of cloning variants of my original example, a rather complex and ill-defined one: If the Eskimos have N words for snow, X have {even more / just as many / a similar number} for Y. “

Lazy, yes, but in fact we find snowclones – and snowcloning – very playful and amusing, I think. Just have a look at the collection in the Snowclones Database. It’s great thinking back to the origin of each snowclone and collecting variants. Here are my 20 favorites:

• X is the mother of Y
• X is the new Y
• This is your brain on X
• I (shape) X
• My kingdom for an X
• going to X like I’ve/we’ve never Xed before!
• X is the Y of Z
• The only good X is a dead X
• Whatever Xes your Y
• Got X?
• A few X short of a Y
• To X or not to X
• I am X, hear me Y
• have X, will travel
• Pimp my X
• The end of X as we know it
• X for Dummies
• Xgate (Pullum does not allow this, as it’s a lexical word-formation)
• Xcore (he would then also disallow this)

But this is ok:

• Men are from X/ Mars, women are from Y

And look what I stumbled across today:

I’m collecting … will be sorting … and would be grateful for any associations you may have … and for lists off the top of your head!

language, teaching | No Comments »

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Why do you write or blog? If you don’t write or blog, why not?

I finally called off my blog project yesterday after reading the Pew’s Report on teens not blogging and twittering. (Summary in Mashable) The reasons given for the lack of interest which I, too, have experienced in the group of people I approached are very interesting: A lack of something to say to fill a whole blog, and a lack of an arena of friends, and only friends, to say it in. Facebook serves those needs perfectly. For learning writing, it seems it takes a classic walled-in student-teacher setup, after all.

Still, motivation outside those walls is key, including my own motivation in carrying on with this blog, and it’s time to think that through today. Alice and I had a lovely e-conversation yesterday about writing, and I remember being very impressed by another Alice’s summary of what writing does to us as sentient beings.

In blogging, there is a dichotomy between the process and the product, between the blog as a way of thinking out loud and as a service to others. I tend to value process more in all areas of life – and the “process” nature of this blog may cost me standing among my blogging teacher colleagues – so I have instituted the discipline of rubrics to keep my original goal, writing for learners of English, firmly in focus. But process is what I like my students to focus on, so I think it’s ok to “live” that principle.

So why do I blog? It serves some need, doesn’t it? Is is narcissistic? Of course. Is it a clarifying meditation? When I’m honest, yes, or when I’m preparing a lesson or an article. When I’m trying to join a smart conversation just to be a part of it, no, and it feels gawdawful after I’ve pressed “send”. Is it self-promotion? Of course, though I’m quite good at shooting myself in the foot. Note to self: No comment. Is it still a part of my teaching? Frankly, I’m not so sure anymore. It’s not a “product” in the sense that a lesson is.

Why do I write online essays and exercises for learners? That’s a lot easier to answer. It’s fun work, producing products I believe in, and even if it’s less well paid for the time I spend on it than any other work I’ve done, including cleaning toilets, I love it. Which goes to show that money isn’t everything, but the job mix needs rethinking.

Here is SpokenVerse (who recites and uploads classic texts, refreshingly enough without spoken commetary) reading Charles Bukowski’s classic “So you want to be a writer?” Setting the bar very high, Bukowski was. SpokenVerse’s excellent commentary? “Don’t buy it. This is Charles Bukowski telling Charles Bukowski how to write like Charles Bukowski. He’s guilty himself of all those sins he’s admonishing you against as an aspiring writer.” Nice.

PS: Sorry, I’ve been editing this post for about an hour since I mistakenly published it prematurely.

bloggers, teaching | 10 Comments »

What do you say when you call out a warning? An essential phrase, don’t you think?

Now, Lily Munster (Yvonne DeCarlo) sings the southern traditional “He’s Gone Away”, which uses another phrasal verb, “look _____!”, which is completely useless outside the realm of songs like this one, and “Dixie”:

He’s Gone Away
traditional

He’s gone away
For to stay a little while,
But he’s coming back
If he goes 10,000 miles.
Oh who will tie my shoe
And who will comb my hair
And who will kiss
My ruby lips when he is gone.

Look ____! Look ____!
Over yonder.

Well brother will tie my shoe
And sister will comb my hair
And you will kiss my ruby lips
When you come home.

Look ____! Look ____!
Over yonder.

grammar guru | 1 Comment »

Grizzly Bear’s beautiful album Vekamtimest: The more I listen to it, the more it grows on me. For Shelly.

Language notes: Sometimes idioms in German and English are quite similar:

• to leave someone high and dry - jmd auf dem Trockenen sitzen lassen
• to wait something out – etwas aussitzen
• to make your way - sich durchsetzen, seinen Weg gehen; hier: weggehen
• to weigh on sth. - etw. belasten
• to beg for forgiveness – um Vergebung bitten/ betteln
  

And others, even very common ones, can hardly be translated:

• to make it all worthwhile – so das es sich lohnt

PS: Note on wait on and wait for in the comments below.

while you wait for the others
to make it all worthwhile
all your useless pretensions
are weighing on my time
you could beg for forgiveness
as long as you like
or just wait out the evening
and always ask me why
yes, you’ll only leave me dry
so I’ll ask you kindly to make your way

and what was left
the perfect cleft
we all fall through

while you wait on the answers
that I’ll pretend to find
keeping up with emotions
still occupies our time
you could hope for substance
as long as you like
or just wait out the evening
and always ask me why
yes, you’ll always ask me why
I’ll ask you kindly to make your way

and what was left
the perfect cleft
we all fall through

and all we want

we want what’s left

http://grizzly-bear.net
Video by Sean Pecknold: http://bygrandchildren.com/

song of the week englisch lernen mit liedern

songs | 4 Comments »

Alison Schulnik’s clown reminds me of the “Fool on the Hill”: “And the eyes in his head see the world spinning round.” Tired eyes. The music is Grizzly Bear, singing “Why don’t you do any dishes? I always clean up the kitchen fine.” I think this hobo clown needs a hug and a vacation.

short film | No Comments »

Is this ‘good’ or ‘bad’ English? Do you use it? If so, where and when and how? Do you think it’s ok if others use it?

McDonalds. Ad. On my blog. I know. Sorry. But hey.

I defended a traditional point of view here. Don’t miss Mike’s comment.

grammar guru | 9 Comments »

J.D.Salinger died yesterday.

“I’m not afraid to compete. It’s just the opposite. Don’t you see that? I’m afraid I will compete – that’s what scares me. That’s why I quit the Theater Department. Just because I’m so horribly conditioned to accept everybody else’s values, and just because I like applause and people to rave about me, doesn’t make it right. I’m ashamed of it. I’m sick of it. I’m sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody. I’m sick of myself and everybody else that wants to make some kind of a splash.”

– Franny, in Franny and Zooey, J.D. Salinger (1957)

Towards the end, as Franny and Zooey talk things through, Zooey tells her the only thing that counts is detachment. He says, the only thing you can do for God is to act. And he says: What could be prettier?

Not beautiful, pretty. Human-sized, Humanistic. Will do my best to be pretty today. And make this weekend, meeting family, a pretty one, too.

book review | 3 Comments »