This quote stuck out to me as well because it shows how language change is totally natural and unstoppable. Prof. Garley mentions the comparison between modern-day English and Shakespearean English, and that really made me think deeply about how vastly different the two are. The way we speak now is so far removed from how people communicated back then, and it proves the point that living languages are always shifting with how people actually use them. It also pushes back on prescriptive rules that try to hold onto outdated forms (like whom) even though most speakers don’t use them anymore. To me, it shows that change in language isn’t corruption, it’s proof that the language is very much alive and always adapting.

This quote resonated with me because it highlights the distinction between prescriptive and descriptive grammar. Prescriptive rules aren’t really about how language works, but more about social habits that people turned into “rules” over time, enforced by teachers, editors, and grammar books. The table manners comparison makes sense; just like elbows on the table doesn’t stop you from eating, breaking these grammar “rules” doesn’t necessarily stop language from working. It also made me think about how these rules are made up by people, which raises the bigger question of who really gets to decide what’s considered “proper” English. Is it people in higher social classes? And historically, has this “standard English” been tied to white, upper-class norms through what linguists call "standard language ideology"?

Hello, l'm looking forward to learning more about how I can deepen my understanding of grammar and syntax, as well as how it may apply to me, and help me improve as a journalist.

I.E. creating Linguistics which then creates Grammar overtime.

The different formations, pronunciations and overall structure of diverse languages all differ from one another in their own way. Which In turn, creates the diverse plethora of multicultural languages and multiculturalism that we see in our society today.

Verbal Language, Gestures and Body Language are considered different "mediums" or forms of expression for individuals to effectively communicate amongst one another.

A question that comes to mind where did other mediums of Language originate from? i.e. Sign Lang, etc.

When we say "Smattering" of Linguistics does it basically mean to have slight knowledge of Linguistics?

I relate to this because I've grown up in an interracial family. So, from the time I was born I was exposed to very different languages and dialects. My Mother and her side of the family are Polish and speak the language fluently. As I got older I was sent to Polish Sunday School where I learned the language more and learned and did basically the same things I would in my regular standard English elementary school. I retained a lot when I was there being that I only was around that language not only there but at home as well. Though, I left the school quite early I find myself being more able to understand the language rather than speak it. Which correlates to learning a language quite hard. I believe I read somewhere that our minds as we age does not retain the same capacity it did in comparison to when we were children. As we age our minds become less absorbent because we are not exercising that part of our brain as we should so in turn it dies.

I strongly agree with this because of how absorbent children's minds are from being an infant all the way up to the age of 8 or 9. Children only copy what they know. When discussing language and grammar this is strongly influenced by family/parental guardians first, then our peers as we begin to experience different interpersonal interactions and become our own individuals as we age. The quality and understanding in which an individual may speak stems from a plethora of things like socioeconomic status, quality of education being received, and more importantly conditioning which ties back into how children are so easily influenced by the things they observe us doing, i.e. the way we communicate and how we communicate with one another.

I find this part of the preface to be intriguing as well. I resonate with this point strongly because I was not always a good writer. I was a book worm growing up which I felt helped me a lot more with my writing than any of my teachers ever did. Although their feedback on my written responses were trivial they lacked substance and weren't any help in my understanding of how to grow better as a writer. The one thing I think helped me far more than my own English teachers was my Tutor.

I also think this particular part of the preface poses a question that most IF not all students that have had experiences taking the SAT or even the ACT remember the complex wording and structure of the test itself.

Question: Though standardized American English is the accepted & most represented form of the English language, why does the language more so on standardized testing & Common core testing tend to have the most complex version of the English Language? Is it the design of the exam? or is it the representation of the language through grammatical topics itself?

Test Annotation