Linguistics is not a formal topic of this group. But, many seem to have an interest in it. I got 'bitten by the bug' as I had one high school teacher who could (and did) read Beowulf in something close to the original and one whose master's degree was in Indo-European. I'm mentoring/tutoring a bright under performing 14 yro boy. The current focus is reading practice. Currently using _The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe_ by C.S. Lewis (a *very* British author). As he is of the Ozarks (sw Missouri), I attempted to explain idiom(s). He picked up on possible relationship of "idiom" to "idiot". That got me into attempting to explain/define linguistics in < 15 minutes ;] I know that I could Google for a(ny) particular linguistic point. HOWEVER, I'm looking for resources (WEB or printed) that might intrigue him to go further. OK,so I *AM* a lifelong bachelor in over his head ;} Side note to Jerry Avins -- yes the same kid :)
[VERY OT ;] Introducing linguistics to middle school students (~14 yro)
Started by ●January 29, 2006
Reply by ●January 29, 20062006-01-29
Richard Owlett wrote:> Linguistics is not a formal topic of this group. But, many seem to have > an interest in it. I got 'bitten by the bug' as I had one high school > teacher who could (and did) read Beowulf in something close to the > original and one whose master's degree was in Indo-European. > > I'm mentoring/tutoring a bright under performing 14 yro boy. The current > focus is reading practice. Currently using _The Lion, The Witch, and The > Wardrobe_ by C.S. Lewis (a *very* British author). As he is of the > Ozarks (sw Missouri), I attempted to explain idiom(s). He picked up on > possible relationship of "idiom" to "idiot". That got me into attempting > to explain/define linguistics in < 15 minutes ;] > > I know that I could Google for a(ny) particular linguistic point. > > HOWEVER, I'm looking for resources (WEB or printed) that might intrigueWhat are you after, etymology? Many dictionaries are fair, and the book "Origins" by Eric Partridge goes a long way. Novels that would appeal to me far more than far more than C.S. Lewis's Narnia series are C.S. Forester's Hornblower series. (They made movies out of some of them too.) There's a lot in Hornblower for fact freaks like Ryan and me. I learned how to run a square rigger by absorbing the details. (I pretended to be experienced on one occasion and no one was the wiser. You should have seen me scrambling up the ratlines as if I'd done it before.) Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
Reply by ●January 29, 20062006-01-29
Richard Owlett wrote: > Linguistics is not a formal topic of this group. But, many seem to have an interest in it. I got 'bitten by the bug' as I had one high school teacher who could (and did) read Beowulf in something close to the original and one whose master's degree was in Indo-European. > > I'm mentoring/tutoring a bright under performing 14 yro boy. The current focus is reading practice. Currently using _The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe_ by C.S. Lewis (a *very* British author). As he is of the Ozarks (sw Missouri), I attempted to explain idiom(s). He picked up on possible relationship of "idiom" to "idiot". That got me into attempting to explain/define linguistics in < 15 minutes ;] > > I know that I could Google for a(ny) particular linguistic point. > > HOWEVER, I'm looking for resources (WEB or printed) that might intrigue What are you after, etymology? Many dictionaries are fair, and the book "Origins" by Eric Partridge goes a long way. Novels that would appeal to me far more than C.S. Lewis's Narnia series are C.S. Forester's Hornblower series. (They made movies out of some of them too.) There's a lot in Hornblower for fact freaks like Ryan and me. I learned how to run a square rigger by absorbing the details. (I pretended to be experienced on one occasion and no one was the wiser. You should have seen me scrambling up the ratlines as if I'd done it before.) Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
Reply by ●January 29, 20062006-01-29
Jerry Avins wrote:> Richard Owlett wrote: > >> Linguistics is not a formal topic of this group. But, many seem to >> have an interest in it. I got 'bitten by the bug' as I had one high >> school teacher who could (and did) read Beowulf in something close to >> the original and one whose master's degree was in Indo-European. >> >> I'm mentoring/tutoring a bright under performing 14 yro boy. The >> current focus is reading practice. Currently using _The Lion, The >> Witch, and The Wardrobe_ by C.S. Lewis (a *very* British author). As >> he is of the Ozarks (sw Missouri), I attempted to explain idiom(s). He >> picked up on possible relationship of "idiom" to "idiot". That got me >> into attempting to explain/define linguistics in < 15 minutes ;] >> >> I know that I could Google for a(ny) particular linguistic point. >> >> HOWEVER, I'm looking for resources (WEB or printed) that might intrigue > > > What are you after, etymology? Many dictionaries are fair, and the book > "Origins" by Eric Partridge goes a long way.I'm thinking in a different direction. I'm looking "linguistics" equivalent of _One Two Three Infinity_ , _Mathematics for the Millions_ or Asimov's science fact books which left me asking for more.> > Novels that would appeal to me far more than far more than C.S. Lewis's > Narnia series are C.S. Forester's Hornblower series. (They made movies > out of some of them too.) There's a lot in Hornblower for fact freaks > like Ryan and me. I learned how to run a square rigger by absorbing the > details. (I pretended to be experienced on one occasion and no one was > the wiser. You should have seen me scrambling up the ratlines as if I'd > done it before.) > > JerryMy junior high librarian introduced me to the series. She thought I should read something besides science fiction ;} I found I liked it for the same reasons I liked sci-fi. Last semester I was working with him on math - was way behind. This semester I asked him what he wanted help with. He said "Reading." The publicity push for the movie was on and he would babble on about it. So I thought the Narnia series night get and keep his interest. It did. It has. He's even asking me to get the rest of the series for him. He's discovering that reading is for enjoyment as well as for school.
Reply by ●January 30, 20062006-01-30
Richard Owlett wrote:> Linguistics is not a formal topic of this group. But, many seem to have > an interest in it. I got 'bitten by the bug' as I had one high school > teacher who could (and did) read Beowulf in something close to the > original and one whose master's degree was in Indo-European. > > I'm mentoring/tutoring a bright under performing 14 yro boy. The current > focus is reading practice. Currently using _The Lion, The Witch, and The > Wardrobe_ by C.S. Lewis (a *very* British author). As he is of the > Ozarks (sw Missouri), I attempted to explain idiom(s). He picked up on > possible relationship of "idiom" to "idiot". That got me into attempting > to explain/define linguistics in < 15 minutes ;] > > I know that I could Google for a(ny) particular linguistic point. > > HOWEVER, I'm looking for resources (WEB or printed) that might intrigue > him to go further. > > OK,so I *AM* a lifelong bachelor in over his head ;}Probably not what you are looking for but I found this book interesting: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1575861380/qid=1138619655/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/104-6542957-1819163?n=507846&s=books&v=glance Somewhere on page 2 the author discusses the difference between oral communication and playing with a parrot. Just to get good, small books in order let the guy read for fun while not overworking himslef, what about "The old man and the sea" by Hemingway and Steinbeck's "Of mice and men"? Rune
Reply by ●January 30, 20062006-01-30
Rune Allnor wrote: ..> Just to get good, small books in order let the guy read for fun while > not > overworking himslef, what about "The old man and the sea" by Hemingway > and Steinbeck's "Of mice and men"? > > Rune >And also Alice Through the Looking-glass etc; and especially Jabberwocky, with the associated explanations! Richard Dobson
Reply by ●January 30, 20062006-01-30
Richard Owlett wrote:> Linguistics is not a formal topic of this group. But, many seem to have > an interest in it. I got 'bitten by the bug' as I had one high school > teacher who could (and did) read Beowulf in something close to the > original and one whose master's degree was in Indo-European. > > I'm mentoring/tutoring a bright under performing 14 yro boy. The current > focus is reading practice. Currently using _The Lion, The Witch, and The > Wardrobe_ by C.S. Lewis (a *very* British author). As he is of the > Ozarks (sw Missouri), I attempted to explain idiom(s). He picked up on > possible relationship of "idiom" to "idiot". That got me into attempting > to explain/define linguistics in < 15 minutes ;] > > I know that I could Google for a(ny) particular linguistic point. > > HOWEVER, I'm looking for resources (WEB or printed) that might intrigue > him to go further. > > OK,so I *AM* a lifelong bachelor in over his head ;} > > Side note to Jerry Avins -- yes the same kid :)How about teaching him Latin? :-) It would give him a peek "under the hood" in how languages work and would certainly sharpen his English skills as a consequence -- both moreso than studying, say, French or Spanish would (at least for English speakers). The study of Latin is also chock-full of technical details (the kind that this kid would probably eat up) that simultaneously help one to understand why Latin is dead and demonstrate why its precision made it the language of choice for philosophers, scholars, and scientists for so long after it had died. Cheers! --M
Reply by ●January 30, 20062006-01-30
Rune Allnor wrote:> Richard Owlett wrote: > >>Linguistics is not a formal topic of this group. But, many seem to have >>an interest in it. I got 'bitten by the bug' as I had one high school >>teacher who could (and did) read Beowulf in something close to the >>original and one whose master's degree was in Indo-European. >> >>I'm mentoring/tutoring a bright under performing 14 yro boy. The current >>focus is reading practice. Currently using _The Lion, The Witch, and The >>Wardrobe_ by C.S. Lewis (a *very* British author). As he is of the >>Ozarks (sw Missouri), I attempted to explain idiom(s). He picked up on >>possible relationship of "idiom" to "idiot". That got me into attempting >>to explain/define linguistics in < 15 minutes ;] >> >>I know that I could Google for a(ny) particular linguistic point. >> >>HOWEVER, I'm looking for resources (WEB or printed) that might intrigue >>him to go further. >> >>OK,so I *AM* a lifelong bachelor in over his head ;} > > > Probably not what you are looking for but I found this book > interesting: > > http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1575861380/qid=1138619655/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/104-6542957-1819163?n=507846&s=books&v=glance > > Somewhere on page 2 the author discusses the difference between oral > communication and playing with a parrot.I read Amazon precis and 1st review that came up in a Google search (looking for ISBN). I think I will find it fascinating and will do inter-library loan request for it. *HOWEVER* ;[ I was looking for references accessible by an underachieving 7th grade reader who asks insightful questions that I CAN NOT answer. [ have pity, I *AM* a lifelong bachelor ;]> > Just to get good, small books in order let the guy read for fun while > not overworking himslef, what about "The old man and the sea" by> Hemingway and Steinbeck's "Of mice and men"? For a 14 year old who has not really discovered reading is enjoyable? I came across them in college and had a DEFINITE *blah* reaction. A co-worker got me thinking about "Hardy Boys" and "Tom Swift" (junior and senior ;)> > Rune >
Reply by ●January 30, 20062006-01-30
mlimber wrote:> Richard Owlett wrote: > >>Linguistics is not a formal topic of this group. But, many seem to have >>an interest in it. I got 'bitten by the bug' as I had one high school >>teacher who could (and did) read Beowulf in something close to the >>original and one whose master's degree was in Indo-European. >> >>I'm mentoring/tutoring a bright under performing 14 yro boy. The current >>focus is reading practice. Currently using _The Lion, The Witch, and The >>Wardrobe_ by C.S. Lewis (a *very* British author). As he is of the >>Ozarks (sw Missouri), I attempted to explain idiom(s). He picked up on >>possible relationship of "idiom" to "idiot". That got me into attempting >>to explain/define linguistics in < 15 minutes ;] >> >>I know that I could Google for a(ny) particular linguistic point. >> >>HOWEVER, I'm looking for resources (WEB or printed) that might intrigue >>him to go further. >> >>OK,so I *AM* a lifelong bachelor in over his head ;} >> >>Side note to Jerry Avins -- yes the same kid :) > > > How about teaching him Latin? :-) It would give him a peek "under the > hood" in how languages work and would certainly sharpen his English > skills as a consequence -- both moreso than studying, say, French or > Spanish would (at least for English speakers). The study of Latin is > also chock-full of technical details (the kind that this kid would > probably eat up) that simultaneously help one to understand why Latin > is dead and demonstrate why its precision made it the language of > choice for philosophers, scholars, and scientists for so long after it > had died. > > Cheers! --M >Oh do devious ( deviant? ) minds think alike. Part of discussion was trigger by me stating omnia gallia in tres partes divisa est puer parvus est veni vidi vici J'ai a pris le Francais a l'ecole secondaire ilya 40 ans. [I make absolutely no claim to correct spalling abive ;] Oh, I neglected to mention that we oft accused our Latin teacher of teaching us her mother tongue ;}
Reply by ●January 30, 20062006-01-30
Hello Richard,> > omnia gallia in tres partes divisa estA lot of folks in northern France seriously dispute that :-)> veni vidi viciThat's what Caesar's writers often uttered. They had to, else they'd be thrown into the lion's cage. That is one reason why I completely lost interest in Latin in school. When his armada got a terrible whooping or was afraid they'd get one his cronies wrote "ahem, the winds were not favorable so we couldn't sail". Plus it's a dead language. I never understood why they didn't allow us to learn Spanish instead. Nowadays it would have helped me, big time. Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com
