Dialectical Notebook: Bryson

Before You Read:

Technology such as texting, facebook, twitter, etc has defined who we are as a generation. Much of how we speak to each other is through the use of typing/writing a message. It is not always grammatically correct, mainly because our generation doesn't seem to have much patience anymore. We abbreviate words such as with by typing w/. Typing two more letters might take literally one second, but we don't seem to have the time anymore. We are all about making things faster and easier. Many times, texts can be very misleading because often times punctuation is left out, which leaves the message to be interpreted in many different ways. We use new words such as "lol", "omw", "brb" etc. 

Summary:

In the article, "Good English and Bad", by Bill Bryson, he talks about the "laws" of the English language. Bryson explains how the English language is based off of Latin, but at the same time, the two are very different. Bryson also discusses how many authorities in the field of English have established their opinions on what sounds best when writing/speaking, and that these opinions have developed into rules that we follow today. Bryson basically describes the ongoing struggle of what is "Good English" and what is "Bad English". Even today, authorities in the field argue over what is correct and incorrect.

Synthesis:

I related this article to the article by Dawkins that I just read. Dawkins explains how there is really no right or wrong way to use punctuation, but that it is used to express and emphasize what the writer is trying to say. Dawkins' article is similar to Bryson because they both talk of "rules" of the English language, and that the only reason that they are rules is because it was an idea that kept getting passed down. Bryson's article is also similar to Porter, mainly because Porter believes that rules should be enforced, but it shouldn't constrict the ideas of the writer. Basically, the writer should simply be able to write without having to worry about whether he/she is doing it correctly.

Response	Quotation
This quote shows how English rules can be very confusing for those learning the language. A word that can be used as a noun and a verb is very common in the English language, but in other languages, there is typically a separate word. This shows the complexity of the English language, which was Bryson was trying to depict to the reader.	“In the sentence “I am suffering terribly” suffering is a verb, but in “My suffering is terrible,” it is a noun” (Bryson 61).
Bryson says this so that the reader can understand why the rules and words of English can be so complex. He goes on to relate it by saying it is like applying football rules to baseball. Since English is based off of Latin, it makes it difficult to translate meanings and technical writing.	“English grammar is so complex and confusing for the one very simple reason that its rules and terminology are based on Latin—a language with which it has precious little in common” (Bryson 62).
This quote describes how little basis the English language actually has. That there are really no rules, just opinions that people have decided to go along with and call “rules”. It is a language taught off of previous teachings.	“Who sets down all those rules that we all know about from childhood”… “The answer, surprisingly often, is that no one does, that when you look at the background of these “rules” there is often little basis for them” (Bryson 64).
This is the main idea that Bryson tries to portray in his article. He is trying to explain to the reader that the rules of English language have developed over time off of suggestions from academies, writers, authoritarians, etc.	“Within a hundred years this had been converted from a piece of questionable advice into an immutable rule” (Bryson 65).
The passing down from generation to generation concept is very important in the English language. We have rules because we have learned them from teachers, who have learned them from their teachers and so on. It is a very interesting idea that Bryson brings up and helps convey his idea, that English doesn’t really have a basis.	No doubt the reason hopefully is not allowed is that somebody at The New York Times once had a boss who wouldn’t allow it because his professor had forbidden it, because his father thought it was ugly and inelegant, because he had been told so by his uncle who was a man of great learning… and so on” (Bryson 65).

Thoughts:

I really agree with this article. Bryson does a very great job on portraying the aspects of how the English language can be very confusing. The reading was very easy and interesting. Bryson's article did a good job of showing how the English "rules" have developed through centuries of it being passed down and opinions of English authorities.