Individual Presentation or Panel Title
The Words Escape Me: An Examination of Attributed Performance in Modern English
Abstract
The purpose of this project is to examine how the English language is spoken in such a way as to perform action outside of the words’ original meanings. The project will examine several popular examples as well as numerous random examples of the humorous ways the English language takes on new meaning, how the language removes itself from its original meaning, and how it comes to imply something wholly different from its rudimentary intent. Examples will draw from linguistic situations where language is displayed as though the words themselves are capable of taking on life, performing action, and attributing meaning. The project will furthermore examine how the modern English language might be viewed as its own living entity, capable of creating and performing its own meaning without the necessity of a human vessel. The project will also touch on the resulting importance of a vehicle for spoken words and the implication for the independent performance of the modern English language as implied by this research.
Location
Janney Lounge
Start Date
3-5-2014 2:30 PM
End Date
3-5-2014 3:20 PM
The Words Escape Me: An Examination of Attributed Performance in Modern English
Janney Lounge
The purpose of this project is to examine how the English language is spoken in such a way as to perform action outside of the words’ original meanings. The project will examine several popular examples as well as numerous random examples of the humorous ways the English language takes on new meaning, how the language removes itself from its original meaning, and how it comes to imply something wholly different from its rudimentary intent. Examples will draw from linguistic situations where language is displayed as though the words themselves are capable of taking on life, performing action, and attributing meaning. The project will furthermore examine how the modern English language might be viewed as its own living entity, capable of creating and performing its own meaning without the necessity of a human vessel. The project will also touch on the resulting importance of a vehicle for spoken words and the implication for the independent performance of the modern English language as implied by this research.