Linguistics Project Reflection

Reflecting on my first linguistics project, there were a multitude of things which I enjoyed as well as some aspects of the project which could have been improved or expanded upon.  The original idea for my project was to interview people about their difficulties concerning the English language -so whether it was a tricky word, a syntax issue, or something else of that nature- I wanted to dissect their individual issues and see how linguistics played a role.

However, as I began working on my project and trying to find volunteers that I could interview, I realized that my project concept was harder than it sounded.  So many of the people I had asked, either didn't have an issue speaking, didn't want to be on camera, or just didn't have any time to meet.  Looking back on my project execution, I would have loved to have done a video presentation, because I feel that videos are always a little more engaging and might have captivated the audience more. 

I do believe though that by creating and presenting an interactive website, with multiple pages to view and click on, was the next best thing to creating a video.  Overall, I had a fun time creating this format to present my project information and findings.  Everything from making design choices, like colors, backgrounds, fonts, etc., to doing one on one interviews with people (which made them and myself more relaxed), was a great experience.

Focusing now on things I would have changed: I would have loved to interview more people, with more diverse backgrounds/back-stories, also I would have loved to at least incorporate some videos into my project as well.  Lastly, I would have loved to include some linguistic diagrams or videos, which talked about the speech process and the speech organs responsible for the way we talk.  That information would have played a key role in explaining the methodology and connections between the interviewees and my findings.  But, in general the project was fun and I enjoyed learning real life cases where the study of linguistics plays a large role within people's everyday lives. 

Word Project

The word I chose for my project was porcelain


The Oxford English Dictionary


Porcelain, n. and adj.
Pronunciation:  Brit. /ˈpɔːsl̩ᵻn/ , /ˈpɔːs(ə)lᵻn/ , /ˈpɔːsl̩eɪn/ , /ˈpɔːs(ə)leɪn/ , U.S. /ˈpɔrs


Etymology:  < Middle French, French porcelaine, †pourcelaine, †porceline
a kind of univalve mollusc with a nacreous shell, the shell itself, (now spec.) a cowrie (1298 in Marco Polo), chinaware (also 1298 in Marco Polo), a vessel made of china (c1600), beads or shells used as currency, wampum (1620 or earlier as pourceline   in the source translated in quot. 1882 at sense A. 4), apparently < Italian porcellana  , denoting both the mollusc and the ceramic material (although this is apparently first attested later (14th cent. in both senses in the Italian version of Marco Polo)), probably < porcella   female piglet, a young sow (a1400; see below) + -ana  , feminine of -ano  -an suffix, perhaps after ancient Greek χοιρίνη   small sea-mussel < χοῖρος   pig, also female genitals (see cherogril n.) + -ίνη   (see -ine suffix³). Italian porcella   is < porca   sow (a1342), feminine of porco  pork n.¹   + -ella  -ella suffix; compare porca, porcella cockle or mussel shell in which painters put their colours (1611 in apparently isolated use), porcelletta shellfish (a1488), and also porcello (male) piglet, pig (1272). Compare ( < Italian) post-classical Latin porcellana (a1540; 1622, 1626 in British sources; a1250 in a British source denoting a cowrie shell), Spanish porcelana (1495 or earlier), Catalan porcellana (14th cent.), Portuguese porcelana (15th cent. as porçelana, porçellãa), German Porzellan (1477 as porzelane in a translation of Marco Polo); also Dutch porselein (1596; < French), Swedish porslin (1640 as perselin in Perselin-faat), Danish porcelæn.

The ceramic material was apparently so named on account of the resemblance of its translucent surface to the nacreous shell of the mollusc. From at least the mid 16th cent. a popular explanation was current (cited e.g. 1557 in Scaliger ) according to which there was a glaze on chinaware that was actually made from these shells, but it is uncertain whether this dates back to the original naming of the ceramic material or whether it shows a later rationalization. (The actual details of the process of making true porcelain were not known in Europe before the 18th cent.: see China n.¹ and adj. 2   and compare sense A. 1b.)

 

The cowrie was probably originally so named on account of the resemblance of the fissure of its shell to a vulva (it is unclear whether the reference is spec. to the vulva of a sow). Compare classical Latin porcus   female genitals (see portulaca n.) and perhaps compare also Italian porcile di Venere   female genitals (1598 in an apparently isolated attestation in this sense). For instances of an apparently similar motivation for naming such molluscs, compare Venus-shell n. at Venus n.¹ Compounds 2c, Cypraea n.   However, other explanations (that also assume the ultimate derivation of porcellana   cowrie < porco   pig) have been offered.

 

The word was apparently associated already in Italian and French with the name for plants of the genus Portulaca, which was homonymous with it (see purslane n.), and the two words probably continued to influence each other in English up to the 17th or 18th cent. (compare β forms and compare the β forms at purslane n.). However, it is uncertain whether these two words are ultimately related (see portulaca n.). (Derivation from Italian porcellana   purslane (see purslane n.) has, however, been suggested as an alternative etymology of the present word.)

 

With sense B. 1b   compare earlier to point Percy at the porcelain at Percy n. 3.

 

With porcelain blue adj. and n. at Compounds 1a   compare china-blue n. at China n.¹ and adj. Compounds 2b(a).

 A. n.

 1.

a. An impermeable translucent ceramic material made from china clay or kaolin, used originally for making vessels and later also for industrial objects, in dentistry, etc. Sometimes more generally: china, esp. when of fine quality. Also: chinaware made of such material.

b. A supposed natural plaster or paste from which porcelain was believed to form spontaneously by congealing.


c. fig. With reference to the fineness, fragility, etc., associated with porcelain


 2. An article or vessel made of porcelain; a piece of porcelain or chinaware. Usu. in pl. Now chiefly in specialist contexts.



 B. adj.

 1. 

a. Of porcelain; made of porcelain or china. Also: (of a bath, washbasin, etc.) coated in porcelain enamel.

 

b. humorous slang (orig. U.S.). Designating a lavatory; esp. in phrases referring to urination or the posture adopted by a person vomiting

Derivatives       

porcelainist   n. a maker or decorator of porcelain; a connoisseur or collector of porcelain items.

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Merriam-Webster Dictionary

porcelain noun por·ce·lain \ˈpȯr-s(ə-)lən\

a hard, white substance that is very delicate and that is made by baking clay

Origin of PORCELAIN

Middle French porcelaine cowrie shell, porcelain, from Italian porcellana, from porcello vulva, literally, little pig, from Latin porcellus, diminutive of porcus pig, vulva; from the shape of the shell — more at farrow

First Known Use: circa 1530

Medical/Scientific Definition of PORCELAIN

:  a hard, fine-grained, nonporous, and usually translucent and white ceramic ware that consists essentially of kaolin, quartz, and feldspar and that has many uses in dentistry

Linguistics Interview Project

My linguistics interview project can be found at: http://peachywriter32.wix.com/linguistics

Project Rubric

Class Project: Words, Language, and Their Tricky Pronunciation  

Due February 25-27

5-8 minute presentation

Concept and Execution:

I am looking at the difficulties people face concerning English and some of the words they struggle with the most.  From February 1 to the 21, I will interview 2 people a week for a total of 6 interviews, in which I will ask them a little bit about themselves, and then a word they have trouble pronouncing.  

The interviews will be a combination of regular Q&A, video, and some pictures.

Also I will be utilizing my linguistics blog, labyrinthoflanguage.blogspot.com, as the central forum where all the project information will be organized and presented. 

While examining the issues faced concerning language I will focus on:

• Pronunciation
• How we utilize our mouths and other speech organs
• Lastly (if it applies) how the individual’s native language or accent plays a role within their ability to pronounce certain words

Once we get to the word part of the interview, I will ask them the following questions:

• Why is the word so difficult for you to say?
• When did you first start noticing difficulties pronouncing the word?
• Do people normally correct you and how does that make you feel?
• Have you tried working on it or do you choose to kind of stay away from it?

Some of the people I have lined up for interviews are:

• Joseph Blockson (specific vs pacific)
• Hajar (ELS Student)
• Dr. Natalia Tapia (Ecuador accent)
• Myself (conscience, conscientious, conscientiousness)
• Individual with a speech impediment
• Plus 1 other person

Our Speech Organs at Work

While reading the section on Specialization for Language, I became very interested in the speech organs chart and it reminded me of a teacher I used to have in middle school.  Lets just say her name was Mrs. Teacher and she always liked having a quiet and organized classroom.  One day during a class activity, she told all her students that we were talking too loud and that we should try whispering instead.  After a few minutes of that, Mrs. Teacher was still dissatisfied with the noise level and asked us if anyone has ever told us how to whisper properly.  At this point, everyone was very confused and a little frightened, but Mrs. Teacher taught me something I'll never forget.

She told each of her students to rest their index finger and thumb on each side of their nose, near the bridge, where one's glasses would sit, and to talk.  When we did what she asked of us she said "Did you guys feel that?".  She was talking about the small vibrations we felt every time we said something.  Mrs. Teacher told us that when you whisper properly you shouldn't feel any vibrations coming from your nose, and if we did that meant
we were talking too loud.

Even though Mrs. Teacher was a little overbearing, she taught me an important idea, the concept that our bodies play an integral role in speech and that the creation of sounds and language is not just something random, but instead part of a biological process within ourselves.