To all involved in this dialog,
The issue, to me, is one of semantics. Words are markers and their
meanings are products of negotiation. How do we understand "all those
who do not shave themselves" or "everyone in the village who does not
shave himself'? Does the barber shave women who do not shave
themselves? Does "everyone/his" mean each and every one or just
those who are males? Does the barber shave little children and
babies? I would suggest that our understanding of the world, which
is part of what we must consider when negotiating meaning, tells us
that we are not involved in a logical proposition where holding the
author's feet to the candle of such reasoning might be called for.
Let me share with you a poem written by George Herbert. When I
present it to my classes, I write it on the board one line at a
time. I tell them that meaning moves from possibility, to
probability, to actuality. With each line, I ask what we know and
what we don't know and how each line affects our understanding of the
line that came before. After we finish poem, I present them with the
title. Below, I present it in its finished form. I hope it adds a
meaningful ingredient to your discussion. May it contribute to the
notion that we are writing from parallel universes, but may it also
leap across these parallels, making our discussion less tedious and
more compelling.
Upon a Child
Here a pretty baby lies,
Sung asleep by lullabies:
Prey be silent and not stir
Th'easy earth that covers her.
On Aug 27, 2006, at 9:19 AM, Jane Vinther wrote:
> Dear All
> I fully support Richard Veit's opinion.
> Jane Vinther
> University of Southern Denmark
>
> -----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
> Fra: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] På vegne af Veit, Richard
> Sendt: 27. august 2006 18:14
> Til: [log in to unmask]
> Emne: Re: Defining Traditional Grammar
>
> I cannot express how tedious I find this conversation. It is like
> listening to people in parallel universes talking past each other,
> with no prospect of achieving communication.
>
> Please, one and all, give it a rest. When someone says something
> over and over that you think is stupid, just let it go. Isn't it
> obvious by now that the prospect of making the other person think
> as you do is nil?
> Please give up too the idea that you must achieve victory in a debate.
>
> Can we please move on?
>
> ________________________
>
> Richard Veit
> Department of English, UNCW
>
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