Please comment on and correct on my writing

Raen — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:47:41 GMT

I don't know what I'd call it. Not an essay, there's no arguement techinically, just an opinion. I wrote it as a practice in writing racticing rather than voicing an opinion, although every bit of it is genuin. I had trouble deciding on the name for the subject matter, but this name, "Collocation, the adjective-noun part", is the best I could do. There must be a name for it, because it exists. Please review it, and correct for grammars and comment on the wording, style, conciseness, clarity ect.....I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

Form over substance:

for the eager and unsuspecting

Callocation, the adjective-noun part..beware of it.

It stands next to a phony foreign accent, the #1 suspect, in the lineup of "phoniness". Callocation is a by-product of the end result of one's learning of the language and becomes part of their voice. Assuming it and use it as your own is like picking up somebody's spit from his dinner, putting it in your mouth and chewing it so deliberately as if to convince the spewer how tasteful and delicious it is. That's just embarrassing, if not downright nasty. So before you drill the list of callocation into your already overwhelmed head and use it the next chance your have, think twice, it will betray you and tip you off.

What makes the hair on the back of my neck shoots up from its root more than anything else is when I hear my country fellowmen and women mimic a native speaker's personal property: the tone, the voice, ..and you've got it, the callocation! Using the expression like "a stunning beauty" time after time is annoying as if there's no other degree of beauty. That's for John, the native speaker next door, who uses it to describe any woman that breathes and happens to walk by. I rather you just say beauty and let me decide on what adjective to use to modify the noun based on the merit of the girl's beauty in question. In fact, I'd be more impressed if you say "a cucumber-white beauty", because that expression of originality conjures up in the brain of any Chinese a vivid image of a beautiful girl with smooth, clear and translucent white skin that we Chinese, men or women, obssess over ever so perversely. Show Originality, speak in your own voice, then I'll take you seriously when you want to tell me about the Angelina Jolie, I'll take you at your words that are your own. If I want to listen to John, I'd go talk to him myself.

As a foreigner, mimicking the fixed verbiage without reserve will stifle the little creativity you have left from learning the strigent rules of grammar. Your speech should not only convey your thoughts, your opinions, your views but also reflect your personality. Resist the temptation to speak LIKE a native, rather speak like an original with an accent (if you can't shake it, most of us can't) in your own voice. No matter how well you think you handle callocation, you're still copycatting it. You know it, I know it, even the cat standing and meowing next to you knows it, cats themselvies can smell a copycat right off the bat. So be original, be yourself. If you're still at the stage of mastering the skill of combining dependent clauses into one sentence, please do not say "crystal clear" or "stark contrast", simply "clear" and "contrast" would be sufficient for you.

Learning a foreign language is not about showing it off by using certain flashy verbiage that you drap over the substance of your speech, and how much you can sound like a native speaker using a borrowed voice. It is ultimately about learning to communicate, to tell people what you think, see, feel and hopefully in the process they understand who you are. Don't overlearn fixed verbiage such as callocation (the adjective-noun part), know it's there and that's that. Native speakers use it and sound awsome becaus they own it, it's their birth right.

Unless you're already there when callocation flows freely and naturally from your mouth to your speech, your thoughts to your text, deliberate and pre-mature use of it can be as hard on the ears as Modonna's British accent. So skim thru the list of callocation somebody kindly compiled, just so you know it's out there. But don't drill it, if you have to drill it into your head, it doesn't belong to you. If it doesn't belong to you, don't use it. Callocation will come to you in its own term, so haste not and be real. Rene Descartes said this famous wisdom: "I think, therefore I am." And I'd say, using my first neologism:

You phonify, then you are not.

Re: Is American English lazy English?

Brazilian clown — Sun, 11 May 2008 22:16:09 GMT

All I know is that British accent sounds better but surprisingly...however, I'd rather to speak the American one because words come out easier regarding the pronounciation..of course sometimes when I watch some American movies is unavoidable to dislike some colloquial expressions...some used by rappers, for instance..

Re: Have a question about British accent.

Guest — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 02:56:04 GMT

Someone earlier said that it was "impossible to get a british accent when you're american". Well personally, I'm Canadian and I've got quite a harsh british accent. Everytime I talk to someone new they ask me where I'm from in Britain. I do have a huge brit fetish and I've spent quite alot of time there as well as my fiance lives there but yeah, I don't reckon it's hard, you've just got to notice all the little words and expressions they say.

And yes, a brit trying to say "water" in the american way is utterly hilarious. First time I heard it I almost pissed myself laughing.

I think a brit accent (only southern or welsh) is absolutely lovely. Irish can be nice as well. Scottish is a bit harsh really but it can be cool. I find Cockney absolutely awful but Scousers are delightful, as I am a die hard Liverpool supporter anyway.

I find it so funny how the Americans look up to the English because they speak nicely. They've just got something called VOCABULARY! I don't mean to be rude or anything but most Americans I've met had quite a limited amount of words used in a conversation. Is it me or the Texan accent sounds sloppy and scruffy? My apologies to anyone from Texas btw.

Cheers for reading

Re: Two questions

CalifJim — Wed, 13 Oct 2004 04:00:20 GMT

Yes. I live in California, U.S. of A. I am a native speaker of American English.
I'm also familiar with British English but I do not speak with a British accent! The accent and some of the vocabulary and expressions (especially slang) are about the only things different between the two.

Search results for 'tag:Expressions tag:British accent' matching tags 'Expressions' and 'British accent'

Please comment on and correct on my writing

Re: Is American English lazy English?

Re: Have a question about British accent.

Re: Two questions