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| "Spat on the terrace" by Klavdy Lebedev (1852-1916) |
Given that it is the "deep structure" of language, or the meaning of an utterance, that we remember longest, why do you think we attribute so much importance to the form in which something is communicated (and many would say this is especially true with regard to written communication in an academic context)?
Have you ever had an experience in which someone's concern with surface structure has overridden their concern with deep structure? Alternatively, or additionally, have you had an experience in which someone attributed more importance to the way something was said than they did to the intended meaning (in a disagreement, for example)?
On October 23rd 2010. I cheered in the pouring rain at a football game. Cold, hungry, and covered in mud I was not a happy camper. This just so happened to be my 16th birthday. I said, "This is the worst birthday ever." My dad flipped his chips on me. He went absolutely mad. It was a big mess and I did not understand why. The reason he was so mad was because he had planned a huge surprise party for me the next day. When I said "This is the worst birthday ever." I specifically meant the day of October 23rd. He took it as the worst birthday holiday and it offended him even though I was still clueless about the surprise party the following day.
ReplyDeleteMorgan Hicks
Wanting to grasp the attention of others, we attribute an immense importance to the form of communication we utilize. In a world that moves so quickly from one idea to the next, one has to attain attention before expressing the deeper meaning. People are more willing to listen to propositions from intellectuals. For example, there is the stigma of the southern accent. Many people view it as uneducated and inexperienced. This hurts individuals as they run for office in politics or as they interview for a job. Consider an interview: would you rather hire someone who shows up in a ratty t-shirt and jeans, or would you be more inclined to hire the nice-looking individual who comes in a clean suit? In both of these cases, we deny people a chance because of their initial appearance. The surface form holds significance, but only to a point. While the surface appearance may help to gain the immediate attention, the deeper meaning will hold the long-term attention.
ReplyDeleteDemonstrating how the surface structure can obtain the attention needed to explain deeper meaning, the ornate modifiers mentioned in chapter one enhances the desire to listen and understand the deep structure. In a way, the surface structure and the deep structure operate together. It is similar to the two consciences working together; the cognitive conscience works in the verbose day-to-day life analyzing what it can for the immediate need, while the subliminal unconscious sifts through the frilly surface to connect and find the deeper meaning.
Personally, I have witnessed someone placing surface structure over deep structure. Many times I have attended my brother’s grade school and middle school basketball games. Both on his team and on other teams, I have watched as the “hot-shot” dominates the game. This child is a good player, usually having developed his skills earlier than the rest of his team. One finds that he plays most of the game, typically showing off as he does so. He puts himself, how he appears, and how he plays ahead of the team. In this case the deep structure is the team: working together, helping each other to improve, and creating the dynamics that will make the team go far. But one person can be overridden with the initial surface structure of his talent, rather than the future of the team’s talent and camaraderie that could develop together.
I feel like we put so much importance on how we say certain things because we ourselves want to sound intelligent or sound a certain way. Even though people only pay attention to the context of what we said, our thought process thinks about what words to use in order to get our point across. I also think others do not take into account so much of what we say because once people hear something, they organize it in their own mind in a way that is easier to understand for themselves, at least I catch myself doing this.
ReplyDeleteChelsi Norris
I believe that depending on whom you are speaking to, you want to sound a certain way. If you are talking to someone that you need to make an impression on, you would try to make yourself sound educated and like you know exactly what you are talking about, whatever the subject might be. When talking to adults, you tend to make yourself sound more mature and generally very polite. When with friends, you take on the role of the person they all know and love, whether that is funny, sarcastic, nice, etc. We do these things because according to Dr. Mlodinow, we know that after the conversation is over, more than likely no one will remember the exact phrases we utter, but they will remember the gist of what was said and the tone of the conversation.
ReplyDeleteMy mom is always the first to point out when we are in an argument, "it's not what you say, it's how you say it." She always tells me that I am not a physically threatening person by any means, but my words can cut down to the core. It is not that I necessarily use incredibly harsh words when fighting, but it is the way I deliver it. I would not say that this is one of my best attributes, but it is something I have to take into consideration when I get angry. This is one way in which I personally know that people can attribute more importance to the way something is expressed rather than the words actually used.
Emma Rolin
I really like Chelsi's comment that surface structure isn't always deemed as important because our minds will change the words to help us understand what the person was meaning. There have been several times where I've incorrectly heard something because my mind was focusing on understanding what the words meant rather than what they were.
ReplyDeleteThe main situation I can think of where surface structure dominated meaning would be in drama. When you have a script, you know the meaning that the author is trying to get across, but it's more about how you relay it to the audience. "It's not what you say, it's how you say it" as Emma quoted. I constantly was reprimanded by my drama teacher about the way I was saying my lines because there was always something about how I was relaying it that made the meaning change. That is the main situation I can think of to that question.
In my high school English class, I had the same teacher for two years. She taught very hard and pushed for grammar skills and sentence structure and using a plethora of vocabulary words. However, as an AP student it was more important and better prep for our test to be focused on having quality content. Although it is important to properly write and communication through the written word, I believe the more important matter comes from the "deep structure". As humans, we socialize and communicate a lot through mutual feelings and common beliefs. If we were unable to understand those areas, then the communication would be lost. It is like texting of today; obviously it is not proper grammar, structure, organization, or anything else taught to us in an English class. However, through continual practice in that language, we have developed a "deep structure" from it. That development has enabled us to understand each other through that style of communication, even though it is completely distorted from the written style of our parents.
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