Degradation...

[kellashandra]

It's interesting that without any conscious motivation the language of a group coagulates at the lowest common denominator of vocabulary and sentence structure.  I was just reading an interview with a very intelligent poet friend of mine, and found myself wondering how the interviewer managed to transcribe the tapes!  He uses words that don't even

Comments

[casiphia]

I know who you're talking about! (I think.) What interview was this? What do you mean by the "lowest common denominator" in language? Is there a spectrum of language ranging from good to bad, or do people just speak differently depending on who they're speaking with? I agree a person's language is influenced by the group he's in, but I don't think it's either better or worse-- it's just different.

[joysophine]

Diction is fascinating stuff indeed. Every now and then I spend time with a friend of mine who speaks ridiculously formally and beautifully elegantly and I pick it up a bit, becomes something of a habit that stands out when with the everyday crowd.

Burning Man. Did you get my email? Exams are probably getting pretty crunchy, no rush. Love!