I'll be writing a paper soon! Of course, I'll be writing about Bible translation. What exactly about it, though, I don't know yet. But I've already gone to the library to see what types of books are available. Here's an adapted version of some of the content from the annotated bibliography I'm turning in soon:
A collection of essays by Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion professor, Harry Orlinsky's “Essays in Biblical Culture and Bible Translation” is split into three parts, the third with the most importance: “Essays in Bible Translation.” Although these essays are written in a non-Christian perspective, the Christian Bible includes the Hebrew Bible includes as well, so what Orlinsky has to say is still very relevant. Orlinksy, writing in the 1970s, argues that new translations constantly need to be made, of any sacred scriptures—whether Jewish, Protestant, or Catholic—in order to remain intelligible to audiences whose language has changed from those of the past. While making this argument, Orlinsky draws readers' attentions to a lot of the history of the translation of the Hebrew scriptures for the Jewish and the Christian faiths. So, given that there is a lot of history included, this volume is of value because it sheds light (and gives specific examples) into the practice of translation, no matter which languages are involved.
“Translation as Mission: Bible Translation in the Modern Missionary Movement” by William A. Smalley will probably be a very crucial piece of information for this research. Because this book is written in the Christian perspective—and one that it specifically focusing on translation in the missionary mind-set (not just updating and improving English translations, but into languages that have never had any part of the Bible translated into their language)—every part of it will be useful or necessary in my research because so much is covered in this book (chapter 5: Theology in Translation, chapter 8: Translation Strategy under Language Diversity, chapter 10: Translation and Indigenous Theology). Whatever topic pursued, care must be taken not to just regurgitate this book's information, but to give it relevance and channel it into specific arguments.
--kowai-kawaii
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Record players
One day, I had a thought--how did people heat up milk before the invention of microwaves? I asked my mom, and she kindly reminded me about the stove. For heating things up--not just cooking! Weird-sad-inconvenient. To me, that is. And now, I realize that the younger generations probably won't know what is VCR is. So this is what it feels like to “get older.”
But you know, the way that these younger generations won't understand Walkmans and portable CD players is the same way I don't understand record players. I mean, I know it spins and there's a needle placed in grooves on the record... but that's all. And so... It's crazy to think about how God has used everything for his purposes. Harvey Hoekstra of The Talking Bible recently writes about 1964 in Ethiopia,
--kowai-kawaii
But you know, the way that these younger generations won't understand Walkmans and portable CD players is the same way I don't understand record players. I mean, I know it spins and there's a needle placed in grooves on the record... but that's all. And so... It's crazy to think about how God has used everything for his purposes. Harvey Hoekstra of The Talking Bible recently writes about 1964 in Ethiopia,
"Our house was a stick shack the local Majang had put up in a single day. Lavina cooked on three stones and we ate our meals using our boy scout aluminum utensils. This was about as simple as one could get...[One night] I was reading a little book by Joy Ridderhof, founder of Gospel Recordings. She was telling the story of how she began using phonograph records to multiply the occasions when new people could hear the Gospel message in their very own languages.So even though some things may be considered inconvenient (or just old-fashioned, in my eyes), I don't think God thinks of them that way. I think he sees value in everything, no matter what time period he uses any particular item in.
As I read that story, by the light of that flickering candle, I said to Lavina, "Honey, if we are going to reach this tribe, we're going to have to use those 'wretched records'." I had seen, while living in the Sudan, how unskilled, non-literate people would carry those heavy army surplus record players and the phonograph discs all over the place. I had seen how people were impacted by the message on those discs. And I had seen how just ordinary people became effective witnesses because the phonograph records having the message gave them confidence and a way to share their limited knowledge of Christ.
I suspect I used those words, "wretched records," because of their limitations. Those army surplus players were heavy to carry. And the fidelity of the records themselves was too soon distorted as the phonograph needle made its deepening groves in that turning disc."
--kowai-kawaii
Monday, February 16, 2009
Soulmates?
Are we supposed to have one soulmate? I think I might have two: let's say I'm Christine Daae:
I have a Raoul:
and a Phantom:
Raoul I have known for a while and he provides me with stability. The Phantom is a recent adventure, very enriching...
Yeah... no, my analogy ends here because I personally feel that the Phantom is a crazy, bitter person. Anyway--can I do this? Is it cool behavior to have two soulmates? Can I even call them my "soulmates" if I have more than one?
I have a Raoul:
and a Phantom:
Raoul I have known for a while and he provides me with stability. The Phantom is a recent adventure, very enriching...Yeah... no, my analogy ends here because I personally feel that the Phantom is a crazy, bitter person. Anyway--can I do this? Is it cool behavior to have two soulmates? Can I even call them my "soulmates" if I have more than one?
Oh, but before we get too philosophical, who are my "loves"? Well, it's kind of embarrassing to admit it, but I found them online. Through Delicious. But it's even more embarrassing to admit that my love for them is unrequited. At least, they probably don't know I exist. That's fine, cuz I haven't introduced myself to them, so I don't expect anything. (Maybe they aren't my soulmates, if I don't care whether they know of my existence or not...) Enough dilly-dallying. Let me introduce them to you!
The "soulmate" I had in mind as Raoul, just because I recognized this name (the way Christine and Raoul recognize each other in the early part of the story) is:
Kouya. You might sort-of remember this name from my January 29th post (if indeed you, reader, clicked on the link I provided for "the Arthurs' 'blog'"). "Kouya" is the Arthurs, Eddie and Sue of the UK. I was excited to see that they also use Delicious. Bible translators for twenty years, they have a clear interest in related, additional topics, such as ethnomusicology, the Jesus film, etc. The sad thing is that their participation at Delicious seems to be on hold. Not having commented on any bookmarks, yet having made tags into convenient bundles, the last bookmark marked of their less than 30 bookmarks was marked June 2006. Best stick to their active blog. Maybe my second "soulmate" will be more...present and available.
Or a little too present and available, if I'm still rolling with my analogy, and he were the crazy-pedophilic-kidnapping Phantom. Irregardless, the second one is Maigemu. A currently active user of Delicious, Maigemu's interests include a lot of intellectual aspects of Christianity. Some tags include Calvinism, Arminianism, eschatology, and theology. See, very brainy. A slight departure from Bible translation, yes, but nonetheless, a good indicator of a sharp, well-rounded mind. Nearing 1300 tags, this guy is at treasure trove of information. Too bad his tags aren't organized into little convenient bundles the way Kouya's are.
Well, if I were still Christine, and Maigemu the Phantom, he'd teach me this song to perform and share with you all: Interserve International. This organization is
a network of Christians from all over the world who, using their professional skills, work together to serve people of Asia and the Arab world - getting alongside them in tackling material, physical, mental and spiritual needs. (emphasis added)I know many mission organizations have this same type of focus (though not necessarily to the same regions of the world), but I'd just like to remind myself and you, readers, that Bible translation isn't just about learning a language and translating some words. It's about doing what those words actually say--which is to love God and to love our neighbors. What better way to love than to serve by doing what we can for others holistically? Help to give people what they need, just the way Jesus did with us!
--kowai-kawaii
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Blogorama: A Revision
So to all of you out there... you're gonna be like, "What's going on..." No, this isn't the name of a musical or something. I've just revised these three posts to see if I can improve my writing. Don't feel obliged to reread them though. It's just minor stuff.
Hello!
Hi everyone, and welcome to my blog about Bible translation!
"Why, kowai-kawaii, what an interesting topic! How did you decide to blog about that?"
Well, originally I had thought about blogging about linguistics: how our words, or the way they are pronounced and used, affect how people see us (as in, whether or not there is any resultant discrimination or judgment). Sociolinguistics, I guess. I had wanted to dispel misconceptions of what made a language a language or a dialect, what made something “correct” about a language, if indeed there is any “correctness” involved. That kind of stuff. But I thought about it for a while. Could I really write about that for an entire semester...or even longer? I didn't really have anything to say about this stuff except for what you could easily learn in a class that you can actually take here at this university (a class that I had taken, of course...) I didn't really have anything new to add to this discussion—I just agreed with people and wanted others to know about it all. So I was thinking, along with my roommate, what else did I care about that could be academically related to linguistics?
Check this out!
Go check out "Nyungwe Bible Translation"! As you can guess...it's a blog completely devoted to the translation of the Bible into the Nyungwe language in Tete, Mozambique. Nyungwe is
One post I like is one from April 2006, where more light is shed into the actual process of Bible translation. In my mind when I was younger, I imagined Bible translation to be a dangerous, adventurous journey where a family would go alone into an unknown jungle-or-something and live with the "natives", as the natives do, slowly learning their language and developing a script for it. But now that areas of the world are more developed, I suppose it's more common for things to be done more efficiently as a group effort. With training, nationals are actually doing more of the actual translating now, not foreign missionaries. Computers are available, too.
This post in November 2007 reveals to you the dedication these people have for translation. It's boiling hot in Mozambique, even in November, so the most comfortable place to work is in the shade outdoors!--on little wooden chairs? With our worldviews and living standards, I'm sure I'd be thinking about how my butt's so sore and my feet are all dusty, but really--this is home for others! And reading the previous post, this Pastor Semo (the joyful, smiling man in the picture, I presume)--his wife had passed away about two months prior. That he still has this passion, drive, and joy is completely inspirational to me; it really is a testament to how God heals.
Actually, each post in this blog is a gem--BUT--this blog only averages about 4 posts a year: this is probably due to busy schedules and perhaps limited internet access. Posts are kept short, probably due once more to limited internet access. As for popularity, I suppose it is not that popular--the post with the highest number of comments contain only 2 comments, and a technorati search yields no results. I can't help but feel a bit sad because, you know, I can't help but yearn for more from this blog! More detail, more shtuff! I'd love to know more about the state of their permanent office since they've moved into "the Garage." It'd be great to see a list of the books of the Bible they've completed, too, or to know a little bit more about the individuals in the translation team. I feel as if I'm not getting a big, HD picture of the translation process, just little microscope zooms into some parts. As I said earlier, it's "a concise little blog"--but that doesn't mean that I want it to stay that way!
Ah, well, I guess I'll still be coming back to this site as a reference about ways in which Bible translation occurs. There's not a whole lot, but it's just so cool to be reading about something that's happening right now. In real time. Otherwise, the only contact I'll have with a particular translation process is probably just the finished product. w00t!
--kowai-kawaii
The Lousy Linguist is a baritone.
That is my guess. But as far his literary voice goes, I think he's incredibly funny while still being so academic and informative. He really knows how to use his words. Not surprising, as he's a linguist (a "lousy" one) who specializes in syntax and semantics. His posts range from discussing the meanings of specific words ("think" vs "believe", "call"), to discussing things he's come across (little xkcd comics, Stephen Colbert...) of relevance to the world of linguistics. Thus, his voice may range from more academic, to more casual and critical. And he's not at all afraid to state his opinions and to pick sides (or let us know what side he's already on, I suppose). My favorites of his posts have to be the ones where the reader can tell that he's currently feeling very passionate about linguistics. Namely, the blogs where he is critical of Andrew Sullivan, blogger of The Daily Dish. Why do I like these posts the most? For that matter, why am I even blogging about this site, seeing as how its main topics are syntax and semantics, and not Bible translation?
Bible translation from the original languages of Hebrew and Greek to another, whether English or, let's say, Nyungwe, is all about understanding the meanings of the original words in order to find, hopefully, equivalents in another language. That task itself requires an understanding of the language being translated into. And so, understanding the syntax and semantics of that language is key because if there's confusion and/or disagreement regarding what some words actually mean, or how they should best be used, well... we'd be in trouble. Or shall I say that we are already in trouble if speakers of the English language seem to be "talking bad" already? We often mix up common words ("effect" and "affect," "sympathy" and "empathy," "then" and "than"...the list goes on...) and get rid of specific ones we just don't seem to like ("whom," anyone?). But actually, even if we mix stuff up and put words down and eventually change language, the fate of Bibles seem to be doing okay, as translations get updated and revised to change along with language.
And see, language is forever changing. It has to. There's a certain amount that we should try to regulate, I suppose, so that we can continue to understand each other cross generationally or something, but those that maintain that rules are rules are rules... That is not language. We've got to be flexible because people, society, we change. Prescriptivism is about prescribing the rules for language. Descriptivism is about describing the way language is spoken. Click on his "andrew sullivan" tag, and the two most recent posts imply that the Lousy Linguist is a descriptivist, also stating that Sullivan of The Daily Dish is a prescriptivist.
So part of why I like this Lousy Linguist's posts regarding Sullivan is his vocal ability to critique so humorously without lacking substance (ie, reason and credibility). His character is one that loves the English language the way it is used by the masses (he often Googles specific word phrases to check the popularity and usage of it). He loves his area of study, is offended when others disregard it, and, boy, do his snarky words let us know his mood. Someone who loves linguistics so much really lets himself shine when he comes to defend the subject of study itself and his point of view (check out: Dissin' Linguists and Deer Meat & Semantic Narrowing--and now I know: rhetorical questions are very useful. I'll have to look into that).
The Lousy Linguist's voice is humorous with substance, honest and unafraid of opposition. He certainly does not try to imply that his opinions and thoughts are fact, and he praises, surmises, and critiques while still maintaining a fairly academic tone. He doesn't impose his thoughts on others who differ (though he may directly address them: "Andrew Sullivan! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Take a frikkin linguistics course! Ugh!") The fact that he blogs all of this down communicates to me that he just needs to collect his thoughts and perhaps share them along the way. Yet, there are times when he isn't feeling as diplomatic as one merely "sharing his opinions" (very much to my pleasure). When he declares war on Stephen Colbert, his asyndetic descriptions of Colbert give me joy:
--kowai-kawaii
Hello!
Hi everyone, and welcome to my blog about Bible translation!
"Why, kowai-kawaii, what an interesting topic! How did you decide to blog about that?"
Well, originally I had thought about blogging about linguistics: how our words, or the way they are pronounced and used, affect how people see us (as in, whether or not there is any resultant discrimination or judgment). Sociolinguistics, I guess. I had wanted to dispel misconceptions of what made a language a language or a dialect, what made something “correct” about a language, if indeed there is any “correctness” involved. That kind of stuff. But I thought about it for a while. Could I really write about that for an entire semester...or even longer? I didn't really have anything to say about this stuff except for what you could easily learn in a class that you can actually take here at this university (a class that I had taken, of course...) I didn't really have anything new to add to this discussion—I just agreed with people and wanted others to know about it all. So I was thinking, along with my roommate, what else did I care about that could be academically related to linguistics?
But first!—here's something you should know about me: I'm spiritual—my spirituality is in Jesus Christ. I know, I know—doesn't it just sound like I might as well say, “Hi everyone, I'm Christian - Protestant! What's your religion according to Facebook?” But really, what I believe—it's not just a label that I slap on to myself for identity's sake. Nor is it just a set of rules that I follow blindly, cuz it's "tradition" or something. No, I'm not gonna just go with the flow, be like the other "Christians"—no rock and roll music, must be home-schooled and vote Republican because it's what God wants you to do. No way. All that I want is to follow Jesus's example. I mean, with all my ability (and then some!) I want to listen to others' differing beliefs in order to respect and love them. But what I hope is to share with you something I find interesting, in more ways than just spiritual—something that also says a lot about people, cultures, and languages.
That's why I'll be writing about Bible translation. And as most people know, Christians—whether the religious, traditional kind or the kind that really wants to make a difference in the world—read the Bible. (Whether they really do what it says is another matter...) What's the point of translating it, especially if that means leaving the comfort of your home, culture, and language? Well, to do as the book itself says, those who choose the spirituality of following God's way are supposed to take this book and its message to
“every nation, tribe, language and people” (Revelation 14:6)so that “every nation, tribe, language and people” can hopefully decide for itself whether or not it wants to choose this way as well. For those who do not have this book in their own language, how are they supposed to read and truly understand it unless it is translated into the language that speaks directly to their hearts and souls?
For that matter, what does translation mean? It might mean finding out exactly what languages are out there: how many are there in a particular area? Which? Do they already have a writing system? What are some related languages? It will definitely mean understanding a new culture and people group. It will mean difficulties and struggles for those going out there to do this work, and it will also mean difficulties and struggles in the work itself. Hopefully I'll get to know more and we can look into the linguistics and cultural differences involved in all of this together!
As with any intellectual exchange, feel free to disagree with me because I'll be happy to reply! This is what a blog is for—it's a dialogue between writer and reader, reader to reader, hopefully to further understanding between different peoples—whether of the same or different nation, tribe, or language.
And so... peace in the Middle East, as my currently sleeping roommate would say...
Check this out!
Go check out "Nyungwe Bible Translation"! As you can guess...it's a blog completely devoted to the translation of the Bible into the Nyungwe language in Tete, Mozambique. Nyungwe is
a language spoken by more than 250,000 people living in the region of the Zambezi River.It's a concise little blog that shows anybody who's interested, from financial and/or prayer supporters to any person like me who has an interest in the subject, a little bit about what goes on in the world of translation. It's not necessarily all that academic, because it's not here to instruct us about how to translate or anything, but it is very professionally written. I believe an American missionary working on the project writes this blog. Based on his post in the May of 2008, linking us to his other blogs, he is David Ker,
a media access specialist and member of Wycliffe Bible Translators based in Mozambique, Africa.Wycliffe Bible Translators, by the way, is probably the biggest organization out there devoted to translating the Bible into all the languages spoken by all the people on Earth. (But more info on them later!)
One post I like is one from April 2006, where more light is shed into the actual process of Bible translation. In my mind when I was younger, I imagined Bible translation to be a dangerous, adventurous journey where a family would go alone into an unknown jungle-or-something and live with the "natives", as the natives do, slowly learning their language and developing a script for it. But now that areas of the world are more developed, I suppose it's more common for things to be done more efficiently as a group effort. With training, nationals are actually doing more of the actual translating now, not foreign missionaries. Computers are available, too.
This post in November 2007 reveals to you the dedication these people have for translation. It's boiling hot in Mozambique, even in November, so the most comfortable place to work is in the shade outdoors!--on little wooden chairs? With our worldviews and living standards, I'm sure I'd be thinking about how my butt's so sore and my feet are all dusty, but really--this is home for others! And reading the previous post, this Pastor Semo (the joyful, smiling man in the picture, I presume)--his wife had passed away about two months prior. That he still has this passion, drive, and joy is completely inspirational to me; it really is a testament to how God heals.
Actually, each post in this blog is a gem--BUT--this blog only averages about 4 posts a year: this is probably due to busy schedules and perhaps limited internet access. Posts are kept short, probably due once more to limited internet access. As for popularity, I suppose it is not that popular--the post with the highest number of comments contain only 2 comments, and a technorati search yields no results. I can't help but feel a bit sad because, you know, I can't help but yearn for more from this blog! More detail, more shtuff! I'd love to know more about the state of their permanent office since they've moved into "the Garage." It'd be great to see a list of the books of the Bible they've completed, too, or to know a little bit more about the individuals in the translation team. I feel as if I'm not getting a big, HD picture of the translation process, just little microscope zooms into some parts. As I said earlier, it's "a concise little blog"--but that doesn't mean that I want it to stay that way!
Ah, well, I guess I'll still be coming back to this site as a reference about ways in which Bible translation occurs. There's not a whole lot, but it's just so cool to be reading about something that's happening right now. In real time. Otherwise, the only contact I'll have with a particular translation process is probably just the finished product. w00t!
--kowai-kawaii
The Lousy Linguist is a baritone.
That is my guess. But as far his literary voice goes, I think he's incredibly funny while still being so academic and informative. He really knows how to use his words. Not surprising, as he's a linguist (a "lousy" one) who specializes in syntax and semantics. His posts range from discussing the meanings of specific words ("think" vs "believe", "call"), to discussing things he's come across (little xkcd comics, Stephen Colbert...) of relevance to the world of linguistics. Thus, his voice may range from more academic, to more casual and critical. And he's not at all afraid to state his opinions and to pick sides (or let us know what side he's already on, I suppose). My favorites of his posts have to be the ones where the reader can tell that he's currently feeling very passionate about linguistics. Namely, the blogs where he is critical of Andrew Sullivan, blogger of The Daily Dish. Why do I like these posts the most? For that matter, why am I even blogging about this site, seeing as how its main topics are syntax and semantics, and not Bible translation?
Bible translation from the original languages of Hebrew and Greek to another, whether English or, let's say, Nyungwe, is all about understanding the meanings of the original words in order to find, hopefully, equivalents in another language. That task itself requires an understanding of the language being translated into. And so, understanding the syntax and semantics of that language is key because if there's confusion and/or disagreement regarding what some words actually mean, or how they should best be used, well... we'd be in trouble. Or shall I say that we are already in trouble if speakers of the English language seem to be "talking bad" already? We often mix up common words ("effect" and "affect," "sympathy" and "empathy," "then" and "than"...the list goes on...) and get rid of specific ones we just don't seem to like ("whom," anyone?). But actually, even if we mix stuff up and put words down and eventually change language, the fate of Bibles seem to be doing okay, as translations get updated and revised to change along with language.
And see, language is forever changing. It has to. There's a certain amount that we should try to regulate, I suppose, so that we can continue to understand each other cross generationally or something, but those that maintain that rules are rules are rules... That is not language. We've got to be flexible because people, society, we change. Prescriptivism is about prescribing the rules for language. Descriptivism is about describing the way language is spoken. Click on his "andrew sullivan" tag, and the two most recent posts imply that the Lousy Linguist is a descriptivist, also stating that Sullivan of The Daily Dish is a prescriptivist.
So part of why I like this Lousy Linguist's posts regarding Sullivan is his vocal ability to critique so humorously without lacking substance (ie, reason and credibility). His character is one that loves the English language the way it is used by the masses (he often Googles specific word phrases to check the popularity and usage of it). He loves his area of study, is offended when others disregard it, and, boy, do his snarky words let us know his mood. Someone who loves linguistics so much really lets himself shine when he comes to defend the subject of study itself and his point of view (check out: Dissin' Linguists and Deer Meat & Semantic Narrowing--and now I know: rhetorical questions are very useful. I'll have to look into that).
The Lousy Linguist's voice is humorous with substance, honest and unafraid of opposition. He certainly does not try to imply that his opinions and thoughts are fact, and he praises, surmises, and critiques while still maintaining a fairly academic tone. He doesn't impose his thoughts on others who differ (though he may directly address them: "Andrew Sullivan! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Take a frikkin linguistics course! Ugh!") The fact that he blogs all of this down communicates to me that he just needs to collect his thoughts and perhaps share them along the way. Yet, there are times when he isn't feeling as diplomatic as one merely "sharing his opinions" (very much to my pleasure). When he declares war on Stephen Colbert, his asyndetic descriptions of Colbert give me joy:
Stephen had the cheekiness, the impudence, the audacity, the temerity, the mendacity, to lump linguistics in with classics and comparative literature in the lowest tier of his new pricing system for college majors...I’ll be damned if I’ll let some plastic-haired, thin-lipped, southern-fried ninny sully the name of my chosen profession.and in discussing MIT linguist Pinker:
I have mixed feelings about Pinker. I admire his contribution to psycholinguistics, even while disagreeing with some of his major conclusions. ...But of late, he seems to have jumped off the deep end of rationality and come to the conclusion that his opinions and intuition are more than that; they are now fact. I think we would all be better off if Pinker got off the lecture circuit and back into the lab and started studying verbs again.Oh, his daring, to criticize so boldly and honestly the renowned Pinker, renouncing him as one who's "jumped off the deep end of rationality." What metaphors! What visuals! If we could all be truly free to blog as we wish, like The Lousy Linguist. To feel fine and unburdened as we talk about what we want to talk about, with whatever voice we want to use. I mean, we could--I could--I guess I'm not personally quite at that step yet. Yeah...I don't think I'm as verbally opinionated (especially out there in the interwebs) as some people are. Maybe it's the Asian in me that's keeping me back. Or something. I dunno.
--kowai-kawaii
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Let's get connected, yeah yeah yeah
Soo, exploring the great interwebs is fun. I really do spend too much time doing it. And my Firefox "bookmarks" thing isn't that great because organizing is a bit of a hassle and not everything fits that well into specific folders. So hmm, what about a social bookmarking site? Which one will be best for me? Well, what am I looking for? I'm not that big on networking, but if people have some of the same interests and have found new, different things--awwesome. I guess the key words I should be searching up would be "Bible", "translation", and then maybe "missions", if "Bible"+"translation" is still too broad. So let's see...
Stumbleupon is too fun. A search doesn't bring me anything too interesting that I didn't really already know about. I'll use this site to procrastinate.
Of course, Citeulike is a keeper, just because it's so academic. I don't know if it exactly has information that I'd want specifically regarding Bible translation, but it wouldn't hurt to dig around and to use it for other classes and research, too.
Trailfire and Twine are...interesting...but the overall concept of both of them are not really what I'm looking for. Looking at someone's trail is a bit weird. Do I really need to have all this information fed to me? Twine is a bit better cuz I guess multiple people can contribute to a specific topic, but still. I'd rather find my own stuff my own way. Besides, searching up my specific tags in these two sites don't bring up a lot for me.
And too bad an iceberg hit RSS Ma.gnolia. I've heard good things about it, especially presentation. I guess its saved webpages for users aren't exactly "unsinkable". This aspect of Magnolia makes me think of Furl, and after looking up my tags, I think I could use this one, especially if I really want to be able to save webpages. I don't know if I want/need to yet. I mean, I don't currently even use a bookmarking site anyway, so...I guess I won't know if I need it until I try stuff out. A plus is that, with the ability to make and join groups, this site's social life seems pretty healthy.
Although Digg is so popular, I'm afraid it's too popular. It's like "popular" music--people generally like it, but it's not that substantial. Not for my topic, anyway. The simple search of "bible translation" actually brings this friend:
And now... down to the juicy, meaty bits: Delicious and Diigo!! Delicious has so many dang users--a plus--because there's a lot showing up in my searches. Besides that, its layout is friendly. Its delicious.. and friendly... so tempting... But let's not forget Diigo. Community here seems to be stressed a lot more. With Diigo, it's so much easier to communicate within the community because of the highlighting and sticky noting. Verry niice... Delicious and Diigo together... I like...
--kowai-kawaii
(And check out what I found today!: The Johnson family in Papua New Guinea.)
Stumbleupon is too fun. A search doesn't bring me anything too interesting that I didn't really already know about. I'll use this site to procrastinate.
Of course, Citeulike is a keeper, just because it's so academic. I don't know if it exactly has information that I'd want specifically regarding Bible translation, but it wouldn't hurt to dig around and to use it for other classes and research, too.
Trailfire and Twine are...interesting...but the overall concept of both of them are not really what I'm looking for. Looking at someone's trail is a bit weird. Do I really need to have all this information fed to me? Twine is a bit better cuz I guess multiple people can contribute to a specific topic, but still. I'd rather find my own stuff my own way. Besides, searching up my specific tags in these two sites don't bring up a lot for me.
And too bad an iceberg hit RSS Ma.gnolia. I've heard good things about it, especially presentation. I guess its saved webpages for users aren't exactly "unsinkable". This aspect of Magnolia makes me think of Furl, and after looking up my tags, I think I could use this one, especially if I really want to be able to save webpages. I don't know if I want/need to yet. I mean, I don't currently even use a bookmarking site anyway, so...I guess I won't know if I need it until I try stuff out. A plus is that, with the ability to make and join groups, this site's social life seems pretty healthy.
Although Digg is so popular, I'm afraid it's too popular. It's like "popular" music--people generally like it, but it's not that substantial. Not for my topic, anyway. The simple search of "bible translation" actually brings this friend:
No results Found
Every site I've mentioned so far have actually at least brought me something, whether its stuff related purely to translation or to Bible study. So maybe Digg just has a really bad search engine tool thing but nevertheless--in my opinion, Digg has limited value: it's purely a casual, "Hmm what's up..." site.And now... down to the juicy, meaty bits: Delicious and Diigo!! Delicious has so many dang users--a plus--because there's a lot showing up in my searches. Besides that, its layout is friendly. Its delicious.. and friendly... so tempting... But let's not forget Diigo. Community here seems to be stressed a lot more. With Diigo, it's so much easier to communicate within the community because of the highlighting and sticky noting. Verry niice... Delicious and Diigo together... I like...
--kowai-kawaii
(And check out what I found today!: The Johnson family in Papua New Guinea.)
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Lousy Linguist is a baritone.
That is my guess. But as far his literary voice goes, I think he's incredibly funny while still being so academic and informative. He really knows how to use his words. Not surprising, as he's a linguist (a "lousy" one) who specializes in syntax and semantics. His posts range from discussing the meanings of specific words ("think" vs "believe", "call"), to discussing things he's come across (little xkcd comics, Stephen Colbert...) of relevance to the world of linguistics. Thus, his voice may range from more academic, to more casual and critical. And he's not at all afraid to state his opinions and to pick sides (or let us know what side he's already on, I suppose). My favorites of his posts have to be the ones critical of Andrew Sullivan, blogger of The Daily Dish. Why do I like these posts the most? For that matter, why am I even blogging about this site, seeing as how its main topics are syntax and semantics, and not Bible translation?
Bible translation from the original languages to another, whether English or, let's say, Nyungwe, is all about understanding the meaning of the original words in order to find, hopefully, equivalents in another language. That task itself requires an understanding of the language being translated into, and so understanding the syntax and semantics of that language is key because if there's confusion and/or disagreement regarding what some words actually mean, or how they should best be used, well... we'd be in trouble. Or shall I say that we are in trouble? But actually, we seem to be doing okay, as translations get updated and revised to change along with language.
And see, language is forever changing. It has to. There's a certain amount that we should try to regulate, I suppose, so that we can continue to understand each other cross generationally or something, but those that maintain that rules are rules are rules... That is not language. We've got to be flexible because people, society, change. Prescriptivism is about prescribing the rules for language. Descriptivism is about describing the way language is spoken. The Lousy Linguist is a descriptivist while Sullivan is a prescriptivist.
So part of why I like this Lousy Linguist's posts regarding Sullivan is his ability to critique so humorously without lacking substance: reason and credibility. His character is one that loves the English language the way it is used by the masses (he often Googles specific word phrases to check the popularity and usage of it). He loves his area of study and he is offended when others disregard it. Someone who loves linguistics so much really lets himself shine when he comes to defend the subject of study itself and his point of view (check out: Dissin' Linguists and Deer Meat & Semantic Narrowing--and now I know: rhetorical questions are very useful. I'll have to look into that).
Back to what I glossed over in my opening paragraph about The Lousy Linguist's posts: what I like most about his voice is that he writes with honesty, not afraid to to invite opposition, and certainly not stating that his opinions and thoughts are fact (all while still being fairly academic). He doesn't impose his thoughts on others who differ (though he may directly address them: "Andrew Sullivan! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Take a frikkin linguistics course! Ugh!") The fact that he blogs all of this down communicates to me that he just needs to collect his thoughts and perhaps share them along the way. He lets himself freely think this way in "Words and Meaning":
--kowai-kawaii
Bible translation from the original languages to another, whether English or, let's say, Nyungwe, is all about understanding the meaning of the original words in order to find, hopefully, equivalents in another language. That task itself requires an understanding of the language being translated into, and so understanding the syntax and semantics of that language is key because if there's confusion and/or disagreement regarding what some words actually mean, or how they should best be used, well... we'd be in trouble. Or shall I say that we are in trouble? But actually, we seem to be doing okay, as translations get updated and revised to change along with language.
And see, language is forever changing. It has to. There's a certain amount that we should try to regulate, I suppose, so that we can continue to understand each other cross generationally or something, but those that maintain that rules are rules are rules... That is not language. We've got to be flexible because people, society, change. Prescriptivism is about prescribing the rules for language. Descriptivism is about describing the way language is spoken. The Lousy Linguist is a descriptivist while Sullivan is a prescriptivist.
So part of why I like this Lousy Linguist's posts regarding Sullivan is his ability to critique so humorously without lacking substance: reason and credibility. His character is one that loves the English language the way it is used by the masses (he often Googles specific word phrases to check the popularity and usage of it). He loves his area of study and he is offended when others disregard it. Someone who loves linguistics so much really lets himself shine when he comes to defend the subject of study itself and his point of view (check out: Dissin' Linguists and Deer Meat & Semantic Narrowing--and now I know: rhetorical questions are very useful. I'll have to look into that).
Back to what I glossed over in my opening paragraph about The Lousy Linguist's posts: what I like most about his voice is that he writes with honesty, not afraid to to invite opposition, and certainly not stating that his opinions and thoughts are fact (all while still being fairly academic). He doesn't impose his thoughts on others who differ (though he may directly address them: "Andrew Sullivan! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Take a frikkin linguistics course! Ugh!") The fact that he blogs all of this down communicates to me that he just needs to collect his thoughts and perhaps share them along the way. He lets himself freely think this way in "Words and Meaning":
I could be wrong about this, but my hunch is that the human language system takes all written representations of language and converts them into an internal mental representation it’s happy with...but I don’t see any reason to believe that the internal semantic representation of kanji is somehow different than the representation of words. (emphasis added)and in discussing MIT linguist Pinker:
I have mixed feelings about Pinker. I admire his contribution to psycholinguistics, even while disagreeing with some of his major conclusions. ...But of late, he seems to have jumped off the deep end of rationality and come to the conclusion that his opinions and intuition are more than that; they are now fact. I think we would all be better off if Pinker got off the lecture circuit and back into the lab and started studying verbs again.Oh, if we could all be truly free to blog as we wish like The Lousy Linguist. To feel fine and unburdened as we talk about what we want to talk about, and to feel fine and unburdened to not talk about what we don't want to talk about. I mean, we could--I could--I guess I'm not personally quite at that step yet. Yeah, I don't think I'm as verbally opinionated to any old person (especially out there in the interwebs) as some people.
--kowai-kawaii
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Hey everyone--I just posted this comment on the Northwest Baptist Seminary website where I realized too late that I mistyped the URL link to my blog hehe :)
So... peace and goodnight..--kowai-kawaii