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Overturning the Myth of Valley Girl Speak
Dec. 26th, 2013 12:02 amhttp://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/23/overturning-the-myth-of-valley-girl-speak/
Well, there isn't anything new there. Uptalk doesn't imply stupidity,insecurity, or shallowness, blah blah blah.
The comments took me by surprise. Usually the NYTimes has a slightly higher caliber of comment (because they screen them), but not this time! It's like all the peevologists of the world got together and decided to combine whining with amateur psychology. And, of course, the oh-so-classy digs at how this exemplifies some aspect of girliness that is particularly embarrassing. (One person called out all those comments on that by asking if they would assume a speaker of AAVE was stupid. The obvious answer is yes, yes they would, and what comment threads has he been reading lately anyway?)
I've been reading them mostly for the amusement value of pointing out that if you do not know the prescribed distinction between "imply" and "infer" (or, indeed, between "grammar", "intonation", and "vocabulary") you probably should stop presuming to correct other people before you embarrass yourself. But, you know, it's been a pretty screamy Christmas around here this year, I have to get my enjoyment where I can.
If I ever get a tattoo, by the way, it will absolutely be this
Well, there isn't anything new there. Uptalk doesn't imply stupidity,insecurity, or shallowness, blah blah blah.
The comments took me by surprise. Usually the NYTimes has a slightly higher caliber of comment (because they screen them), but not this time! It's like all the peevologists of the world got together and decided to combine whining with amateur psychology. And, of course, the oh-so-classy digs at how this exemplifies some aspect of girliness that is particularly embarrassing. (One person called out all those comments on that by asking if they would assume a speaker of AAVE was stupid. The obvious answer is yes, yes they would, and what comment threads has he been reading lately anyway?)
I've been reading them mostly for the amusement value of pointing out that if you do not know the prescribed distinction between "imply" and "infer" (or, indeed, between "grammar", "intonation", and "vocabulary") you probably should stop presuming to correct other people before you embarrass yourself. But, you know, it's been a pretty screamy Christmas around here this year, I have to get my enjoyment where I can.
If I ever get a tattoo, by the way, it will absolutely be this
