Language
“I’m willing to tell you. I’m wanting to tell you. I’m waiting to tell you.”
George Bernard Shaw,
Pygmalion
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Elf is Back on the Shelf, Boys
After years without Elf-on-the-Shelf, I’m seeing a lot of instances of the Elf-on-the-Shelf meme scrolling down my Facebook feed this holiday season. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m feeling an impromptu session of analyze the meme! Elf-on-the-Shelf is at its core phonological. The pun doesn’t have anything to do with meaning or spelling – it…
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When Did Kids Get So Smart?
We adults think we know everything but our perspective isn’t always as perceptive as we think.
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It’s a Mariah Christmas: Why We Love to Meme During the Holidays
Mariah Carey’s tenacious cameos in memes across the internet speak to a widespread cultural gloom lying just beneath Christmas cheer. Step aside conventional conviviality, Mariah has thawed.
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Ohio’s Issue 1: Ballot Language
On November 7th Ohio citizens have the chance to make a decision about abortion rights but are we being misled?
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Ohio Abortion Bill – Explained
I recently got a propaganda flier in the mail that boldly asks “have you seen the language?” and invites us to look at their markup of the full text of Issue 1. And I took the bait! So, let’s do some informal linguistic analysis and check out both the language of the proposed amendment and…
Wherever there are people there is communication. Whether it’s through speech, gestures, or actions – everyone expresses. Language is a complex performance that can’t help but say more than we mean – yet remain Inadequate. If we’re willing, wanting, and waiting, why are our words, and their meaning so hard to pin down?
More Small Words
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ICE is the Worst of Us
Another day, another deadly ICE shootings. The nation is, once again, in disbelief over the federal government’s use of unnecessary force. Let’s take a look at how we can use empathy to help us understand…
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The Onion Hates ICE
This is a somber addition to the Analyze the Meme series. After the shooting of Renee Nicole Good, the internet has been overwhelmed by strong emotions over her death. Today, we’ll be analyzing the satirical…
Small Words 