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Random musings and observations from an individual with too much time on his hands
Friday, February 25, 2005
The Medriocraty of English Linguistics
Today's Lesson: Lie & Lay
From my old High School English book:
English has, apart from a few verbs sets such as: lie & lay, sit & set, and rise & raise; abandoned reflexiveness distinction. The first of the pairs is reflexive; you do it to yourself. The second is non-reflexive; you act on another object.
Now, if they explained the concept like this to students it would be so much easier to understand. English grammar, however is stuck in the first century, which is, unfortunately, before it developed.
I'll just have to preach from my box and hope someone listens.
From my old High School English book:
The verb lie is intransitive; that is, it never has an object. You can never 'lie' anything down.Well, they almost got it right. Actually, these two verbs are a throwback to older forms common in Indo-European languages. Any student of Spanish (and several others) will recognize them as reflexive and non-reflexive.
The Verb lay is transitive; that is it may have a object, or be in the passive voice.
English has, apart from a few verbs sets such as: lie & lay, sit & set, and rise & raise; abandoned reflexiveness distinction. The first of the pairs is reflexive; you do it to yourself. The second is non-reflexive; you act on another object.
Now, if they explained the concept like this to students it would be so much easier to understand. English grammar, however is stuck in the first century, which is, unfortunately, before it developed.
I'll just have to preach from my box and hope someone listens.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
I should be asleep
…but I'm not. I'm downloading some John Valby, thinking ahead to OTR, and contemplating my grotto duties as treasure. (I'm staccato about it.)
I just bit the bullet, so to say, and joined ADF. It was about time. I was over at one of the SOTO member's rooms and came accross a book that started out with a good interview with the leader of ADF, and I thought it was about time I joined. If I say I'm a Druid, I ought to back that up with something.
What struck me in that book was his description of the difference between ADF and mainsteam Wicca. ADF was working toward large group gatherings. Wicca tends to concentrate itself with small groups.
He was talking about how Wicca tends to get into small group dynamics and split if it grows too far over about 5 people.
Last I looked, Pagans constituted about 0.3% of the US population, growing at the rate of nearly 200% a year while Christianity was declining 9% a year, and becoming predominately conservative fundy. (I use the term "fundy" with no apologies.)
One of our tasks has got to be figuring out how to organize and unite ourselves somehow. Wicca is certainly the largest segment right now, and is going to have to come up with a system of organization. Possibly coven moots?
However, the future looks bright for any organization that can work toward the large meeting. Momentum grows with mass, usually exponentially. (While total IQ seems to go logarithmically.)
If I can be so humble as to predict, before 2050, Christianity will drop to less then half of the US & Canadian population, and Wicca & Druid will continue to be the largetst growing movements, with 15%-20% of the US population. (After all, we are the most religious of people, 70% of us; ~20% in most of Europe.)
Marry Meet!
I just bit the bullet, so to say, and joined ADF. It was about time. I was over at one of the SOTO member's rooms and came accross a book that started out with a good interview with the leader of ADF, and I thought it was about time I joined. If I say I'm a Druid, I ought to back that up with something.
What struck me in that book was his description of the difference between ADF and mainsteam Wicca. ADF was working toward large group gatherings. Wicca tends to concentrate itself with small groups.
He was talking about how Wicca tends to get into small group dynamics and split if it grows too far over about 5 people.
Last I looked, Pagans constituted about 0.3% of the US population, growing at the rate of nearly 200% a year while Christianity was declining 9% a year, and becoming predominately conservative fundy. (I use the term "fundy" with no apologies.)
One of our tasks has got to be figuring out how to organize and unite ourselves somehow. Wicca is certainly the largest segment right now, and is going to have to come up with a system of organization. Possibly coven moots?
However, the future looks bright for any organization that can work toward the large meeting. Momentum grows with mass, usually exponentially. (While total IQ seems to go logarithmically.)
If I can be so humble as to predict, before 2050, Christianity will drop to less then half of the US & Canadian population, and Wicca & Druid will continue to be the largetst growing movements, with 15%-20% of the US population. (After all, we are the most religious of people, 70% of us; ~20% in most of Europe.)
Marry Meet!
