What does "colorless green ideas sleep furiously mean"? The answer unveiled by a linguist from Ohio.

"Colorless green ideas sleep furiously." 

This is a famous sentence composed by Noam Chomsky in 1957. They say the sentence is syntactically correct but semantically incoherent. Well today I will shed a little of my own light onto the sentence. Of course our language has evolved from 1957, so the terms used back then are probably not the same terms we use today. Anyways, here it goes...

Looking at this sentence, we can see that it aligns with a correct syntax for English. Semantically though, we are a little puzzled. I am going to hopefully explain how I can put this sentence into a context that is semantically understandable in English.


I will first start with the synonymous definition for each term:

Colorless = nondiscriminatory by race, raceless, unbiased

Green = Environmentally friendly

Ideas = ideas

Sleep = lie dormant 

Furiously = moving quickly with purpose

So what I propose:

 "Colorless green ideas sleep furiously"
to mean
"Unbiased environmental friendly ideas lie dormant within us, trying to get out."

Can't you see it? We all have this furious idea within us that is just waiting to escape! We can't help it, we need to help save the environment unbiased of destination. Can you see it?

We need to start moving toward an environmentally friendly way to live with this earth, or else we could face serious consequences in the coming days. Certainly our generation will not be so impacted by the shifting of the environment, but generations to come will be greatly influenced by the natural world shift. 

Conclusion: 

I believe that nowadays in English we can use semantic similarities much easier because the language has evolved in the direction of a multiform-semantic use for a word. In other words, we can connect ideas much easier and quicker because we can be more lenient with how we define things and the internet carries new information at hyper speeds. We usually take words and ideas to be much more loosely defined than in the past. The constriction from the formal grammatical English is being lifted and we are seeing a massive shift in the flow of meaning. The syntax of English is not so quick to change though. It some cases there has been a shift but it is not big. I may have to discuss this in another post.

 English is on the rise semantically and evolving quickly, we can't do much but sit back and ride the out the tide. So let's create some new words while we are at it ;-).

For all you creative types out there: urbandictionary.com
-----> Go, Create, Enjoy

It dropped below -15F this winter. So stay warm friends! 

Any comments or questions or ideas? I'd love to hear them, so don't be shy! 

*I do not own any pictures in this post. 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (ESL Student Integrity and Character Post)

This post is dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. Without him, the social construction of society could not have evolved as quickly as it did. So hats off to you MLKJ.





Speaking of character, that brings me upon a rather interesting conversation topic. Academic vs. Ethical integrity. I have been a teacher now for about five months but as every teacher knows, there are students who like to cheat on tests and quizzes. I am not saying that I have never written a formula on an arm before or eaten a magical cookie of memory enhancement the morning before an exam, but some students are consistent with their cheating. On one hand, some students are excellent and never dare cheat off another student. While on the other hand, some students cheat at every opportunity possible.

Academic integrity, does it directly correlate to ethical integrity? I have not prodded too deeply into this subject matter yet, but based on my observations I have formulated a guess as to there is a correlation between both forms of integrity. I believe that academic integrity is formed based on ethical integrity. People are usually taught how to behave in general before they are taught how to behave in school. How one person is raised in an ethical sense, I believe, determines to an extent how they will act in an academic setting.

This is just one way to view this behavior. Another side could say that students are cheating because that is what they are used to doing in their home countries and so on. A patterned behavior from a young age could cause a student to try harder to cheat on a test than to actually study for it. I do not see any reason this could not be the case, but I don't believe it to be so.

I think we should look at this cheating from a different perspective. Most students come to study English with goals in mind. They are either looking to move on to a university in the United States, get a job in the United States, or continue studying at a university in their home country. The grading system for the institution I work in is a little weird and a bit strict. Basically students are graded much more harshly than a regular school would. When students are used to passing in their country, they expect to pass in this country. When they don't pass, they get frustrated and could easily resort to cheating.

Why cheat on an exam when you just cheat yourself? Well the system is a bit flawed, as it seems to me. If you can pass a certain level at this school you can gain accessibility to apply to a lot of schools in the United States. Otherwise you have to take an English test for foreigners called TOEFL or ILETS. Students want to pass the levels in this school so they can move on with their lives. They don't mind if they are behind when they arrive at the university, but in the long run this will hurt them. Some of them might fail because they are not ready to tackle some of the language they are going to face.

Integrity is integrity, no matter the form. I hope that students around the world challenge themselves to be academically honest and have ethical integrity. As MLK said, he wishes his kids not be judged by the color of their skin, but the content of their character. On that closing note: Do what's right, aim high, and be fair in whatever you do.


I do not own any of the pictures in this post. 

Random Entry - Random Babble - Random Thoughts

Hey there readers!

I know you all love rambling, so I've decided to do a bit. My life has dissolved itself into whirlwind of ideas that pulsate through my tiny cranium non-stop. As I get up every morning I wonder where I will be in one month, one year, ten years, etc.. This world has become so small in terms of accessibility. We must determine in life where we belong and where we fit in. People get stuck in a cycle that either allows them to advance or keeps them stagnant. But aside from the socioeconomic perspective, one must wonder what keeps people from experiencing new things that are totally far from home? I know one must think about other places in the world if not but for a moment's time.

If you had rolled the one billion sided die a nanosecond earlier or later than you did, you may be someone else in a different country right now. The miracle of life is bizarre and I think we should try to make the most of everything we have and of everything we do. We may face hardships and struggles, but without these, we cannot grow. Challenges make us who we are.

Traveling the globe is the best idea. I cannot think of a better way to experience the true beauty and sometimes ugliness of life. I want to feel the raw emotions of other cultures. I want to be transformed into someone else when I travel. My mind will mold and remold. The traveling bug has bit me hard.

Random song of the moment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX4g0sxDCEw

Sooooo-hooo-hoooo!
You're wondering what is next huh?

I'm not sure.

Master the English language. Move on to another.

Get my Master's. Move on to another country.

Master the art of school. Move on and up.



I cannot stop learning. Learn beyond death. #cantstopever

PS- I hate hashtags, but they are sometimes useful.

ESL Verb Tense Review Game

Since I am actively involved in the ESL community, I like to create games for my ESL students.This game involves verb tenses of English. It is somewhat of a dual.


-First you separate the group of students into two teams. I let them pick their own names for their team and they seem to enjoy that.

-Next you ask two people from each team to go up to the board to be the writer. The writer represents the entire team, so competition usually drives students to want to excel.

-The teacher says a base form verb and a verb tense (ex. present perfect, past progressive, etc.)

-Each student writes a sentence with the correct verb and verb tense with all correct grammar. Whichever student can do this the quickest will win their team a point.

-The team is allowed to help the writer but no member from the team should write for the writer.

**

Notes: You can play for as much time as you need, or you can set a point total to win. Have students close all their books and notes during the review game so they will have to use their memory. I find when I let them use their books they are slower to answer and not as creative.

I usually award the winning team candy or some small sweets. Positive reinforcement for every student goes a long way. :)



Source of validity: ESL Instructor / MA TESOL (in progress)

**I do not own this picture.