Because It Can #3 - Contextual Creation or Creational Contexts.

by Liam Bourret-Nyffeler

So.... prefixes... There was a moment when in Spanish I felt ... a little put out by Des___

Descomponer... from component and the negative nature of the prefix (for those who don't speak Spanish) indicate a lack of composition... i.e. it fell apart/doesn't work anymore. But that implies it used to work fine. At least as far as I can tell. 

Spanish launches me on the trail of discovery in English.

So what about desconocido or unknown (person). To me that means I never knew the person. Not that I used to. 

So    un/dis____   means   (Not currently)___. Whether never the case or that it was the case before but no longer so.

And so we come to the knot. "The knot was left untied"... if their used to be a knot.. ok we have the broken down type of dis... if never then WAIT... aha the text didn't say was undone... but LEFT undone... so the person never got round to tying it. And yet a knot by definition is a tied something.. cable, string....

Yet we can express something about the knot that never existed... even describe that knot; as undone. So how do I know which things are just string and which things are "undone knots"? (In the never before sense)
Do potential undone knots exist at all points on a string? Are all string really just knots that never formed? Or are knots modified strings?
Does it matter? (No)
Why do I care? (Mostly for the fun thought experiment)
Why does language do this to us?... yes... again
Be..cause it ...can.

Ha-ha got you. No. Obviously the knot must surely be an applied effort so the context of undone implies someone was about to do it and we understand the "undoneness"es in general and by the more specific varieties through context because of rule no. 1
Context is Everything

Because It Can #2 - The nature of perception in creation and reality

by Liam Bourret-Nyffeler

Language as a tool of thought and expression is closely linked to perception. At its simplest level we have the creation of paradoxes through the nature of English. A hand exists fairly objectively I would argue. Yet a closed hand is bit of a useless expression as the word fist exists; combining both concepts, and yet closed is a necessary part of fist. It cannot exist in any other state. An open fist.... just no. It's a hand. Yet open hand is more specific... it all gets little to much if you start to think about it.... so don't... Oh! wait... we already are.

Let's move on to something similar.
A not. You tie it, and it's done. You untie it and it's undone. In the sense that it was done but the process was reversed. The other sense is that it was never done in the first place. Meaning you still have rope, an open hand to link the metaphor. Yet you can think about this undone knot even though it doesn't exist, never did and, assuming you ensure it isn't.. let's say by burning the rope, it never will be. Yet we create it by perceiving the possibility... I could have made it. The language created this "knot" out of rope.

The list goes on but here's a response to a typical hispanophone criticism of English.
"There is no way to say te amo."
Yes there is. I love you. Sure yes the concept "Te quiero" represents can also be represented by the same words but we can perceive both emotions.. English just considers love more general than amor and  I guess "cariño" will have to do.

And while listening to people who speak both languages discuss this, a smile comes to my face... mostly because I love irony. Did they never stop to think... you know... if I complain about there only being 1 word in English ... who says it stops at 2...

Personally, I don't know about you... and I'm not judging here, but I wouldn't say I "love" my family i.e. mum dad sisters in the same way as ... well "my" family i.e. wife and children. I don't love my wife in the same way as I love my friends... or chocolate... or the dog. Yes in Spanish people will say... well OK but context... it understood... YES. Thank you. Of course it is. As it is in English... the listener just needs to do a little bit more work.
Who is to say that other languages don't have terms for romantic vs familiar love? In fact, as I understand it, in Japanese my girlfriend can "love" me as can my dog... it seems a sort of adoring romantic love. However, if I use that same term to say I love my dog...... you are expressing something that is best described as.. illegal. I don't romantically love my dog.
So the words create that reality in each language in a different way. Why? No.. not because it can... but because that's what language is. Expression, perception. but also creation... sometimes without realising.... it works because you believe it works.. on a level so deep that it's not really even belief anymore just acceptance.... this works better in Spanish... Creer es crear

Gamification in Education 2

by Liam Bourret-Nyffeler

Ok... hmm. So I was going to write something else but tonight the same people at Extra Creditz [sic] uploaded a new video focusing on this with a focus on education.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/3167-Gamifying-Education

I write this a little on the spot as I was not expecting a follow-up to their previous video but I find that I could well be worth investing more time in some of the ideas they put forward. I especially like the idea of the earning levels system. This is something I know from personal experience in online military FPS (First Person Shooter) games, although I rarely find myself too interested in that particular genre. However, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare changed the landscape when they implemented this system and I found enjoying myself far more than I would otherwise have done so.

Please post critical responses to the points they bring up. I will be honest that I'm not hugely convinced of some of the linking activities they suggest however I am more than open to try as I have little knowledge of that style of teaching.

Because It Can #1 - Phrasal Verb Word Order

by Liam Bourret-Nyffeler

A friend came round to my house last night. Evening would be more accurate. And as the night settled in the need was felt to turn the light on... or turn on the light. Pff yeah sure whatever don’t go splitting hairs Liam. It’s the same thing. And to be honest, there and then, in that context... it was.  Yet context is everything.

If I had told a story of a friend who had come to my house to see me but I refused because, at one point they had tried to turn on me... the betrayal I express is something I’m sure most are familiar with.

But, just to split hairs, I would have to say to my Mexican friend that word order can’t always be about splitting hairs.

If I had told a story of a friend who had come to my house to see me but I refused because, at one point they had tried to turn me on... .... yeahhhhhh mmmm the thing is... I’m not really into you in that way my friend.

I can’t help but think back to a class at one point where such phrasal verbs were being used. And a student asked if there is no light due to a power shortage ... what is the expression

The lights went off.

..Teacher.. Yes, Student,...

My name is not Student...

And mine is not Teacher (just for the record, I have a name, I didn’t chose it, the world decided I should have one so the least it can do is use it)

If electricity returns... do you come on the lights........

No I don’t come on the lights, the lights come on.(To my credit I didn't even smirk. This isn't even double entendre, it's just sexual in meaning and I certainly wasn't expecting that kind of language in the class but what's to be done?)

Why does English feel the need to do this? I can find no real answer and I’m left with .... “Because it can”

Happy Easter

  

Gamification

by Liam Bourret-Nyffeler

I stumbled upon an interesting video about the process of gamification. In simple terms, applying the engaging aspect of games to other activities. Much as we may use smily faces and reward systems in class, for some groups this might already feel too "teachy". For younger students especially, computer and video-games are a huge part of their lives.

More recently, with the creation of online services, the addition of achievements became a big hit, asking players to perform a certain task for a small reward.

"Solve the puzzle in less than 1 minute".

An achievement badge is awarded to the player (visible on their online profile) and they gain a number of points scaled to the difficulty of the challenge. So "complete level 1" may only be worth 5 points but completing the entire game on Veteran difficulty level using nothing but a banana sandwich without dying, the player might garner 125"

The video makes some interesting points but someone on the websites forum decided to test it out.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2985-Gamification

In the next one check post 1

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.275449-Tried-Gamification-in-my-classroom-Check-updated-post-283-for-User-Group-info-its-now-ready?page=1

and finally some results and analyses

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Gamification-Project

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