As I read "A Brief History of English," a piece by Paul Roberts, I was very interested in how the English language has steadily changed and been built through time. I found the closing statements of the article to be particularly powerful in that they are so true. Though so many people speak the English language, one does not have to go very far to find someone who is also an English-speaker that they don't fully understand. This idea connected well with another article that we read, "It's like EXTREME, But Not GROSS," by Scott Lehigh. Lehigh discusses the "generational divide" of language between teens and their parents. Though the article discusses teens in 1997, memorable trends in language such as the extensive and many uses of the word "like" can still be heard in spoken language today.
     Lehigh's article also discusses the decline of SAT scores in leading universities such as MIT. Though the statistics Lehigh's article offers are somewhat troublesome, the most interesting aspect of the article is his perspective on the direction of language and the validity of grammar. Lehigh seems to maintain that the declining SAT scores are well worth noting and that it is important for young people to develop a strong vocabulary. However, rather than supporting only this idea, Lehigh encourages older generations to learn new phrases and grow with the language. I thought that Lehigh's ideas were refreshing in that he is not overly skeptical of changing trends in language, while he also writes that there is some importance in more traditional versions of English.
     For me, the most interesting article in this assignment was "Good English and Bad" by Bill Bryson. Bryson introduces ideas and facts that are completely new to me. Bryson describes many grammar rules as ideas that were brought about by individual preference that have been enforced as law over time. Many of my reactions to Bryson's suggestions about language, such as the idea that "you were" is no more correct than "you was," (I cringed, by the way) further strengthen his argument that good English is only made through prejudice and conditioning.
     Lastly, I really liked Bryson's comments about the freedom given to those who communicate with the English language. Bryson reminded me that I never realized how many possibilities the English language offers to its users until I studied French for three semesters. Granted, I thoroughly enjoyed learning French, but as I progressed, I found it interesting that there are very few synonyms for French words. Dissimilarly, the English language offers endless synonyms and ways of describing something. This realization really made me think about how much I enjoy having so many creative possibilities with the English language!