Little Book of Language
Metaphor and Figurative Language
Language and the Brain
Language in Rap and Hip-hop
Skill Building
100
What are the three components of language? Define each.
Vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation Vocabulary - words of language Grammar - How words are arranged Pronunciation - How words sound
100
What is the difference between abstract words and concrete words?
Abstract - existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence Concrete - existing in a material or physical form; real or solid; specific; definite
100
What are neurons? What is neuroplasticity? What is neurogenesis?
Neurons are brain cells. Neuroplasticity is the ability for your brain to grow. Neurogenesis is the birth or creation of neurons.
100
What is the power of one mic?
One mic recognizes the voice of an individual
100
What is a word, letter, or number placed before another? What is a a word, letter, or number placed after another?
Prefix Suffix
200
What are our largest vocal organs?
Lungs
200
What is the equation of a metaphor? What are the Greek roots of metaphor and its meaning? What is the Arabic meaning of metaphor?
x = y meta - beyond, across; phor - to carry Arabic - loan
200
What word is this the definition of: "a category of artistic composition characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter"
Genre
200
What are four ways music can be used in therapy? And, how is each therapeutic?
Listening, performing, creating, improvising Listening - encourages discussion and reflection on the storied lives of others Performing - movement implies progress and creates ownership Creating - take pride in the act of creative autonomy Improvising - provides a safe space for authentic representation and unlocks repressed pain
200
What is the main idea of this paragraph? Summarize this paragraph in your own words. The United States seems to be in love with the idea of going out to eat. Because of this, a real variety of restaurants has come about specializing in all kinds of foods. McDonald's is the king of a subgroup of restaurants called fast-food restaurants. Chances are, no matter where you live, there is a McDonald's restaurant near you. There are even McDonald's in the Soviet Union. Now McDonald's is trying something new. It is called McDonald's Express and there is a test site in Peabody, Massachusetts. It is part of a Mobil gas station. This allows you to fill up with gas and fill up on food at the same time. What will they think of next?
McDonald's is the king of fast food. McDonald's is the king of fast food. They make an extra effort to be convenient and all over the country.
300
What is intonation?
The melody of language - How someone says something!!!
300
What is the difference between the tenor and vehicle of a metaphor?
Tenor and vehicle are the components of a metaphor. Tenor referring to the concept, object, or person meant and the vehicle being the image that carries the weight of the comparison.
300
Why is multitasking bad and curiosity good?
Multitasking is bad because your brain fires conflicting messages on what to focus on Curiosity places a stamp of importance
300
According to James Baldwin, language comes into existence by...
By means of brutal necessity.
300
What is topic and main idea for the paragraph below: Smoking has been proven dangerous to people’s health, yet many continue to smoke for various reasons. For young people, smoking often represents maturity and individuality. Many smoke as a way to reduce tension. In addition, the regular smoker becomes addicted psychologically and physically to the nicotine in cigarettes. Topic: a. Health c. Addiction b. Smoking d. Nicotine Main Idea: a. Smoking has been proven dangerous to people’s health in various ways. b. Regular smokers become addicted to nicotine. c. Although smoking is dangerous, people continue doing it for various reasons. d. Nicotine is what smokers become addicted to, both psychologically and physically.
The topic is b, Smoking. d. Nicotine is what smokers become addicted to, both psychologically and physically.
400
On average, how many words do people know by the time they reach their teens? What's the difference between active and passive vocabulary? Roughly, how many sounds are in the English language?
20,000 words Active - words you know and use vs. passive - words you know but don't use 40 sounds
400
What is meant by "a metaphor is both detour and destination"?
Metaphors expose us to the many associations we have with particular images for both the tenor and vehicle
400
When was spoken language developed? When was written language developed?
Spoken language was developed 250,000 years ago Written language was developed 35,000 years ago
400
Edward Hirsch says that rap "defamiliarizes words, it wrenches them from familiar or habitual contexts, it puts a spell on them." Use another quote from the text to explain the meaning of this statement.
"All poetry implies the destruction of the relationship between things that seems obvious to us in favor of particular relationships imposed by the poet," writes Andre Malraux.
400
Define ubiquitous using context clues. Cowboy hats are ubiquitous among the male country singers.
ubiquitous |yo͞oˈbikwətəs| adjective present, appearing, or found everywhere
500
Roughly, how many different languages are spoken in the world? Roughly, what percentage of babies speak more than one language? Where does the English language come from?
6,000 languages 75% of babies around the world speak more than one language English comes from other languages - creating words by combining prefixes, suffixes, roots... But people make new and original words all the time!
500
In the Book of Rhymes, Adam Bradley uses a metaphor to describe the difference between metaphor and simile... What is the metaphor he uses? What makes one simile better than another?
“Think of the metaphor as the express train on the subway: It gets you between two points fast using the most direct route. The simile can be thought of as the bus: It takes its sweet time getting you from one place to another, and leaves you free to look out the window to see exactly how you got where you’re going” “Conventionally understood, the most effective similes are those that ask us to conceive connections between words that seem far removed from one another. The simile at once reveals hidden similarities even as it affirms obvious differences” (Book of Rhymes 96).
500
What are conceptual networks? And provide one example of one.
Networks of linked ideas and all associations you have with those ideas. For instance, if you were to think of the word sleep, you would probably think about the act of sleeping and also about things that are linked to sleep: pillows, a bed, your bedroom, and so on.
500
In The Therapeutic Uses of Rap, rap is described as resistance vernacular, designed to make inroads against the established power-lines of speech. If this is true, why is wordplay especially valued, and how does the nature of wordplay support the goals of resistance vernacular?
Wordplay is a cryptic, coded form of communication that covertly challenges conventional language and acts as a form of resistance vernacular by making the familiar unfamiliar - or in the other words, redefines our relationships and understandings of words.
500
Define obscure using context clues and explain what the author means when he states, "Whether they explain or obscure, pattern or disrupt, the best MCs play with language to create unexpected moments of insight and feeling.
Obscure verb [ with obj. ] keep from being seen; conceal: Wordplay is cryptic and coded and often presents meaning implicitly. What does implicit mean?
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