Exploring the Text

  1. Steven Pinker opens by describing a scene out of the movie Tootsie, which was made in 1982. Then, in paragraph 3, he explains how the scene illustrates the main point of his argument. Do you think it would have been more effective simply to begin with paragraph 3? Why or why not?

    Question

    uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7
    Chapter 10 - Words Don’t Mean What They Mean - Exploring the Text: Steven Pinker opens by describing a scene out of the movie Tootsie, which was made in 1982. Then, in paragraph 3, he explains how the scene illustrates the main point of his argument. Do you think it would have been more effective simply to begin with paragraph 3? Why or why not?
  2. What does Pinker mean when he states, “Such hypocrisy is a human universal” (para. 3)? Is he being critical? Explain whether you agree or disagree with him.

    Question

    uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7
    Chapter 10 - Words Don’t Mean What They Mean - Exploring the Text: What does Pinker mean when he states, “Such hypocrisy is a human universal” (para. 3)? Is he being critical? Explain whether you agree or disagree with him.
  3. How does the example of asking someone to pass the salt illustrate Pinker’s claim that when we speak we are both conveying a message and negotiating a relationship? What is an example from your own experience that demonstrates these two functions of speech?

    Question

    uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7
    Chapter 10 - Words Don’t Mean What They Mean - Exploring the Text: How does the example of asking someone to pass the salt illustrate Pinker’s claim that when we speak we are both conveying a message and negotiating a relationship? What is an example from your own experience that demonstrates these two functions of speech?
  4. Pinker’s essay appeared in Time magazine, which has a large general readership. How do the examples he has chosen explain specialized linguistic concepts to that audience?

    Question

    uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7
    Chapter 10 - Words Don’t Mean What They Mean - Exploring the Text: Pinker’s essay appeared in Time magazine, which has a large general readership. How do the examples he has chosen explain specialized linguistic concepts to that audience?
  5. Pinker ends his essay with a claim of value: “Language is a window into human nature, but it is also a fistula, an open wound through which we’re exposed to an infectious world.” What does he mean? How does this statement sum up his explanation of the way indirect speech functions? Would it have been more effective if he had stated it earlier in the essay? Why or why not?

    Question

    uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7
    Chapter 10 - Words Don’t Mean What They Mean - Exploring the Text: Pinker ends his essay with a claim of value: “Language is a window into human nature, but it is also a fistula, an open wound through which we’re exposed to an infectious world.” What does he mean? How does this statement sum up his explanation of the way indirect speech functions? Would it have been more effective if he had stated it earlier in the essay? Why or why not?
  6. Pinker describes a number of linguistic strategies, including double entendre, veiled threat, “whimperative,” innuendo, calculated ambiguity, and authority ranking. Choose two of these and cite an example from your experience, observations, or reading that illustrates each.

    Question

    uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7
    Chapter 10 - Words Don’t Mean What They Mean - Exploring the Text: Pinker describes a number of linguistic strategies, including double entendre, veiled threat, “whimperative,” innuendo, calculated ambiguity, and authority ranking. Choose two of these and cite an example from your experience, observations, or reading that illustrates each.
  7. Compare and contrast the argument Pinker makes with the argument George Orwell makes in “Politics and the English Language” (p. 707).

    Question

    uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7
    Chapter 10 - Words Don’t Mean What They Mean - Exploring the Text: Compare and contrast the argument Pinker makes with the argument George Orwell makes in “Politics and the English Language” (p. 707).