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Stuff that matters
“In the situations I have witnessed, there is no divine intervention. All we have is each other. We create our own problems, and it us up to us to solve them.”
James Nachtwey, anti-war documentary photographer (1999: 469)
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(updated: February 8, 2008)
Publications
Forthcoming
David, M. K., Ngeow, Y. M, Yoong, D. (fc). Gender Stereotypes in Malaysian Parliamentary Sittings: Stereotypes and Their Implications.
Yoong, D. (2008). Mixing Them Together: Interdiscursive Elements in Contemporary Animes and Mangas. La Trobe Linguistics Working Paper.
Yoong, D. (2008). Framing Poverty in Indonesia. Journal of Poverty.
Yoong, D. (2008). Standard English and Singlish: The Clash of Language Values in Contemporary Singapore. [pending]
2007
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2007). Elderspeak: Deprivation of Linguistic Human Rights?. In M. K. David (ed.) Language and Human Rights. Serdang: Universiti Putra Press.
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2007). Code-Switching in Eldercare. In S. I. Harnisch (ed.) In Memorium Rudolfo Jacobson.
Yoong, D. (2007). Rapport Building between an Uncle and Niece in a Malaysian Chinese Family. In David, M. K. (ed.). Politeness in Malaysian Family Talk. (In press).
2006
David, M. K., Jariah Mohd Jan, Kow, Y. C. and Yoong, S. C. (2006). Function and Role of Laughter in Malaysian Women’s and Men’s Talk. Multilingua 25. ISSN 0167-8507
Yoong, D. (2006). Accommodating to the Elderly in a Malaysian Geriatric Day-Care Centre: A Discourse Analysis. Unpublished Master Dissertation. Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of Malaya.
Yoong, D. (2006). Boycotting an International Tourism Company: A Critical Discourse Perspectives. In M. K. David, H. Burhanudeen, A. N. Abdullah (eds.). The Power of Language and the Media (146-161). Frankfurt: Peter Lang.
Yoong, D. and David, M. K. (2006). Talking to Older Malaysians: A Case Study. Multilingua 25, 165-182. ISSN 0167-8507
Paper Presentations
2006
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2006). Applying Knowledge of Psycholinguistics in Language Teaching. Paper presented at the Universiti Sains Malaysia International Language Learning Conference (November 23-25, 2006: Batu Feringgi, Penang).
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2006). Constructive Communication in Marriage and the Family. Paper presented at the Marriage Philosophy Seminar (29-30 Mac 2006), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Vol.2 Paper 39 (12p.)
Yoong, D. (2007). Framing Poverty in Indonesia. Paper presented at the Discourse of Poverty Conference (July 19, 2007) at the Faculty of Sociology, La Trobe University, Australia.
In progress
Yoong, D. (in progress). Orders and Disorders of Discourse in the Dewan Rakyat during Question Time. Unpublished PhD Thesis. La Trobe University, Australia.
Academic activities
An abstract reviewer for the Eleventh Conference of the Foundation for Endangered Languages: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, "Working Together for Endangered Languages: Research Challenges and Social Impacts." University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 26-28 October 2007
Throwing out of the window: Politeness and respect
Interesting commentary by Max Hastings. Excerpts via the Guardian.
...What has changed today, of course, is that the F-word is perceived as no big deal, to the point that somebody like Ramsay says it on air all the time. It has become a trademark, like Naomi Campbell's tantrums or Kate Moss's illegal substances. Yet how can one possibly hope to convince an unemployed kid on the streets of Stoke or Sunderland that shouting "fuck" at people is not clever, that to possess a chance of a decent life he must learn politeness, if he sees a career yob adorning half the billboards and television screens in Britain?
I often feel sorry for kids who shout obscenities. They do it because they lack the intelligence and education to use language coherently. Many people are frustrated by their own inarticulacy. Those of us who can use words know how lucky we are. Thus it hurts to see a man with the gifts to have become a successful cook and restaurateur propagating the language of the voiceless...
...Restraint and discipline are basic ingredients of self-respect as well as respect for others. Every time Ramsay says "fuck" on television, he kicks civilised values between the legs. Every time television executives chortle at the ratings and raise his tariff for doing this, they flaunt their own abdication of responsibility.
Whilst the author may be a conservative in some ways, I agree with his notions of politeness and respect.
...This is bullshit. Not that anyone listens to me but if by chance someone actually does pay attention to this: do not talk down, condescendingly or patronizingly to the mentally ill. Why people do this is not entirely clear to me. I'm not sure if it's because we are afraid of people with mental illness or think they're stupid or that we are skeptical of anyone who is different but the reality is that it is insulting and disrespectful. In graduate school a patient in the psychiatric ward told me, "The staff here talk to me like I'm in pre-school. I'm still an adult even if I'm fucked in the head." It's a fair point.
We seem to use this same patronizing tone with the elderly and the homeless. The only people who should be spoken to like children are children (and even that is open to debate).
World Photo: Activists From The Communist Party Of India (Marxist) Shout Slogans During A Protest Against The Hike In Fuel Prices In New Delhi
Activists from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) shout slogans during a protest against the hike in fuel prices in New Delhi June 11, 2008. REUTERS/Danish Ismail
It is misleading because it shows a number of elements: open demonstrations, communist party, and of course, the touchy issue of race and ethnicity: an Indian lady in the foreground in her fiery protest. Nothing to do with Malaysia, but in India.
Scientists say they have located the parts of the brain that comprehend sarcasm - honestly.
By comparing healthy people and those with damage to different parts of the brain, they found the front of the brain was key to understanding sarcasm.
Damage to any of three different areas could render individuals unable to understand sarcastic comments.
The Israeli team from Haifa University told Neuropsychology how their findings might help to explain autism features.
See what goes on in the brain Autistic children can have problems interpreting sarcasm as well as other social cues such as emotions.
This same skill is sometimes lost in people with brain damage, suggesting similar brain regions may be involved in autism.
Brain scan studies of autistic children have shown that they have different activity in the frontal lobe to other children.
Dr Simone Shamay-Tsoory and colleagues studied 25 people with prefrontal lobe damage, 16 with damage to the posterior lobe of the brain and 17 healthy volunteers.
They played the study participants tape-recorded stories, some sarcastic and some neutral.
An example of sarcasm was "Joe came to work, and instead of beginning to work, he sat down to rest. His boss noticed and said to Joe 'don't work too hard.'"
In fact, what Joe's boss actually meant by his comment was "you are a slacker".
In the neutral version Joe came to work and began work immediately. His boss made the same "don't work too hard" comment, but this time, he actually meant that Joe was a hard worker.
The volunteers who had damage to their prefrontal lobes were unable to correctly interpret the sarcastic story, while all of the other participants could.
Anatomy
Dr Shamay-Tsoory said this fitted with what is already known about the anatomy of the brain.
She said language areas on the left hand side of the brain interpret the literal meaning of words and the frontal lobes and the right side of the brain understand the social and emotional context.
An area called the right ventromedial prefrontal cortex then integrates the literal meaning with the social/emotional context, which will reveal any sarcasm.
"A lesion in each region in the network can impair sarcasm, because if someone has a problem understanding a social situation, he or she may fail to understand the literal language," she said.
A spokeswoman from the National Autistic Society said: "The causes of autism are still being investigated.
"Many experts believe that the pattern of behaviour from which autism is diagnosed may not result from a single cause.
"There is strong evidence to suggest that autism can be caused by a variety of physical factors, all of which affect brain development."
Excerpts via MSNBC. Interesting neurolinguistic stuff.
Mind reading may reveal mother tongue Scientists decipher language proficiency by analyzing brain activity
ROME - No one can read our thoughts, for now, but some scientists believe they can at least figure out in what language we do our thinking.
Before we utter a single word, experts can gauge our mother tongue and the level of proficiency in other languages by analyzing our brain activity while we read, scientists working with Italy's National Research Council say.
For more than a year, a team of scientists experimented on 15 interpreters, revealing what they say were surprising differences in brain activity when the subjects were shown words in their native language and in other languages they spoke.
The findings show how differently the brain absorbs and recalls languages learned in early childhood and later in life, said Alice Mado Proverbio, a professor of cognitive electrophysiology at the Milano-Bicocca University in Milan.
Proverbio, who led the study, said such research could help doctors communicate with patients suffering from amnesia or diseases that impair speech. It could also be of use one day in questioning refugee applicants or terror suspects to determine their origin, she said.
Switching languages alters brain waves The interpreters who took part in the study were all Italians working for the European Union and translating in English and Italian.
"They were extremely fluent in English," Proverbio said in a telephone interview earlier this month. "We didn't expect a big difference in brain activity" when they switched from one language to another.
The subjects were asked to look at a screen that flashed words in Italian, English, German as well as nonsensical letter combinations. They were not aware of the purpose of the study and were simply tasked with pressing a button when they spotted a specific symbol, Proverbio said.
http://www.ted.com - Sherwin Nuland, the surgeon and author, talks about the development of electroshock therapy as a cure for severe, life-threatening depression. Midway through, his story turns personal. It's a moving and deeply felt talk about relief, redemption, second chances.
There is recovery, there is redemption, and there is resurrection.
How do baby birdies learn to sing? By babbling Fri May 2, 2008 11:49am EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Baby birds babble much like human infants do, and they have their own special brain circuits to do it, researchers reported on Thursday.
Their findings suggest that learning to sing -- and also to speak -- is a process independent of adult singing or speech.
Perhaps other aspects of infant learning are equally independent in the brain, Michale Fee of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and colleagues suggested.
"Young birds learn their songs in a series of stages. They start out just as humans do, by babbling," Fee said in an audio interview on the Web site of the journal Science, which published the findings.
"The brain really learns how to use its body by making spontaneous movements and seeing what happens," Fee added.
"Babbling in songbirds is just an example of play -- it's vocal play."
Fee's team has been studying zebra finches, using a system that allows them to record the firing of individual neurons in the birds' brains. They were selectively inactivating brain cells in an area called the high vocal center or HVC.
Attended a sociology lecture at the Social Science faculty which was given by a New Yorker. The talk was surprisingly an amalgamation of the philosophy of aesthetics, semiotics and politics... I mean, one of the main questions runnin' through my head was: how on earth is that possible? But wow. I admit I don't have much knowledge on the philosophy of aesthetics, thus I was lost with a number of abstract concepts. Nonetheless, I could follow the lecture by clinging on to concepts I was most familiar with.
Was equally surprised (albeit in a pleasant way) when one of the sociologists recognised me and engaged me in a small talk during lunch.
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Of late, I have rediscovered my interest in funk rock.
Basslines are just wicked.
Now, this is what we call aesthetic.
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The Catholic church is strangely very uncooperative and I wanna add, very cold when I requested some general information and guidelines for my project. Ahh... Screw the church.
Also, found this quite interesting: When I spoke to some of the Protestant church leaders last Sunday, I was surprised that they're not directly engaged in social work, e.g. providing basic needs to the needy (they do small stuff like donating stuff away), rather, they focus in the recruitment of fresh blood via evangelisation. Can't help but to go... WTF???! So much about following the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
In a way, I'm quite thankful for attending the talk today. That sociologist was quite helpful. Would be contacting another sociologist soon.
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I've not been sleeping well of late. Have a serious pounding headache and heavy eyes. Not sure what is the problem. Could be psychological.
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WEE!! I finally managed to get my hands on a New York Times Bestseller novel, Khaled Hosseini's "A Thousand Splendid Suns." I remember feeling blown away by his first book, "the Kite Runner," and I can't wait to read his latest book.
From a linguistics perspective, people tend to claim ownership of entities based on identities and affiliation. For instance, people living in America are able to identify closely with 9/11 compared to other people living in different parts of the world, but for survivors of 9/11 have more claims and ownership of the event compared to Americans living in different states. This comes from the theory of narratives and ownership (I think it's Labov's theory).
... with great interest of the reaction towards the BERSIH movement. Apparently not too long ago, there was a big ruckus in Parliament with clearly angry MPs verbally attacking opposition parties for disobeying the law by participating in last Saturday's march. Video as follows...
It was stressful watching MPs engaging in FTAs (face threatening acts) and adrenaline rushes. I'm surprised that the Speaker did not try to pacify the MPs and reprimand the interlocutors for being disorderly.
One must really have thick skin to be politicians. heh. This is a trait I definitely do not possess.
... I make a reference to this clip. Sorry YB, I had to cringe while I watched this and I have to say that being combative is not the way for any politicians to behave.
Again, with no disrespect to the Hon. Minister, if one were to read the comments in Youtube, virtually every viewer expressed disgust and contempt towards the Minister's reaction. It's a common reaction actually, as politicians are viewed to be dignified and refined elite leaders of the community, and it's a heavy price to pay for losing one's cool. (c.f. Bill Clinton's debate on Fox News)
I had a discussion with a couple of friends here, and was pretty surprised when they told me of 'conspiracy theories' evolving around the KL protest march. In reality, I saw many Malays, Indians and Chinese taking part in the protest in the clips and official reports circulating around the international news media.
...is killing me.... O.o' Oh noes... If Spring is this hot, I wonder what Summer will be like... -.-'
Random views ahead:
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Re: the BERSIH rally, true enough, I noted that yesterday's rally had two main diverging attitudes in many news reports: pro and anti sentiments. Local mainstream news media are seen to have muzzled down the incident and blamed opposition parties for organising this 'illegal' rally (c.f. NTV7; the Star, etc), whilst international news seem to highlight the use of excessive force by the police to disperse protestors (c.f. Reuters, CNN, etc).
So... Who is right? Who is wrong? This incident is a fairly clear piece of evidence that supports the view that language use is never neutral in society (c.f. Fairclough, van Dijk and the likes).
In other words, if ANYONE tells you that a particular news medium is neutral, you can bet on your best chances that it's not. So, what can we, as consumers of news do about it? Answer is fairly simple and straight forward: Keep an open mind.
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I'm having a tough time using the corpus concordance to study certain lexical items in address forms. And this does not help since vocative terms also come into play. The use of corpus concordance to study address forms in Parliamentary discourse can even be a full length thesis of its own.
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I'm thinking of introducing a few specialised courses within the linguistics program at UM once I'm done with my PhD. It's pretty exciting when I think about it: I'd be soliciting the expertise of historians, NGOs, linguists and interpreters amongst others. Weeee!
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People seem not to know how to answer this question:
What is the meaning of life?
Often, many would turn to religion for such answers, but to ol' secular me, although mummy turned me into a Catholic, the answer is pretty simple.
There is no meaning to life.
Rather, we have to give life meaning by creating goals and achieving them. Only then are we able to say, "Hey, I did something with my life, and now it is meaningful to me."
Citizen journalism is another way of 'fair' reporting. There is always 2 sides to a story, and the freedom to present arguments for, and against is something that i believe a strong democracy should have.
Media organisations will spin stories and present a viewpoint. There is no purpose anymore in being objective.
while i concur with your first statement, i have to differ in the last bit of your comment. objectivity is essential in any factual piece of work as it lends credibility and evidence.
What can I say? Although I find Penn and Teller's method of approach in conducting their social psychology experiment very very interesting and rich in data, I for one can't agree very much with their lack of 'ethics.'
Nonetheless, the unorthodoxy social experiment is a classic example of self-fulfilling prophecies which shows how people tend to avoid cognitive dissonance in order to keep a sense of orderliness in their world.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Linguists alarmed at the unceasing extinction of many indigenous languages identified
five global "hot spots" on Tuesday where the problem is worst, led by northern Australia and a region of South America.
The linguists are part of the Enduring Voices project that seeks to document and revitalize languages slipping toward oblivion, often spoken by indigenous peoples like Australia's aborigines whose cultures were trampled by settlers.
David Harrison of Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, the project's co-director, said there are 6,992 recognized distinct languages worldwide. He said on average one language vanishes every two weeks, often as its last elderly speakers perish.
The project, backed by National Geographic magazine, named the region of northern Australia that includes Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia as the place where local languages are most threatened. The linguists said aboriginal Australia harbors some of the most endangered languages, with 153 different ones spoken in this region.
A region of central South America covering Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Bolivia was second on the list of "hot spots," with indigenous languages being overcome by Spanish, Portuguese or other indigenous languages.
The linguists said Bolivia has twice the language diversity of the nations of Europe combined, but many of the smaller tongues are being smothered by Spanish or other languages.
Placing third and fifth on the list were regions of North America where the languages of native peoples are imperiled -- an area including British Columbia in Canada and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon, and an area covering the U.S. states of Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. Eastern Siberia, also with endangered native languages, was the No. 4 "hot spot."
SEMI-SPEAKERS
"There are quite a few languages, dozens if not hundreds, that are down to one, two or three speakers, or maybe even they've lost their last fluent speakers but have a few 'semi-speakers' who have a passive knowledge of the language," Harrison said in a telephone interview.
"We're going to lose an immense storehouse of knowledge," Harrison added, noting for example that valuable information accumulated over centuries about various living species exists in languages of native peoples.
Many languages have no written form, meaning that they are lost forever when their last speaker dies, Harrison said.
"Languages often trickle out of existence rather than sort of abruptly disappearing," said Gregory Anderson, co-director of the Enduring Voices project and director of the nonprofit Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages.
Over the years, some languages have been deliberately exterminated by colonizers or aggressors taking over territory or waging genocide, the linguists said.
Children now often decide a language's fate, Harrison said, by abandoning an ancestral tongue for another language they see as more widely used, for example, on television or in school.
The linguists with the Enduring Voices project have been traveling to interview the last speakers of certain languages.
"We'll start with a basic 100- or 200-word list. And then we'll go over each word with them again to make sure that we're transcribing it correctly, and try to repeat it to them," Anderson said.
"And usually they'll burst out laughing at that point because we have hideously mispronounced it ... or make some word that sounds obscene to them. ... I did that in Australia, I'm afraid," Anderson added.
Most people might not think twice about language policies but in reality, they play a big role in determining whether or not individuals can be accepted by the ingroup/desirable institutions as this article (here ) suggest.
