Weekly Blog 8_Lunkun Deng

Just as David Foster Wallace has pointed out, there are usage wars within English, and he illuminates some reasons for the usage wars. Usage wars broke out for factors such as the difference of geographical backgrounds, race, level of education and social status. Similarly, these factors lead to the usage wars between languages, especially between Chinese and English. However, the “Usage Wars” between Chinese and English are slightly different from what David Foster Wallace describes in the “Usage Wars” inside English, which have prescriptivists and descriptivists in it. In the “Usage Wars” between Chinese and English, English is now acting as a prescriptivist in the wars, safeguarding the “Tradition”. Meanwhile, Chinese is on the prescriptive side as well, but challenging the authority of English Usage. I used to learn standard Chinese, following Chinese traditions. Living in China, I spoke Chinese most of the time, both at home and in school. I have been a prescriptivist in Chinese, and I have tried to be a prescriptivist in English. Now the language I am using is transferring from Chinese to English. Even though I have been learning standard English, especially the usage rules of English, I am still greatly struggling with English usage. I conclude my situation into a “Usage War” between Chinese and English, since as a non-native speaker of English, sometimes I make mistakes unconsciously. Why will I come across the conflict between these two languages? Taking David Foster Wallace’s point of view into account, I think my “Usage Wars” break out because of two main reasons. One is the level of education in English I have received. The other one is the “Language Gap” between two languages, Chinese and English, from two different language systems.



I rewrite this paragraph in the following three aspects.

First, I improve the cohesion between sentences. For example, the first several sentences now have a common topic. In the first two sentences I talk about the “Usage Wars” in English. The third sentence makes a smooth transition. Then from the fourth sentence on, I describe the “Usage Wars” between Chinese and English.

Second, I clarify some specific concept in the paragraph. In the second half of the paragraph, I explain what the “Usage Wars” between Chinese and English means to me, a non-native speaker of English.

Third, I make some changes regarding to grammar and English idioms.

All above, I think my new version present my audience more clear and thoughtful ideas.