This way to the stars

F for Filipino

I think I am going to have my First Fun, Friendly, Fantastic, Fantabulous F in Filipino tomorrow.

I am soooo looking forward to it. NOT!

Our class was assigned by Mr. Coroza, the Terror of the Filipino Department, to read Language, Meaning, and Interpretation, the fourth chapter in Jonathan Culler's book Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction, because he'll be giving a quiz on that tomorrow.

But wait! Do I hear wondering whispered voices? Because why the hell is Mr. Coroza giving us a Tagalog quiz on a hellish, complicated, and convoluted English article?!?

Because confusing and convoluted the text really is. It contained such a barrage of information and discussions presented in such a technical and over-analytical way that it produced a veritable mind-numbing effect on the reader (who happened to be ME).

Here is an excerpt of the text.

"Saussure distinguishes the system of a language (la langue) from particular instances of speech and writing (parole). The task of linguistics is to reconstruct the underlying system (or grammar) of a language that makes possible the speech events or parole. This involves a further distinction between synchronic study of a language (focusing on a language as a system at a particular time, present or past) and diachronic study, which looks at the historical changes to particular elements of the language."

Now, didn't that get your brain fried?

I could hardly even understand the English text; how in the hell am I going to answer Mr. Coroza's all-essay-type quiz in Tagalog?

That is why I am bracing myself for My First F. Good luck.

posted by steph @ 5:30 PM