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Lynn Truss Article - "Eats, Shoots & Leaves"
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Eliška Belejová 19/10/2021Analysis of Lynn Truss Article
The text talks about the “plummeting punctuation” which suggests that the ‘correct
use’ of language is declining at a fast rate. It suggests a declinist point of view of
language, implying that there was once a great peak in language use, or a so-called
‘golden age’ but now it is continuously going down. Truss seems to share a belief
similar to Aichinsons metaphor of the “Crumbling Castle” which suggests that like an
old castle, language is being destroyed because of people's carelessness as they
continue to abandon it. “Plummeting punctuation standards” emphasize the idea that
language is getting worse and worse as time goes by; like an abandoned castle, left
to fall apart. The dynamic verb “plummeting” gives us an idea of how ‘seriously’
language is affected by others’ ‘incorrect’ use, according to Lynn Truss and her
declinist views on language. The suffix “-ing” also shows that it is ongoing and likely
won’t come to a halt in the near future. This further highlights Truss’ prescriptivist
view on language.
In the article, Truss uses the concrete nouns “pedant” and “stickler.” Both of these
concrete nouns are used by the writer to represent herself. This suggests that she
doesn’t hide her pride in being a perfectionist when it comes to language. Both
nouns suggest an obsession with rules and a need for things to be correct and in
order: used correctly. They clearly present a sense of pride on the writer's part. This
is further emphasised by the adjective “true.” Truss states that she is a “true stickler”
further highlighting the idea of having pride in her views which try to establish a ‘right’
and ‘wrong’ way to use language.
In the article, we can see Truss implying a sense of verbal hygiene, as proposed by
Deborah Cameron in 1995. Truss mentions that seeing the word “books” spelled with
an apostrophe, and seeing the overuse of apostrophes in general is a “satanic
sprinkling.” This noun phrase links to Camerons ideas about verbal hygiene and a
need to maintain tradition in grammar and language use. The adjective “satanic”
shows the writer’s fears of language slipping into chaos and portrays Truss’
prescriptivist views and conservative fears that language is being damaged or hurt
as if it was a living entity.
Truss makes sure to distinguish between her allies and those who might oppose her
views from the very beginning of the article stating that “Either this will ring bells for
you, or it won’t.” The poor attempt to balance the two sides in this compound
sentence immediately establishes a division between the prescriptivists and
descriptivists. Placing the shorter part of the sentence which she doesn’t agree with
at the end creates an arrogant tone and a dismissive approach towards those who
may not side with her. Through this, the writer distances herself from those who don’t
believe in a declinist or prescriptivist view of language.
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