Task 3- Voice to Text

Posted on September 24, 2023 by Jill Schmidt

Transcript of my story: 

1 My oldest son who is 19 and going into his second year of University did not get into residence this meant that I needed to buy him a bed I ordered the bed second week of August and the earliest delivery date I could get that was on a weekend was Saturday September 16th so about a week before I got an email from Sleep Country where I had ordered the bed online  

5 and it was asking to confirm the phone number address and the date I forwarded that email to my son and said read this in caps lock bold letters and then later that day I got another email that had a tracking number so I was a bit confused as to why there was a tracking number for a delivery that I had pre-selected the date the tracking number said that it wasn’t going to be delivered until Wednesday so I told my son heads up the bed might be coming a bit late and I 

 10 had so much going on with the start of teaching high school and the start of grad school that I just did not look into what I felt was weird about these emails then Saturday morning rolls around and I wake up early with this gut feeling that I’ve messed everything up so I go back into these emails look at them more clearly and realize that the second email with the tracking number was not from Sleep Country it was from sleep happy or something like that it was for  

15 accessories for my husband’s CPAP machine so now I’m texting and phoning and FaceTiming my son all morning thinking he’ll have his ringer off and he’s going to miss the phone call from Sleep Country that is going to tell him the window that he will be getting his delivery so then at about 10:30 on Saturday morning the day of the delivery he my son finally calls me back text me back and I got him to check his phone and look at the missed calls and  

20 he said the only missed calls he has are from me so now I’m worried that I gave them the wrong phone number so I go look at that original email and I find that he that I had put the wrong number I had one of my dyslexic episode where I switched to numbers around so I feel terrible But I’m also frustrated that my son didn’t read the email and didn’t notice the mistake that I had made when I originally placed the order anyways I call the customer service line for   

25 Sleep Country give them the correct phone number they say they will contact the drivers and give them the correct phone number several hours go by where my son has still not heard from the drivers of Sleep Country and I’m now trying to arrange away for me to get to my son’s house house so that I can sit there and wait for the bed to arrive because he had since made plans when I told him that it wasn’t coming until Wednesday he made plans to go golfing with his  

30 friends his new roommates or housemates I guess so 12:30 which is half an hour before I would have to leave to get to his house in time to let him get to golf on time I text and say have you heard anything from Sleep Country and he says yes they called and said they’d be here in 3 minutes so in the end the bed was delivered and thankfully I did not have to drive an hour to get to his house to let the bed people in it was a terrible day where I felt like I made so many  

35 mistakes and there were so many opportunities for me to have noticed the mistakes but I was too busy and too overwhelmed to look closely at the details but thankfully everything worked out in the end and my son has a comfortable bed to sleep in instead of the air mattress that he had been sleeping in 

How does the text deviate from conventions of written English? 

  • My voice to text story deviates significantly from the conventions of written English. First of all, there is no punctuation. The other most noticeable deviation from written English, are the vocal fillers that are generally not written; words such as: anyways, and so, and then. If I were to have written this story, I would have replaced those words to add interest. 

What is “wrong” in the text? What is “right”? What are the most common “mistakes” in the text and why do you consider them “mistakes”? 

  • There were a few words that were transcribed incorrectly, but they were minor and didn’t change the meaning of the story. For example, on line 22 the word should be the number word two. Also, in line 27-28 the word house is repeated, I don’t think I repeated that word when I told the story orally.  
  • I was a little surprised to see that the computer knew that Sleep Country was a proper noun, and therefore capitalized the first letters of those words consistently. I was also surprised to see that it recognized what a “C-pap” was and wrote it as an acronym with all caps locked letters. 
  • The other thing it did right was spelling! I am a terrible speller, so it was surprising to not see any red underlined words in the transcript.  

What if you had “scripted” the story? What difference might that have made? 

  • This was an excellent experience. It was a challenge to not dictate the punctuation. I felt vulnerable, not having a script to tell the story. If I had scripted it, I probably would have added time stamps and given a proper introduction to the situation. I would have told the story in a much clearer and sequential order.

In what ways does oral storytelling differ from written storytelling?  

  • Gnanadesikan (2011), points out that oral storytelling has been around since the beginning of humanity, where written storytelling was developed over time, as people found a need to record the things they couldn’t remember (p.4). All societies have oral language (or sign language) whereas there are still some remote societies today that do not have written language. 
  • The retelling of an oral story will change over time. In the recording of Walter Obe’s lecture he states that no oral story can be repeated verbatim (2:50). While there was still a high degree of confidence in the retelling of stories, because remembering them was valued in oral cultures, still each person who told the story would tell it a little bit differently.  
  • Oral story telling also “produces powerful and beautiful verbal performances of high artistic and human worth” (Ong, 2002). I can’t help but be reminded of Amanda Gorman’s poetic speech at Biden’s inauguration in 2021 (PBS). Reading this poem would not have produced the same powerful impact that came out of her reciting it orally. However, interestingly, three short months after she had recited her poem on live television, it had been published into a book. I’m sure there were capitalistic reasons for publishing the poem in writing; but I also think there was likely a desire to preserve the poem. People wanted to be able to refer to it, re-hear it, remember it, speak it to their own children. Drawing lines between what is oral and what is written is quite complicated these days, because while the poem was first presented to the public as an oral work of art; I am sure that Amanda Gorman would have composed it on paper with written word. Furthermore, I’m no poet, but I’m sure for poets, the composition of a poem is likely a combination of both saying the words out loud and then writing them down. This just goes to show how oral and written language are so entwined in the majority of humanity today. 

References: 

Aboud, A. (2014, September 8). Walter Ong – Oral Cultures and Early Writing [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvF30zFImuo&t=2s

Ong, W.J. (2002). Chapter 1: The orality of language.Links to an external site. In Orality and literacy: The technologizing of the word (pp. 5-16). Routledge. (Original work published 1982). 

PBS News Hour. (2021, January 20). WATCH: Amanda Gorman reads inauguration poem, ‘The Hill We Climb’ [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ055ilIiN4&t=27s 

 

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Task 2- Does language shape the way we think?

Posted on September 17, 2023 by Jill Schmidt

Here are my reflections on Lera Borditsky’s SAR lecture “How Languages & Culture Shape the Way We Think” from May 2017 .

1.  [4:25] If just want to tell you where I live and it’s the 7th blue house to the left of the big tree… 

2. [8:14] Is it true that speakers of different languages actually attend to the world differently. To what extent does language and culture guide what we see in the world? 

I’ve tied these quotes together because I feel that the first quote is evidence for the second one. It is quite telling to learn that some languages don’t have specific words for numbers, or a generic word for tree. I think this is an example of where the language portrays what the culture who speaks it values.  

I have heard it said before that the Hawaiian language has something like 200 words for rain! It rains a lot in Vancouver, but I certainly don’t know anywhere close to even 100 words for rain in the English language. This, to me, is further evidence that in Hawaii, they value being able to distinguish between the different types of rain! They think differently about rain; they attend to and learn about the different types of rain, in ways that we don’t. 
3. [8:56] Quoting Fredrick the Great of Prussia, Boroditsky says, “I speak English to my accountants, French to my ambassadors, Italian to my mistress, Latin to my God, and German to my horse.” 

While I understand that point of this quote was draw attention to the fact that different languages are known to have different strengths or are known for being more romantic etc. 

Just last week, I learned about a family in my school where the parents speak one language to each other (their native language) and “broken” English to their child. When they immigrated to Canada, it was suggested to them that they only speak English to their child. On the one hand, I understand why someone might suggest that to their child, if their goal was to raise a child with English as it’s native tongue. But I wonder if this is actually the best approach. The parents are self-conscious about the English their child is learning from them because they don’t feel fluent. The parents said it feels awkward for them to communicate with each other in any language other than their native language. I think it is sad that they are not teaching their child their native language. I wonder what this does to their relationship with their child? 
4. [18:30] When you teach someone to talk a new way, you are teaching them to think in a new way as well. That tells us that language has a casual power; you can change the way people think by changing the way they talk! 

This quote makes me think about something I am so passionate about: “language matters, words matter!” As a learning support teacher, I have had my job title change from year to year and school district to school district. I was once called a Special Education Teacher, a Resource Teacher, and Inclusive Education Teacher. The same goes for ESL (English as a Second Language); which has changed from ESL to ELL (English Language Learner) to EAL (English as an Additional Language). Often my colleagues roll their eyes at the new term or way of saying something. My hope is that people will become aware that these changes to the language are meant to help people change the way they think. For example, not every English language learner is learning English as their second language, it could be their third or fourth.  

A few other words and phrases that are either now obsolete or are changing the way people think are: disabled, handicapped, “Black Lives Matter”, and LGBTQ has grown to include LGBTQQIP2SA. Something I have been passionate about while working in learning supports is to bring attention to my colleagues when speaking about the children in their class. The child should not be spoken about as if they are the disease or diagnosis. For example, instead of saying “This student in my class Diego is ADHD”. I model language like, “I have a student in my class named Diego who has ADHD”.  
5. [35:00] Not all languages use base ten. Some use base 12, 27, remote tribes in the amazon don’t even have number words at all.  

I, naively, did not realize that a base ten number system wasn’t standard across all languages and cultures. I do remember learning about the language of numbers during my Bachelor of Ed. Degree. I found it fascinating how the word eleven actually means ten and one left over. The professor gave so many examples of different languages have named their numbers and English seemed to the most illogical! French for example, the word 11 is actually ten and one. 
6. [43:54] Language & Culture make us super smart. We inherit so much knowledge that’s been built over thousands of generations of our predecessors; our systems of metaphors for space and time, our number systems, our ways of attending to impartially out events; all of these are cognitive tools that have been built by our predecessors. 

I think this point is very important! I think it is easy for someone who only speaks one language, let’s say English, to judge or look down on someone who is learning English as an additional language. The native English speaker may not value what the speaker who is learning English has to say because they don’t “sound” as fluent. I see this a lot in local high schools in regard to international students. I’m sure there are other social and cultural factors that go into the fact that it appears hard for the international students to become woven into the general school population, but I am confident that language proficiency is a factor.  
7. [50:02] The problem of translation in the UN is much worse than we have just outlined because…. there would be multiple translators, for example: Lithuanian to French, then French to Greek etc. By the time you get the message translated, you can imagine how many ways it has changed.  

I found this question and response fascinating. I had never thought about it before, but of course it would be the case. I have a friend whose father is doing his own direct translation of the Greek from the New Testament, into English. She said it is barely recognizable to read his direct translation of Greek to English. Unless it is a very common passage, such as John 3:16** she would struggle to understand what the English words mean when written in this direct translation. 

** For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (New International Version) 
8.  [53:43] Reading Fiction improves theory of mind. 

Can I get an “Amen” for the shout out to lovers of reading fiction? 

There are several reasons why I love reading fiction, historical fiction in particular. The first is to learn about people of different cultures, experiencing life in different parts of history. I have lived a privileged life and I feel it is my duty as such (and as an empath) to learn about how other people have experienced life. Another reason I love to read fiction is simple escapism and a love of the written word. I find this to be true from watching both reality tv and movies. 

 

 

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Task 1- What’s in your bag?

Posted on September 9, 2023 by Jill Schmidt

What is your daily need for the items in your bag?  

  • This is my Grad School bag.  
  • “Why would an online student need a school bag?” you may wonder. Well, I like to do my schoolwork/reading in various locations in my house and at Starbucks with my daughters. I like having a bag to keep everything together. 

How might these items be considered “texts” and what do they say about you, the places you inhabit, the cultures with which you engage, and/or the activities you take up? 

Item  Text/Technology  About Me, Culture, Activities 
Anta Carpet Bag  It could be considered text because it is made of wool, woven in Scotland.   -I am ¾ Scottish 

-I love nature 

-I love bags ???? 
ETEC 530- Textbooks  Well, the connection to text isn’t hard to see here.   -Partly because I am an online teacher and therefore on my computer all day, I prefer to read on paper whenever possible.  
UBC Notebooks  This is where I write my notes on the lessons, readings and videos.  -I like pretty things.  

-I couldn’t afford pretty things when I went to UBC the first go around, so I treat myself now.  
TEA  The tea leaves are contained in a lovely silk woven bag.   -Early Grey is the sole method of caffeinating myself every morning, all morning.   
Air pods 

(MacBook- not pictured) 

 Technology  -I study in the early mornings, before my family members are awake. I use my air pods so as not to wake them while watching videos/podcasts.  

-The books I read for pleasure now, are almost always in audio-book format. 
Pens  Could be considered technology, they inspire creativity, and help me to ‘systematically organize grammar’ (OED- etymology)  -Erasable pens, because I make lots of spelling mistakes, and like to colour code my notes. 

-Original PaperMate Pen. I had ADHD and this is my fidget pen. I am very concerned about the fact that these are no longer being produced and was able to source a few packages that need to last me the rest of my life! ???? 

 

What do these items say about how you engage with language and communication? 

  • The air pods, notebooks, and paper books reflect my love of learning, literacy, language and communication. The fact that I am taking a master’s degree and have all of these items in this school bag in the first place, also represents connections to literacy, language, communication and learning.  

How does the narrative of the (private) contents of your bag compare with the narrative produced by the image you have of yourself or the image you outwardly project? 

  • I would say that the narrative of the contents of my bag are a clear representation of my outward persona. Those who know me know that I have ADHD and therefore can be a little type-A in how I organize and colour things. It is the only way I know how to keep things in order- I tend to overcompensate for my shortcomings! 

What would this same bag have looked like, say, 15 or 25 years ago? 

  • I would say the contents of my bag 15-25 years ago would have been less pretty, and less organized. It took time to develop these organizational habits. 

How do you imagine an archeologist aiming to understand this temporal period might view the contents of your bag many years in the future? 

  • This is an interesting topic to think about. I hope that all these items will still be recognizable and relevant in the future- especially paper books!!  
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Activity 1

Posted on September 9, 2023 by Jill Schmidt

Activity 1- ETEC 540 

Initial Definitions

Text- words in print, an electronic message

Technology- anything the aids in the processing of daily life. For example, a coffee machine, a hammer, a cell phone, a digital platform. 

Jonathan Berkowitz

Words that have changed since technology has developed. Jonathan Berkowitz is a UBC professor with a regular section on the CBC show, North by Northwest, where he provides entertaining insights about the English language. 

Word 

Original Definition 

Technology Influenced 
viral, virus  Venom, infectious disease  -a program that infects another computer. 
computer  Latin – to think, to prune, to calculate  -one who computes,  
cloud  Middle Ages- a hill, a mass of clay, a lump of earth. Clouds in the sky, resemble lumps of earth just in the sky.  -in the sky, where we store digital data 
tablet  Moses tablet on mount Sinai   
text  Noun- a book,   Verb- now a message sent 
code  Latin- Codex, a block of wood covered with wax used for writing.  System of words, secret meanings, now uses symbols, now computer coding. 
Firewall  Barrier of Non-combustible material to prevent the spread of for  Hardware or software, to protect computers from danger  
Cursor  Source of the word course- runner,   Where you type on a computer, a moveable visual clue. 
browser  Browse- sprouts, a forager,   Helps us search the internet 
firehose    Large stream of data 
tag  A game  A way to identify someone on a social network 
catfish    False personal profile, for fraudulent purposes 
mouse    1965- computer mouse 
Google  A huge number, a one followed by 100 zeros.  Search engine 
   

Technological change often leads to linguistic change. The word is also often a metaphor for the new meanings of words. Language is also an example of how we understand technology. Technology has given hope to bad spellers! 

Old English Dictionary

Text 

(Noun) 

 The wording of anything written or printed; the structure formed by the words in their order; the very words, phrases, and sentences as written. (1369) 

French texte, also Old Northern French tixte, tiste (12th cent. in Godefroy), the Scriptures, etc., < medieval Latin textus the Gospel, written character (Du Cange), Latin textus (u-stem) style, tissue of a literary work (Quintilian), lit. that which is woven, web, texture, < text-, participial stem of texĕre to weave. 
Textile  That has been or may be woven. Also, of or pertaining to a man-made fibre or filament, not necessarily woven. (1626) 

< Latin textilis woven, textile (sc. opus) woven fabric, < text-, participial stem of texĕre to weave. So French textile. 
Texture  n. The process or art of weaving. Obsolete. (1447-) 

v. transitive. To construct by or as by weaving; to give a texture to (anything). Usually in past participle. (1694) 

< Latin textūra a weaving: see text n.1 and -ure suffix1. So French texture (16th cent. in Godefroy Compl.). 
Technology  The branch of knowledge dealing with the mechanical arts and applied sciences; the study of this. 1612 

< (i) post-classical Latin technologia treatise on the liberal arts (1607 (in a work title) or earlier), systematic treatment of grammar (1612 or earlier), and its etymon (ii)Hellenistic Greek τεχνολογία systematic treatment (of grammar, etc.) < ancient Greek τέχνο- techno- comb. form + -λογία -logy comb. form. 
Technical  Of a person: having knowledge of or expertise in a particular art, science, or other subject; skilled in the formal and practical techniques of a particular field. In later use chiefly: expert in or concerned with applied and industrial sciences.  

< post-classical Latin technicus or its etymon ancient Greek τεχνικός (see technic adj.) + -al suffix1; compare -ical suffix. 
technique   1817–  The formal or practical aspect of any art, occupation, or field; manner of execution or performance with regard to this. Also more generally: way of doing something. 

French technique (masculine noun) technical character, technicality (1744); in later use < French technique (feminine noun) branch of knowledge, science, scholarship (1842)

 

Google Books Ngram Viewer

 

Questions

What, for example, do textiles have to do with text? 

  • One of the etymologies of the word text, is to be woven which clearly how the word textile came to be.  

How is technology related to text? 

  • Technology was considered an art. The art of systematically interacting with grammar. 

Consider, for example, how the term technology is used at present by ministries or departments of education. Consider also why many scholars and performers speak of performance (dramatic, filmic, and so on), graphic art, etc., as “text.” 

  • I am reminded that drama, film, graphic art etc. Are all considered to be a part of the language arts program in schools. High school English has a film unit for example. I think this confirms that the words text and technology are related due to their nature of being forms of communication, connection and expression.  

Can you identify historical events that might have influenced changes in the usage of these terms over time as evidenced in the Google Ngram search? 

  • The early 1500s is when colonization of the America’s started which would have heavily influenced the usage of these words as the Europeans brought their use of text and technology with them spreading knowledge. 

Sources:

EZproxy login. (n.d.). https://www-oed-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/dictionary/text_n1?tab=etymology#18738443

Google books Ngram viewer. (n.d.). Google Books. https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=text%2Ctechnology&year_start=1500&year_end=2019&corpus=en-2019&smoothing=3

North by northwest with Margaret Gallagher. (n.d.). CBC Listen. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-43-north-by-northwest

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