Computer Mediated Communication

I felt that the last teaching seminar on Computer Mediated Communication was perhaps one of the most interesting as the listed examples of tools were all familiar to us in one way or another. Especially since most of us have been bred in this affluent society, computers, handphones as well as the use of internet have become almost indispensable in our daily lives. So does that make us slaves to technology? Well, that may be debatable.

Recounting on how Malaysia pinned the blame on the extensive use of internet language such as abbreviations for their deteoriating standard of English certainly reminds me of how ludicrous it was for them to have confidently claimed our famous local dishes like Laksa and chilli crabs to have been originally theirs. Personally, I believe that any one with a mind of his/her own is able to know when to apply the appropriate language style depending on circumstances. For instance, "u" is the common abbreviation for "you", often used in online chats like msn and in informal emails. But do YOU see any abbreviations being used here? I don't think any one of us uses abbreviations in their blogging exercise especially since it's for class purposes, there is this notion of formality.

So my point being that it is natural for one to be able to know when to use the right style of language based on various situations. And hence, the stand made by Malaysia, wherein internet language has caused the standard of their English to suffer sounds ridiculous to me.

Market Transactions

At some point or other, we have all bought something for someone, a loved one, a friend or that annoying friend that we all too often feel obligated to buy him or her something just because it's their birthday.

This week, I will be talking about market place transactions and the underlying factors that contribute to the speech event of buying or selling of goods in the market place, between the vendor and the customer.

Whether we realise it or not, we all are in one way or another contributing to a structured or more accurately, routinised script. The structure of this speech event begins by the vendor offering his goods to potential customers, which, an interested customer will in turn respond by choosing the goods or by asking the vendor for the price. If both parties have agreed on the price, the transaction is then completed by the exchanging of goods for money.

There is however a way out for those of us who are unwilling to be slaves to a scripted event in which we as consmers sometimes feel duped into getting something we do not want. This event or script, will only be conformed to if the vendor and the buyer have the same end goal in mind. In this instance, the customer has to have the goal in mind to to purchase whatever the vendor is selling and the vendor, as all sane vendors should, have the goal to sell his product. Therefore, the way out of this conformity to a scripted speech act would be to never have a similar end goal as the vendor.

In conclusion, as fas as market transactions are concerned, like it or not, we as consumers have no choice but to conform and be slaves to this scripted speech act since no man is an island and we all have to depend on vendors for daily neccesities. So bring on the shackles and chains, I'm off to the market!