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The Battalion
IOIN
Page 11
Wednesday • April 2, 1997
lang, colloquialisms
ominate dialogue
ack in this
, mo-fo for tha’
’nine-seven,
[me, Funky G, slan-
' an bangin’ this
zy text for hella prop-
|So what’s up on the
Iwnlow, Cowdaddy?”
TWell, me ‘n Cooter
|gonna head on
Twn to tha Hall an
Sstle us up some Fil
ls, yallinna come?”
I Slang.
One day English will
Columnist
Mason Jackson
Senior
marketing major
lyttr;
the only language spoken on
^Hrth by civilized individuals, and
we owe it all to slang,
ininfl How so? Let me explain. The
I* world is going to need one lan-
|age when we become the global
llage of which so many speak,
le world really is getting smaller,
IboaBough none of A&M’s geology
IpHofessors would allow themselves
|ro£: td be quoted on that.
j Just look at what is going on in
lUiwope. They are working to es-
fioii: tdldish one currency for all the
i n member nations of the European
pSinBonomic Community. And then
there is the Internet, which makes
itextremely easy to discuss the
merits of UFO’s and obscenities
i people from hundreds of
■mntries all over the globe. As in-
Iraction between people from
liferent regions of the planet in
leases, so too will the need for
one language.
Why will it be English? Because,
to encompass people from so
fpuSv many different cultures, a highly
iois adaptable language will be need-
Bd. And Americans’ propensity for
llang is just a manifestation of the
•’easy adaptability of the English
language, a language which has a
vocabulary about half Germanic
[nr® and half Romance (and by Ro
mance I mean French and Latin,
Sbf “Ireally love your peaches,
lanna shake your trde”). Also,
[tany of our science terms have
jeen borrowed from the Greeks,
Jot to mention the geeks.
A convenient way for words to
lork their way into common us-
age is to start out as
slang. So if slang is the
doorway to the future of
language, what better
place to be than a col
lege campus (unofficial
motto: where cultures
mingle unless there is
any waypossible they
can avoid it).
A quick walk across
campus allows you to
sample no fewer than
three types of slang,
which I have conve
niently pre-stereotyped for you as
homey, dude and bubba.
Members of each “slanguage”
do not fall into any strict racial
or ethnic categories. But people
who speak heavily in a “slan
guage” is outside their cultural
context are referred to as, and
here I borrow from the “dude”
lexicon, posers (see: Marky
Mark, Vanilla Ice).
I encourage everyone to find
out what “slanguage” they speak,
since it is not always readily ap
parent. For instance, the phrase
“Wliat’s up?” can be used by both
homeys and dudes, but the pro
nunciations differ. Homeys pre
fer the quick “Wassup?,’’whereas
dudes tend to use the slowed-
down “What’s uuup?”
But some phrases are immedi
ately identifiable, like the bubba
terms “heifer” and “crop rotation.”
If you think you need to spice
up your conversation with a new
“slanguage,” then experiment.
Hang out in different areas
around campus. English profes
sors are notorious for saying
things like “that jive-turkey best
step off o’ my ho.”
And the fun-loving chem
istry T.A.s are famous for their
use of Australian slang (“throw
another nucleotide on the bar
bie, mate”).
Whichever “slanguage” a per
son settles on, two things should
be remembered — it should be
used correctly and in modera
tion. After all, it’s the future
we’re talking about.
Last bus to Aggieland
Walking offers more benefits / less trials than the bus
S tudents looking
for an adventure
to bring them
closer to their fellow
Aggies, waste their
time and enhance
claustrophobia don’t
have far to look. They
simply need to ride the
bus, more specifically
the “On-Campus Shut
tle," better known as
the lazy way to get
around campus.
Of course, if they
want to get to class just as fast,
get a little exercise and enjoy a
beautiful day, they could walk.
But then they would pass up
the chance to participate in the
“See How Many Aggies Can Fit
On a Bus” contest at the Texas
A&M Circus.
Riding the bus is an adven
ture, and here are some tips to
make a bus trip the best it can be:
When it comes to the bus sys
tem on campus, there is an early
bus and a late bus for each stop
between class periods. But sever
al things can happen when one
attempts to catch the early bus.
Let’s say “Jim” the Aggie needs
to get to class. To guarantee a
seat on this early bus, Jim arrives
at the bus stop at least 25 min
utes before class begins, in which
case he has time to walk anyway.
Second, Jim comes in sight of
the bus stop just as the bus is
pulling up to it. Jim runs like a
scalded ape in a hail storm to get
there before it takes off, only to
have the driver floor it just as he
gets to the rear of the bus.
Black smoke billows out of the
tail pipe and into Jim’s lungs,
causing him to pass out. Fellow
Aggies take him to Beutel, where
he’s told he is pregnant.
But let’s say Jim does make it.
Let’s say the timing is perfect and
he secures a place of his very own
on the bus of his choice. The ad
venture has just begun.
As Jim and the other lucky bus
Columnist
David Boldt
Senior management
marketing major
riders pile onto the
bus, he remembers he
must fill the empty
seats first. If Jim sits
next to someone
when there is an empty
seat elsewhere, he is la
beled a freak and de
serves the stares he gets.
Since Jim is a guy, he
might as well not even
sit down, for he most
likely will give his seat
to a woman anyway.
Certainly this is the the
way it should be, but sometimes
this chivalry causes more conges
tion when a guy gives up his seat
to a woman 10 feet down the
aisle. Asking a woman to climb
over five people in order to take
the seat offered her is stupid.
Practicality is the key, and
many times the bus is simply not
practical. This is especially true
for anyone trying to get to West
Campus from Southside. Once
again there is usually an early bus
and a late bus — sometimes just
two late busses.
For business students who live
on Southside, trying to get to the
Wehner Building leaves them
with two options: take the Rud
der bus and walk from Kleberg to
Wehner, or walk to the YMCA
Building and catch the Yell Prac
tice bus to Wehner.
Either way, the trip takes 20-
25 minutes, which is about the
time it takes to walk that dis
tance anyway.
Despite what Texas Monthly
says, Texas A&M University has a
beautiful campus. Although it
rains a lot, the clear days here can
be spectacular, making for a great
walk to class.
Everyone could use a little exer
cise. Just try the “Corps speed-walk”
to class one day and you’ll see why
we do it. You will arrive to class
faster and feel more awake and in
vigorated when you get there.
The simple fact remains: A&M
has a lot more sidewalk space
than room on the bus.
- - —
\&M students neglect professors as interesting people
(3
L’Oi:
l /T ost Aggies see their
\/l professors as mere
l V JL sources of instruc-
on. Students only visit an
istructor’s office to ask
uestions about an assign-
lent or complain about the
fading of an exam, if they
iother to find the office at all.
Students rob themselves
f terrific experiences when
ley fail to meet their pro-
ssors and get to know them
Columnist
nd s >etter. Everyone should
leet their professors to get advice,
ear experiences and make a friend.
Professors are hired for their knowl-
dge and experience. Students can
»" ike advantage of these attributes,
ven outside of a classroom setting. At
world-class university such as Texas
| et " ( AM, many professors have notewor-
liy backgrounds. Many members of
P°" he faculty are involved in renowned
ovtf
Is#
dfli
research projects, know var
ious celebrities and lead in
teresting lives.
Many instructors have
been teaching for several
years, so they are familiar
with problems common to
students. From scheduling
to work pressures, profes
sors can usually offer con
structive advice. Few peo
ple would consider a
teaching job if they did not
care about students. Facul
ty members are almost al
ways happy to help out Aggies.
A large number of A&M professors
also have worked in private industry
for many years. Their work experi
ence allows them to help students
who are trying to start careers. Pro
fessors in University departments
have often already worked in the
fields that interest students. The po
David Johnston
junior
mathematics major
litical science department is staffed
with former lobbyists, and even
President Bowen had an impressive
career in chemical engineering.
Often the richest information pro
fessors can provide is their personal
anecdotes and experiences.
Professor Richard Stadelmann, di
rector of religious studies, often
shares his sundry experiences with
students. In his small office overflow
ing with books, he tells of the time he
debated Gary Hart, went to school
with the Rev. Jim Jones or spent a few
days with the homeless in Austin “to
see what it was like.”
Students are amused by the wide
range of Stadelmann’s stories. Be
sides his activity in religious organi
zations (he met the Zoroastrian high
priest), he has been involved in state
and national politics (he served as
parliamentarian for the Republican
Party of Texas).
A&M’s instructors are usually ex
perts in their field. Anyone with an
interest in a particular academic top
ic could benefit from visiting with a
professor about current research and
developments. Even if a student nev
er plans to take another course in the
field of their professor’s expertise,
they can expand the scope of their
knowledge by using the resources
available at our University.
Though faculty members are often
busy, they usually are available to
help students. Professors can provide
input on projects from other classes,
help with private undertakings or an
swer student’s questions.
Unfortunately, students are often
afraid to even approach their own
professors about a class concern. As
a result, some instructors actually
dread the office hours they are
forced to keep in case a student hap
pens to come by. Students miss a
great opportunity to learn outside
the classroom.
Aside from the personal aspect of
meeting an instructor outside the
classroom setting, professors enjoy
feedback from their students. It helps
them understand where the class is
having problems, what aspects of the
course are most beneficial and what
should be changed in future semes
ters. First-hand reports are more ben
eficial than a Scantron-style evalua
tion form completed in five minutes.
Conversations with faculty members
can have far-reaching benefits.
The University environment lends
itself to opportunities students may
never get again. Institutions of higher
learning have a high concentration of
brilliant people and intense re
searchers. Aggies should be careful
not to waste this opportunity to meet
and get to know such prominent and
interesting people.
»» Eu> m
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■qco Exec FORCED
Arrogant students
fail to respect song
Regarding Brendan O’Reilly’s April
1 Mail Call letter:
I am amazed at O’Reilly’s arrogance.
As an American, I have witnessed the
outrage displayed when individuals
do not show the American flag the re
spect it deserves. As an A&M student,
I have also heard the outcry of voices
when individuals do not remove caps
in the MSC.
Students fully expect visitors to
the MSC to show respect even if this
tradition “does not mean anything”
to them. It seems to me that recog
nizing the Negro National Anthem
out of respect for the struggles of
African-Americans would go far in
making African-American students
feel welcome and valued at A&M.
O’Reilly’s rigid refusal to show re
spect for the Negro Anthem only
shows a level of ignorance that runs
counter to an education at a
“world-class” institution.
Sonia R. King
Class of’97
Non-regs support
A&M traditions
In response to Dave House’s
April 1 guest column.
Contrary to popular belief,
most non-regs at this University do
support the traditions that go on
here. If they didn’t, the traditions
would die.
At last count, a lot more than
2,200 people show up to watch
Bonfire burn — I think it’s
around 70,000. If anyone honest
ly believes that 2,200 people
could keep 40,000 non-consent
ing people standing year after
year at football games, they’re
smoking something. House is
right about one thing — Highway
6 does run both ways.
Adam Greer
Class of’98
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