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The Language of Balnibarbi
The Old Library at Trinity College, Dublin.
Inside the Long Room of the Old Library at Trinity College, Dublin, where Jonathan Swift was a student from 1682 to 1686. As secretary to the prominent diplomat Sir William Temple from 1689, Swift became actively involved in Westminster politics at a time when the two-party system of Whigs and Tories was growing very lively; originally on the Whig side, Swift drifted towards the Tories over time. ‘The Tale of a Tub’ (1704) and ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ (1726) were instant successes on publication.
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Inside the Long Room of the Old Library at Trinity College, Dublin, where Jonathan Swift was a student from 1682 to 1686. As secretary to the prominent diplomat Sir William Temple from 1689, Swift became actively involved in Westminster politics at a time when the two-party system of Whigs and Tories was growing very lively; originally on the Whig side, Swift drifted towards the Tories over time. ‘The Tale of a Tub’ (1704) and ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ (1726) were instant successes on publication.
Introduction
Lemuel Gulliver is visiting the distinguished Academy in Balnibarbi, where absent-minded professors pursue countless schemes for bettering society. In the School of Languages, for example, some experts plan to do away with verbs, participles and words of more than one syllable, but their colleagues are far bolder.
THE other project was, a scheme for entirely abolishing all words whatsoever; and this was urged as a great advantage in point of health, as well as brevity. For it is plain, that every word we speak is, in some degree, a diminution of our lungs by corrosion, and, consequently, contributes to the shortening of our lives.
An expedient was therefore offered, “that since words are only names for things, it would be more convenient for all men to carry about them such things as were necessary to express a particular business they are to discourse on.”
And this invention would certainly have taken place, to the great ease as well as health of the subject, if the women, in conjunction with the vulgar and illiterate, had not threatened to raise a rebellion unless they might be allowed the liberty to speak with their tongues, after the manner of their forefathers; such constant irreconcilable enemies to science are the common people.
1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?
2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?
3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?
Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.
Jonathan Swift took a swipe at progressive academics, sending Lemuel Gulliver to interview radical linguists who advocated doing away with all words for communication, instead brandishing objects to communicate ideas. Gulliver noted that women and the working classes had objected, and that the scholars blamed such people for repeatedly standing in the way of scientific advance. (56 / 60 words)
Jonathan Swift took a swipe at progressive academics, sending Lemuel Gulliver to interview radical linguists who advocated doing away with all words for communication, instead brandishing objects to communicate ideas. Gulliver noted that women and the working classes had objected, and that the scholars blamed such people for repeatedly standing in the way of scientific advance.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, because, may, or, ought, until, whereas, whether.
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Lung. Particular. Take.
2 Only. Raise. Speak.
3 Contribute. Ease. Invention.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
dtd (5)
audited. dated. dieted. doted. edited.
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Picture: By Johannes Moreelse (?1602-1634), Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.. Source.
Posted February 24
