#literacy isn't an easy skill for a lot of people and so so many have been failed by school systems globally | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kerryweaverlesbian · 7 months

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Sam: hey Cass! I made you a drivers licence to go with your truck. Kind of a tradition between me and Dean that when you first drive by yourself you get one with your real name. Well, I guess two people isn't much of a tradition, but, here! I know it's a bit late but, y'know, there was a lot going on.

Cas: thank you that's very.............[squints at the details] the name is wrong.

Sam: Oh, well, you needed a surname and I thought Winchester would be-

Cas: No, that's fine. But my name is Cas.

Sam: Yeah, I put Cass.

Cas: No, it's Cas. With one S. My name is Castiel. Can you not- do you not know how to spell my name? Sam, if you need to borrow Jack's reading books, you just need to ask him, he'd be happy to help you.

Sam: Wh- dude I know how to spell! But we've been spelling your name as Cass-two-Ss this entire time. That's how you spell Cass!

Cas: We? As in, both of you? And - not Bobby surely? He knew how to spell my name?

Sam: Look, look, look I can prove it. [Pulls out his Blackberry that he's kept since 2009 and scrolls up a text chain with Dean] Look, "CASS said we're all boned." That's like two days after he met you.

Cas: I- this is...ah I understand. You faked this. You're doing a prank on me. Some sort of Gabriel-esque unreality game. I will not be fooled again, as I was when you showed me the video of "house hippos". Well played, Sam, but not well enough.

Sam: I'm not- urgh, [calling out] DEAN

Dean [yelling back from the kitchen] YEAH?

Sam: HOW DO YOU SPELL CASS? ONE S OR TWO?

Dean: HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN HIM, MAN? IT RHYMES WITH ASS. TWO.

Sam: see? And Dean gave you that name so really, he's the authority. You're Cass.

Cas:

Sam:

Cas:

Sam:

Cass, resigned: our partnership has been built on a foundation of misunderstanding and foolishness. But still we must endure. Thank you for the card. Samm.

Samm: You're welcome. Hey. Did you just feel like a, reverberation in the universe? Like something small but significant has changed?

Cass: No.

Samm: Ah, that's a relief.

Deen: HEY EVERYBODY, COME GET SOME LUNCH.

#SILLY #just to say btw not being able to spell well or intuitively doesn't make you stupid!!#it is not an indicator of your worth nor the quality of your ideas or thoughts #literacy isn't an easy skill for a lot of people and so so many have been failed by school systems globally #anyway. hehehe #cass #castiel supernatural #cawis creates

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twosides--samecoin · 2 years

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Thank you for your ask 😊 I really enjoyed answering it. So! What are some aspects of Mac that you personally feel that the fandom overlooks/handles poorly?

The good thing is his character is really not handled all that poorly by the fandom. The game definitely handles him worse on the basis of giving him a story that couldn't actually be finished and fully explored by leaving his child back in D.C. RJ Very Good Dad Whom Do Get The Medicine And Then Stays In Boston And Does Nothing is the biggest pet peeve anyone's done to the character. Fandom-wise, I would say these are "little annoyances" - if anyone holds these headcanons dear, that's cool, I don't hate on that, but the following is decidedly not for me:

Dirtbag Trashman: Ok I know his looks sorta lend themselves easy to the comparisons to ferrets, foxes, opossums, rats and whatnot; the SkinNakedDirty texture is turned WAY up on his character model, but he is not dirty, ok?? Why do some of y'all WANT him to be the Pig-Pen in the F4 Peanuts gang??

....at least not in my game he isn't dirty...

Literacy, or Lack Thereof: This is one of those headcanons I don't like for a few reasons. There's headcanons that he "read comics" that had words that were too faded to read and he made the stories up as he looked at the pictures as a kid. Sure, fine, I'm not mad at that, comics printed on crappy paper probably don't hold ink that well 250+ years on if you can find a copy without damage anyway.

My first question is why would anyone assume he specifically can't read versus any other companion? We know Lucy got her medical knowledge from textbooks; from that we can assume there was some form of teaching happening at Little Lamplight for children to learn reading and writing.

Piper is the only one we see making a living from writing but I never see anyone making those headcanons towards other characters - would Cait have learned to read or write given her abusive childhood, existing post-war outside of the structure of our society where schools aren't necessarily attended by kids and social work basically doesn't exist as a profession? It's a fairly big assumption that anyone just has the skill to read and write in the post apocalypse, and framing illiteracy as MacCready-specific has never sat well for me. Realistically there would be a lot of adults who're unable to read or write but for me, he learned to read and write alongside Lucy in Little Lamplight. Older kids taught them and it's part of the responsibility of getting a little older in LL. He helped teach the next generation of kids. For my convenience as a writer, he needs basic literacy to send letters to Duncan, anyway.

One headcanon that didn't work for me in the opposite way was that MacCready had intellectual pursuits because he knew of Henry David Thoreau. With respects to the OP, it was gleaned from a line of dialogue near Thoreau's cabin, but it's a location where everyone has a line to say. HDT is a massive influence in my personal life + writing and while RJ can read.. he's not reading Thoreau. He's generally disdainful of pre-war people and how they handled the world, resulting in a ruined one he has to live in, so he's not seeking out philosophical texts on how some Mungo named Henry who lived 400 years before his time thought people should live. What good did that do for his world? I headcanon him (in the beginning) as deeply regretful, unable to really enjoy anything too much. What hobbies? There are none. He'd read Thoreau if it would make Duncan better and solve his problems, but reading for enjoyment would largely be a waste of time. Each time he enjoys himself or isn't doing things for Duncan, it means (to him) that he's not being a good father. Something taps him on his shoulder to say it's not his place to read a book or take time off. He exists in a state of penance, in the beginning.

However, I do very much headcanon him as being receptive to Thoreau's many wisdoms (Walden and Civil Disobedience in particular) and as some of my fave classic works in literary history, I honour those texts by having those concepts introduced to him in a future chapter. I wrote the chapter before I saw that headcanon, because I always had the intent to involve literary history/discussion, so it was funny when I saw that and I was like, yes! But not like that!

I just want my readers to know that society fuckin' sucks and we all gotta touch grass and I- *gets pulled offstage*

#I had a lot to say yeesh #sorry lol #CleanCready Gang #robert joseph maccready #thank you for the ask!#long time running #ask me anything #fallout 4 headcanons #unhinged mac headcanon #henry david thoreau #cait fo4 #piper fallout 4

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woahjo · 17 days

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Hi Cal I saw the KS asks and I was summoned! This situation truly was the precursor to modern dark content morality policing. I remember so many people ran with the toxic BL label because the author had allegedly acknowledged it as a valid reading of the work. She was just excited that KS was getting so much attention and basically said that she was happy to see people engaging with her work even if it was in a different way from what she thought. Which brings up a really interesting point: is the author allowed to tell you how to read the book? And as an author, what do you do when differing interpretations escalate into completely missing the point? Is there anything you can do?

still insane to me that an author acknowledging that reading something as a romance is valid can equate to "i condone this behavior and think it's what people should strive for! it's only a romance!" very wild. the world is failing. media is dying. subtlety has been dead for a long time.

also.. as much as i'd love to say that an author is allowed to tell someone how to read or interpret work but i honestly think it's just not realistic. different life experiences breed different interpretations and, in most cases, that's not necessarily a bad thing. when it comes to missing the point completely... i really don't think there is anything to be done outside of just saying "this is the point of that work". people will read things the way they want to read things and im sure the author of KS feels some type of way about how people have interpreted her work.

when it comes to creative things, one of the blessings and curses is that people will make their own interpretations of intended messages or themes. honestly, i like it when people develop their own ideas about things i make, but there have also definitely been times where certain things i've written or done don't get noticed/are missed. i think the most an author can do (in the case that opinions end up spiraling into "missing the point") is to just.. say what the original point is and sort of let go of the reigns. once something creative is out in the world, there's no taking it back, ya know? on the other hand though, it's a wonderful things to have people enjoy / engage with your work so much that there's room for mass interpretation that way!!!

regardless, i really think that with KS and a lot of other works in similar genres that contain dark content, the issue is the demonization of thought and story. combined, ofc, with less media literacy and the currently prolific idea that writing it = condoning it. we all draw our line somewhere when it comes to that (i know i do), but the crux of the issue is that a lot of people simply... don't know how to properly read anymore. that sounds mean but it's def true. as a society, we've undervalued literature and the humanities to the point that print media is literally a dying industry. things that aren't STEM have taken a backseat not just culturally, but educationally, because they've been passed off as "easy" and "common sense", so people have stopped trying to learn it. the general belief has shifted greatly in the last few years to the idea that media literacy is a natural-born ability rather than a skill honed over many years (we all know the joke of "who cares that the curtains are blue" when the point of those exercises isn't about the color, but the ability to pick up on subtlety in literature and to teach people how to pick up on subtext). we've stopped caring about learning it because we've been taught that STEM is the more educated route and should be the central focus of education. tragically, this means that more complicated works end up in the "bad" category purely because bad things happen without obvious condemnation. and the worst part of it is that, on a daily basis (outside of profession), we use the humanities (reading, writing, analysis, ethics, etc) more than most people will ever need to use a complex math problem or know a specific scientific formula or cycle. but alas... the world is changing and i hate it.

#cal care package #this was such a good question anon thank u for asking me it #wow i got really carried away with this #but i have a lot to say about the way STEM has been pushed in education #and how the narrative of education OUTSIDE of those fields has shifted to the point that-#i believe it's borderline dangerous LOL #ppl don't have to LIKE what they're reading or LIKE dark content.. but liking it isn't quite the issue.. ya know?

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alatismeni-theitsa · 3 years

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Do you have any sort of, words of encouragement, for a Greek-American who is struggling to learn Greek? My family is pretty connected to our heritage but I was never taught to speak Greek. I am an adult now, and I know I'm at an incredible disadvantage trying to learn a new language. The most discouraging thing is when I try to pronounce a word with a sound that isn't really in English (like γ) and I KNOW I am not saying it right, but no matter how hard I try I can't pronounce it correctly.

Hello! I'm very sorry for delaying this answer for some days, but as we see here, Zeus was fucked this week 😅

I will pin my answer so you can see it when you return, and the rest will be under the cut.

I believe there are MANY reasons for hope in this situation. Of course it feels very discouraging that you don't know the language already and you might feel left behind in this process. Plus, learning a new language is not an easy thing to learn. But worry not!

You are grown, and that means you can learn a language better and with more consistency and discipline. Have trust in your skills as an adult. What is more, you have grown up around Greek speakers and you will pick up certain things faster.

You are not alone in feeling this way. Most of the world has to learn a second language (and a third, as it's usual for many) and that would be the language most dominant in the wider area. Almost every person in the West who is not an English speaker has to learn English and learn it well, otherwise we feel embarrassed every time we try and form a sentence. For example, we apologize to each other about our accents in English German and French, even though we speak Greek.

Surely there are some differences between your situation and ours, but I mentioned this to show you that most people will be very understanding with accents because they have the same struggle. I mean, I'm not going to make fun of someone for having an accent in Greek when I sound like a demented chicken in German, despite taking years of lessons 😵 I have more confidence in my English but even now that I'm writing to you in this language I have to quadruple-check my sentences and phrasing. The amount of times I apologized in advance for my accent to English speakers is higher than my credit.

I relayed your situation to other Greek speakers and non-English speakers, and ALL agreed the accent is not anything they would pay attention to and told me to write you that you shouldn't feel bad about that. I did that because I knew they would have words of encouragement for you. And it turns out they believe exactly what I'm writing in this answer.

Accents are natural. You cannot expect not to have an accent when you have been speaking a different language all your life. Beating yourself up for having difficulty with the Greek pronunciation is like beating yourself up for something normal like walking or laughing when hearing something funny. You lack practice with the pronunciation due to circumstances beyond your control. You are doing what you can to change that, and every small win is worth celebrating!

I found this post the other day:

The notes? The likes?

And NO disagreements in the comments and reblogs for OP’s statement! Look how many thousands are supportive in this! (And that’s a small fraction of people who understand accents are natural.) And some of the responses:

Sure, some mention they have met native speakers who made it more difficult to feel comfortable with their accent and phrasing. But those people are assholes in general, and not the people you want to surround yourself with. If a relative expresses disgust about your accent remind them you didn’t have any control of how much and how well you were taught Greek when you were a kid, and then tell them that if they are a true friend and relative to you, they should support you in your journey. And even if you had some control and chose not to learn, you are learning now. So they should leave their resentment behind because, honestly, what do they have to lose from you learning the language better??

For the embarrassment you feel for yourself: you wouldn't make fun of a Greek for having trouble with the “r”, "s", “ch”, and possibly the "h" when speaking English, so extend that kindness to yourself when you speak Greek. Not to mention that with enough practice and time you can nail the accent!

Worst case scenario, if the accent never leaves, that's no problem whatsoever. Anyone who thinks badly of you for your accent is probably a PoS and they don't deserve your time. No matter where you are from, if they make you feel bad for having an accent in Greek, block them from your mind forever.

But chances are that (from experience) if anyone laughs with how you said something, I guarantee they are not laughing at you but because of how strange the sound or phrasing was. The person doesn't think badly of you because of this. Making mistakes of any kind when learning a language is very natural and it's something everyone must accept. If you are not willing to make mistakes and expose your language vulnerabilities to people who know the language better, might as well not try improving at all.

If anyone corrects you, they are not doing it out of pity. The majority of Greeks do it because they are very happy you speak the language and want you to be even more fluent. Like, they are doing it as an act of backing you up, they are feeling like they are giving you that extra XP to reach the next level! Others - like me - get that rush of happiness when they get to share their language with others 😁

I remember a guy on Tiktok who was learning Greek and ordered a coffee "without sugar" in a Greek cafe but instead of saying σκέτο ("without") he said σκατά ("shit"). I mean damn that was funny! I remember it weeks after I saw the video of him telling that story and it always cracks me up. Do I still appreciate him the same as before and follow him? Absolutely! He just had an unfortunate - and funny - incident, not something that lessened his integrity as a person.

From tiktok again: An American girl wanted to pronounce γύρος correctly when ordering it, and she was mumbling to herself on camera: “yeero, yeero, yeero!!” When her time to order came she shouted “May I have a gairow? FUUUUCKK FUUCK FUCK I SAID IT WRONG” 🤣

Another example is Athena from the Bachelor 2! She has given some gems throughout the show because she doesn't know the language that well, but everyone still loves her because she spreads positivity and is so cute!! If we, as viewers, disliked her it would be because of her character, not because she doesn't know the language well. And if some of the other girls in the show don’t take her seriously is because she laughs too much and mentions feta too often, not due to her Greek level of literacy. Athena, even when she is hurting someone else’s feelings, is always so genuine and you just can’t be mad at her!

I really can’t stretch enough how people laugh at the mishap, not the person! Please don’t feel discouraged if you ever see a Greek laughing with the pronunciation of an English speaker when it comes to Greek words (which I have done as well) because we never laugh at the speakers. We don’t even know them! We might laugh at one mistake but then instantly want to become this individual’s friends because we think they are amazing (see the three examples I mentioned above, the sugar guy, the gyro girl and Athena). Because that’s the normal thing to do; laugh at fun stuff and not judge people for their small mishaps. (In a casual setting, and not to an uncomfortable degree ofc!)

There are so many things to a person other than their accent and the accent becomes old news really fast. What remains is how the presence of a person makes you feel and if they are a good individual. If an English speaking friend says yatakai instead of γατάκι that opens the way for sooo many jokes! Greeks will laugh, do some YATAKAAIIII screams - ninja style, and then continue being friends with that person!

Greeks makes these mistakes as well... A Greek once said "arrive arrive" (φτάνει φτάνει) instead of "enough" when an English speaker was filling his glass. A Lower English degree caught fire that day 🤣 I have many bad examples of Greeks’ mistakes in English but I can’t remember a lot. But I’ve seen many videos of Greeks mocking themselves for how they sound in English. You can take a look at Tsipras’ (our former prime minister) mistakes on youtube if you are feeling brave 😂 (Ο Τσίπρας μιλάει Αγγλικά)

So, own your possible mistakes, laugh at them and move on because everyone makes them and we better have some good while we are struggling!

(( For the record, we are not making fun of Tsipras because of his accent, but because 1) he doesn’t know γρι English and yet he rarely brought a translator with him in international meetings with world leaders, 2) he could absolutely not hold a conversation with negotiating or discussing 3) he didn’t take steps to improve or fix the situation (like bring a translator). 4) Instead, he chose to torment us all with mind-numbing hours of reading English texts and making other world leaders struggle to explain to him what they meant for the nth time and meetings move at a snail pace.))

Alright, now that I cringed with the memory of Tsipras speaking English, I’ll go though the recommendations for improving the Greek pronunciation.

1) Go to my resources for learning Greek (#learn greek) where I have many videos where you can hear the sounds individually or withing other words very clearly. Easy Greek on youtube has excellent videos about pronunciation!

2) Seek practice as much as possible. Some Greeks switch to English when they hear an English accent to make the conversation smoother for the other person. If Greek speakers insist on talking with you in English tell them that you would wish to speak in Greek. I've seen that people often mirror the accent of the native speaker when they speak to one, so this might work for you as well with hours of practice. If no Greek speakers are available to you now, you can find Greek Americans online – or go to their festivals – and start talking to them.

3) Listen to Greek podcasts, songs and shows. (In my blog you’ll find them at #greek youtuber #podcast #greek tv #greek movie #short film #greek music). You know when you hear a catchy foreign song and then it’s stuck in your head and you say all the words perfectly without even knowing what it means? Well, this helps with pronunciation!

4) If you had Spanish in school or have Spanish friends mimicking the Spanish accent might help you. (Our accents are extremely close! The Spanish are the best at Greek pronunciation, and vice versa!)

5) Find sounds in your native language that sound close to the sounds you want to say in Greek. In German lessons I had trouble with “ch” in certain words because I made it sound like χ and it was horrible. My Greek teacher told me to remember how χ sounds in χήνα (it sounds a bit flatter) and make that sound when I encountered “ch”. It worked actually!

To people who have English as their native language I often suggest they remember the sound of w for γ because, although not used the same in the word, at times they have the same intensity. Γ is pronounced more “to the front” of the mouth, so if you can bring that sound forward in your mouth you’ll be very close, if not accurate, to γ. (But don’t bring it too much forward, sometimes it can sound like a “y”, unless you are saying a word where γ sounds like “y”).

Greeks pronounce σ more closely to “sh” than to “s”, so you also might want to keep that in mind since σ often distinguishes the Greek accent in English for me :p

That’s all! If you have more questions or want to tell me anything else about your experience with learning Greek, feel free to send another ask or a DM!

#answered #learn greek #pronunciation #encouragement

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