Speech items from the journal of Lindsey H.

Speech items from the journal of Lindsey H.

Text 1

“While at a Halloween party, I saw a guy dressed in a plaid shirt, jeans, and a red wig. I wasn’t sure what his costume was, until he spoke in a Scottish accent. The accent helped me figure out what he was dressed as.

Context: The guy used speech, in the form of his accent, to help enhance his costume. The clothing and accent together enabled his costume to be understood. The costume shows that the person has a sense of humor, and is creative.

Text 2

“While working out at the SRSC with a friend, she made the comment, “I’m sweating like a whore in church.”

Context: This is a metaphorical feature, and was probably said by someone with a religious background. In some religions, being promiscuous is a sin, and for a “whore” to sit in church, she would be nervous of her sins and begin sweating. The saying tells what kind of condition the girl’s body was in.

Text 3

“The freshman fifteen”

Context: This saying is an urban legend created by college students. It is used as a way to describe the amount of weight a girl will supposedly gain during her freshman year of college.