Call me behind the times but I just discovered the television show NCIS this year (even though it completed its fifth season Tuesday evening). I immediately fell in love with the show not only because it is a quality show but also because I love listening to the character Ziva's use of the English language. Ziva David is an Israeli Mossad agent who speaks many languages, though English is obviously not her first.
Ziva's linguistic traits include:
A lack of the use of contractions.
Tony: How long have you been in this country?
Ziva: Why?
Tony: Well you never heard of gypsy cabs. You don't use contractions. Assimilate already.
Ziva: What are contraptions?
This is quite accurate for an ESL speaker as it is very hard for foreigners to grasp the use of contractions. I, personally, think that the lack of contractions in her speech make Ziva sound very sophisticated - plus I find it amusing.
Mixing up suffixes.
In an episode a week ago when McGee (as he is playing Scrabble with Ziva) tells Tony that he is working on a linguistic developmental exercise to bolster her English vocabulary. Ziva responds that it is not her vocabulary that needs bolsterment.
Mixing up idioms.
Ziva : It'll be like trying to find a pin in the haystack.
Ziva: Ducky, drip it!
Ducky: You mean drop it or zip it?
Ziva: American idioms drive me up the hall!
Ziva: I feel like a donkey's butt.
McGee: Donkey's butt?
Tony: I think she means horse's a** probie.
Ziva: Yes, that too.
Ziva: Kody was covering his plates.
Ziva: McGee you look like you saw a goat.
Each one of the above examples of Ziva's language characteristics falls under the category of either morphology errors or syntax errors.
As for the season finale which has Ziva, Tony and McGee leaving - I don't believe it will happen, I think it was just the writers' version of a cliffhanger, or should I say bluffhanger.
Showing posts with label English language. Show all posts
Showing posts with label English language. Show all posts
Monday, December 29, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The Linguistic Traits of NCIS Agent Ziva David
Call me behind the times but I just discovered the television show NCIS this year (even though it completed its fifth season Tuesday evening). I immediately fell in love with the show not only because it is a quality show but also because I love listening to the character Ziva's use of the English language. Ziva David is an Israeli Mossad agent who speaks many languages, though English is obviously not her first.
Ziva's linguistic traits include:
A lack of the use of contractions.
Tony: How long have you been in this country?
Ziva: Why?
Tony: Well you never heard of gypsy cabs. You don't use contractions. Assimilate already.
Ziva: What are contraptions?
This is quite accurate for an ESL speaker as it is very hard for foreigners to grasp the use of contractions. I, personally, think that the lack of contractions in her speech make Ziva sound very sophisticated - plus I find it amusing.
Mixing up suffixes.
In an episode a week ago when McGee (as he is playing Scrabble with Ziva) tells Tony that he is working on a linguistic developmental exercise to bolster her English vocabulary. Ziva responds that it is not her vocabulary that needs bolsterment.
Mixing up idioms.
Ziva : It'll be like trying to find a pin in the haystack.
Ziva: Ducky, drip it!
Ducky: You mean drop it or zip it?
Ziva: American idioms drive me up the hall!
Ziva: I feel like a donkey's butt.
McGee: Donkey's butt?
Tony: I think she means horse's a** probie.
Ziva: Yes, that too.
Ziva: Kody was covering his plates.
Ziva: McGee you look like you saw a goat.
Each one of the above examples of Ziva's language characteristics falls under the category of either morphology errors or syntax errors.
As for the season finale which has Ziva, Tony and McGee leaving - I don't believe it will happen, I think it was just the writers' version of a cliffhanger, or should I say bluffhanger.
Ziva's linguistic traits include:
A lack of the use of contractions.
Tony: How long have you been in this country?
Ziva: Why?
Tony: Well you never heard of gypsy cabs. You don't use contractions. Assimilate already.
Ziva: What are contraptions?
This is quite accurate for an ESL speaker as it is very hard for foreigners to grasp the use of contractions. I, personally, think that the lack of contractions in her speech make Ziva sound very sophisticated - plus I find it amusing.
Mixing up suffixes.
In an episode a week ago when McGee (as he is playing Scrabble with Ziva) tells Tony that he is working on a linguistic developmental exercise to bolster her English vocabulary. Ziva responds that it is not her vocabulary that needs bolsterment.
Mixing up idioms.
Ziva : It'll be like trying to find a pin in the haystack.
Ziva: Ducky, drip it!
Ducky: You mean drop it or zip it?
Ziva: American idioms drive me up the hall!
Ziva: I feel like a donkey's butt.
McGee: Donkey's butt?
Tony: I think she means horse's a** probie.
Ziva: Yes, that too.
Ziva: Kody was covering his plates.
Ziva: McGee you look like you saw a goat.
Each one of the above examples of Ziva's language characteristics falls under the category of either morphology errors or syntax errors.
As for the season finale which has Ziva, Tony and McGee leaving - I don't believe it will happen, I think it was just the writers' version of a cliffhanger, or should I say bluffhanger.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Bill Bryson and A Walk in the Words/Woods
Having just returned from the woods of northern Michigan, I thought I would share with you the inspiration for the title of my blog. Yes, I did intentionally name this blog "A Walk in the Words" after Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods," and there are three important reasons I chose this name:
1. I grew up spending many vacations in northern Michigan and in the Upper Peninsula, thus developing a love of nature and hiking in the woods early in life.
2. I grew up with a strong love of reading, language and words.
3. Bill Bryson's "The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way," and "Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States," are a couple of my favorite books about language and ones that I often recommend to people to show that learning about language can be fun.
1. I grew up spending many vacations in northern Michigan and in the Upper Peninsula, thus developing a love of nature and hiking in the woods early in life.
2. I grew up with a strong love of reading, language and words.
3. Bill Bryson's "The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way," and "Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States," are a couple of my favorite books about language and ones that I often recommend to people to show that learning about language can be fun.
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