I'm delighted to have Carolyn Howard-Johnson here today as my guest author. Carolyn's expertise will astound you. Don't miss this opportunity to ask any question you may have...you will surely walk away feeling pleased you asked away.
Using "I" As a Conceit
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success
I don't know when I learned the word "conceited." I was raised in Utah where most of us didn't use "conceit" in the sense of an elaborate or strained metaphor but rather to mean that someone thought they were extra-super special. The little girl across the street who snubbed me because I didn't wear long stockings with garters (which was an immediate tipoff that I was not her kind) was "conceited" rather than prejudiced. The kid who was quick to make a point of how bright he was when I made a mistake was "conceited" rather than arrogant (or insecure). Gawd! I loved the word "conceited." I could apply it to so many situations and avoid learning new vocabulary words.
Of course, in a culture where being extra-super humble was valued, I soon noticed that our English language is, indeed, "conceited."
I'm speaking of the way we capitalize the pronoun "I." None of the other pronouns are capped. So what about this "I," standing tall no matter where you find it in a sentence?
Recently as I tutored students in accent reduction and American culture I noticed that some languages (like Japanese) seem to do quite well without pronouns of any sort. I did a little research. Some languages like Hebrew and Arabic, don't capitalize any of their letters and some, like German, capitalize every darn noun. So, English—a Germanic language at its roots—just carried on the German proclivity for caps.
But the question remained. Why only the "I?" Why not "them" and "you" and all the others. Caroline Winter, a 2008 Fulbright scholar, says "England was where the capital "I" first reared its dotless head . . . .Apparently someone back then decided that just "i" after it had been diminished from the original Germanic 'ich' was not substantial enough to stand alone." It had to do with an artistic approach to fonts. The story goes that long ago in the days of handset type or even teletype machines little sticks and dots standing all alone looked like broken bits of lead or scrappy orphan letters.
Then there is the idea that religion played a part in capitalizing the "I." Rastafarians (and some others, too) think in terms of humankind as being one with God and therefore—one has to presume—it would be rather blasphemous not to capitalize "I" just as one does "God." Capitals, after all, are a way to honor a word or concept.
Which, of course, brings us back to the idea that we speakers of English are just plain "conceited."
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson is an instructor for UCLA Extension's world-renown Writers' Program. Her next class on promoting fiction and nonfiction is August 1, a one day seminar. She is author of the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers including The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. It is a USA Book News award-winner as well as the winner of the Reader View's Literary Award and a finalist in the New Generation Book Awards. She is the recipient of both the California Legislature's Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award and is a popular speaker and actor. Her website is www.HowToDoItFrugally.com.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success
I don't know when I learned the word "conceited." I was raised in Utah where most of us didn't use "conceit" in the sense of an elaborate or strained metaphor but rather to mean that someone thought they were extra-super special. The little girl across the street who snubbed me because I didn't wear long stockings with garters (which was an immediate tipoff that I was not her kind) was "conceited" rather than prejudiced. The kid who was quick to make a point of how bright he was when I made a mistake was "conceited" rather than arrogant (or insecure). Gawd! I loved the word "conceited." I could apply it to so many situations and avoid learning new vocabulary words.
Of course, in a culture where being extra-super humble was valued, I soon noticed that our English language is, indeed, "conceited."
I'm speaking of the way we capitalize the pronoun "I." None of the other pronouns are capped. So what about this "I," standing tall no matter where you find it in a sentence?
Recently as I tutored students in accent reduction and American culture I noticed that some languages (like Japanese) seem to do quite well without pronouns of any sort. I did a little research. Some languages like Hebrew and Arabic, don't capitalize any of their letters and some, like German, capitalize every darn noun. So, English—a Germanic language at its roots—just carried on the German proclivity for caps.
But the question remained. Why only the "I?" Why not "them" and "you" and all the others. Caroline Winter, a 2008 Fulbright scholar, says "England was where the capital "I" first reared its dotless head . . . .Apparently someone back then decided that just "i" after it had been diminished from the original Germanic 'ich' was not substantial enough to stand alone." It had to do with an artistic approach to fonts. The story goes that long ago in the days of handset type or even teletype machines little sticks and dots standing all alone looked like broken bits of lead or scrappy orphan letters.
Then there is the idea that religion played a part in capitalizing the "I." Rastafarians (and some others, too) think in terms of humankind as being one with God and therefore—one has to presume—it would be rather blasphemous not to capitalize "I" just as one does "God." Capitals, after all, are a way to honor a word or concept.
Which, of course, brings us back to the idea that we speakers of English are just plain "conceited."
------
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is an instructor for UCLA Extension's world-renown Writers' Program. Her next class on promoting fiction and nonfiction is August 1, a one day seminar. She is author of the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers including The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. It is a USA Book News award-winner as well as the winner of the Reader View's Literary Award and a finalist in the New Generation Book Awards. She is the recipient of both the California Legislature's Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award and is a popular speaker and actor. Her website is www.HowToDoItFrugally.com.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Website: http://www.HowToDoItFrugally.com
E-mail: HoJoNews@aol.com
Fascinating! I never stopped to think about the use of capital letters to show conceit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great thought, Carolyn and Donna for inviting such an interesting guest.
Great post! Ah, I (yep there it is) didn't know that about the now infamous "I!" An entertaining and educational read. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteQuite interesting! Thank you for posting.
ReplyDeleteHey there, Carolyn!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting post. I never thought of that, but you're right. :-)
Great info, Donna. Thanks for posting. I have newfound respect for the letter I!
ReplyDeleteKarin Larson
http://www.karin-larson.blogspot.com
Hi, everyone. I've been sending comments to you (at least two) but I don't see them. It's not like I haven't done this before. LOL. Wonder where they went?
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, thanks to all my blogging friends, Nancy, Katie, Mayra and new friends Dyan and Karin, for stopping by.
How I love our language!
Katie, I'm tweeting, too. www.twitter,com/frugalbookpromo. Glad you're my tweeting pal there!
This is so interesting. I never even thought of where and when capitalization of certain letters came about.
ReplyDeleteLive and learn!
Thank you, Carolyn and Donna.
Hi Carolyn...thanks for being my guest author today...it's been a delight hosting you. But it's not over yet.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is terrific when it works properly, but when it doesn't it sure does make you go...UGH!
Warmly,
Donna
Oh, my. I've never heard about "conceited" before, and I'm an English minor in education. That is so interesting. It makes me look at "I" in a whole new light. Thank you, Carolyn. And thanks, Donna, for having Carolyn on your blog today.
ReplyDeleteBeverly
Beverly, that use of "conceited" might be regional. I was raised in Utah. When I first went to New York to live, you would have thought I spoke a different language! LOL.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by!
Carolyn