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<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>All,<BR>
<BR>
Apparently, after 17+ years at this place, somebody in "media relations" <BR>
realized there's a linguist on campus and that I am it. So, when a columnist <BR>
for the local paper called for an interview on cliches, I was drafted. I did <BR>
the phone interview and the resulting article made me appear to be among the <BR>
crypto-fascist language police. It probably didn’t help that I suggested <BR>
that expressions such as “at the end of the day” may spread “like a virus” <BR>
thru a population- viruses are bad, so cliches are bad. Plus, there was no <BR>
mention of my mention of Dawkins and memes. Aaargh! <BR>
<a href="http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/012707/bum_7597467.shtml">http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/012707/bum_7597467.shtml</a><BR>
<BR>
The "cliches" they were interested in, <I>by the way</I> ( a cliché I guess), are <BR>
things like "at the end of the day," "in the red/black," "level playing <BR>
field," "level of support," etc.<BR>
<BR>
Anyways... now they want me to do a tv spot on this in a series called "Ask <BR>
the UNF Expert," which will air on Feb 12. Suddenly, I'm an expert on <BR>
cliches? Frankly, I find the whole thing kind of boring (a cliché, perhaps?) <BR>
and I'd really like to rent a chimpanzee suit to wear to this thing, but <BR>
I've already promised to behave. I do plan to go in with an agenda that <BR>
might include calling attention to: (1) the difference between language <BR>
prescription and description; (2) the metaphorical nature of many (most?) <BR>
cliches; (3) the interactive functions of cliches as transitions and so on; <BR>
(4) the fact that cliché itself is a French word being used to negatively <BR>
characterize a part of English discourse (shades of 1066); (5) The <BR>
possibility that they’re misusing the word cliché; (6) ?<BR>
<BR>
So, <I>at the end of the day</I>, and <I>having said that</I>, if anyone has suggestions <BR>
or comments on something I’m missing here, I’ll greatly appreciate any <I>level <BR>
of support</I>.<BR>
<BR>
Ron<BR>
<BR>
-- <BR>
Ronald Kephart<BR>
Associate Professor of Anthropology<BR>
University of North Florida<BR>
(904) 620-1659<BR>
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