<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Based on what I've observed in various types of religious groups as well as education settings and such, I've often highlighted the role of cliches as entry paths for group identity. They show that the person who uses the right ones in the right places at the right times in the right way is assumed to be a part of group x, y, or z, and can be listened to without throwing up social alarms about their pedigree. When used purposely, not just as a natural part of ones conversation, they seem to especially be used in this way, thereby showing that for the person using them, the boundary markers are in place as far as their group identity. <DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><DIV>I look forward to seeing what you say in the TV interview, which hopefully won't be edited as severely as the newspaper article. Will the TV interview be accessible on the University web site? </DIV><DIV><BR><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></P><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">paz,<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></FONT></P><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><BR></P><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Bill Warren </FONT></P><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Director of the Center for New Testament Textual Studies</FONT></P><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Landrum P. Leavell, II, Professor of New Testament and Greek (and of cultural anthropology)</FONT></P><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary</FONT></P><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On Feb 3, 2007, at 10:48 AM, Kephart, Ronald wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"> <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> </SPAN></FONT> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>=