She's one of my favorite actresses of all time: so superbly classy that she shines through even an article as poorly written as this one. She's speaking about speaking, and more specifically about the lack of education displayed in the limited vocabularies of today's youth:
Thanks to Laura for sending the article along!
We have to reinvest, I think, in the idea of articulacy as a form of personal human freedom and power. (. . .) There is the necessity to have two languages - one you use with your mates and the other that you need in an official capacity. Or you're going to sound like a nob.
Ah, the British. Telling it like it is since the Iron Age.
She's right, of course; I notice subtle changes in my own vocabulary when I speak to certain friends (who might make fun of me for sounding too educated) or certain age groups (who wouldn't understand me if I sounded too educated.) I try to explain this to my students, who want to use "being that" and "ppl" in their formal papers: it's all about sensitivity to your audience. I'm not above writing "lol" on a student's journal entry if it really did make me laugh, but I wouldn't do it on a memo from my supervisor.
Thanks to Laura for sending the article along!
