So, I think this is my blog. It still feels kind of nebuluous. Even the word itself… “blog.”

No, this blog isn’t going to be pretentiously profound and all that jazz. Just random ruminations. I only hope people read it. See? Simple, frank talk.

You’ll have to excuse me, it’s nearly 2 AM. I should be doing homework. No…sleeping. I should be sleeping! College truly warps the mind… (without the assistance of mind-altering drugs, thank you)
If you’re wondering about the title of the blog, perhaps wikipedia could explain it better than I (thank the heavens for wikipedia, really). The title essentially shows that linguistic form and meaning are processed separately in the brain, among other Chomskyan things. But that’s not to say that form and meaning have no connection whatsoever. Take, for example:

The boy saw the man with the telescope.

This sentence has two distinct meanings: (1) The boy, using the telescope, saw the man; and (2) The boy saw the man who had a telescope. This semantic distinction can only be revealed by analysing the possible syntactic structures of the sentence. Of course, there are various ways of manipulating the form of the sentence to exclude one of the meanings, i.e.:

Who did the boy see with the telescope? (1st meaning only)

The girl saw this man, and the boy saw the one with the telescope. (2nd meaning only)

These tests are referred to as WH-movement and one-pronominalisation, respectively. The fact that they can reveal the meaning of the sentence is just a fun bonus on top of their real function, which is to determine constituents. But enough of that nonsense…

I actually find syntax to be a very painful and headache-inducing subject, personally. Unfortunately, all linguistics majors must study it (what rubbish). I want phonetics.

I somehow managed to fit my headphone jack through a small hole in the top of my headphones, and now I can’t get it out, maugre my best efforts. Yes, I just used archaic English.

I need sleep. Good night, and thanks for reading.