The link for Merriam-Webster explains their perspective on how “everyone agrees it’s all right” to begin a sentence with “and”, and how at one point everyone has been taught that it was wrong. They provided the reasoning behind this, saying that the teacher’s true intentions may have been to avoid having student string together lists of sentences and not them just being knit picky. 

The article from prowritingaid emphasizes how it is overall okay to start sentences with the word “and”, but it’s important to do so correctly. Similarly, this article talks about how we were all taught by teachers about this supposed rule, however, their reasoning behind the teacher’s intention was to avoid having students write the way they speak. 

The link for writing-skills also states how the rule to not start sentences with “and” is false. They specifically mentioned how this sentence structure was included in the Bible, and if “God can do it” then you can do it too. 

Overall, these three websites all share the idea that it is okay to start sentences with the word “and”. They also all mentioned the importance of knowing how to accurately use this sentence starter to not make your writing piece sound too repetitive. Although this seems to associate with many people, typically this rule is taught during our early childhood to adolescence. The reason behind this rule is not because teachers are picky, but because they are trying to get us away from writing the way that we speak. I don’t see people advocating for its use since I feel like it’s a rule that everyone unconsciously follows, even if they know it’s okay to use it.

In the first YouTube video from Basic Knowledge, they go more in-depth about two of the variants, “hey” and “hello”. They mentioned at 1:50 how the word “hello” is formal and should be used more in a work-type environment where it is professional. Then at 0:56, they mention how the word “hey” is informal and is typically used around family and friends where it’s okay to be more casual. I enjoyed this video since not only did it provide information behind the formality of the variants, but it also showed how it could be applied in real-life conversations. 

The second YouTube video that I watched was by Joy Blake, and in his video, he acted out scenarios in which it would be appropriate to use each variant. At 0:16 he acted out a job interview scenario where the actor introduced herself by saying “hello”. This showed how that variant is used for more formal situations. Then at 1:03, they acted out a scene of two friends meeting each other and they greeted each other by saying “hey” and then “hi”. This portrays a more informal meeting where it is okay to be more casual. 

The last link I used was from the website attemptedliving where they explained the difference between the three variants “hello”, “hey”, and “hi”. Unlike the two YouTube videos before, this one goes a little more detailed about each word, such as the psychology behind when someone would use each one. For example, they said how “hey” can be “more aggressive” and how “you can treat your friends worse than strangers”. This kind of thought process can be a reason behind people using the word “hey” in more informal situations. Then with the word “hi” they state how the shortness of the word can be interpreted as respect or disrespect, which makes this word less formal than “hello”, but more formal than “hey”. Lastly, they said how the word “hello” takes more syllables, which can give off a stronger tone, hence a more formal environment. 

These three websites, all share the same opinion that the variant “hello” is more socially valued as formal, while “hi” and “hey” are more socially valued as informal. While it is not uncommon for some workplaces to use informal language, it is safer to go into professional conversations with formal grammar to show respect and professionalism. I usually select which variant to use based on the situation I’m in. For example, at school, while talking to faculty of my professors I would more likely greet them with “hello”. It would set a better example and first impression since it’s a sign of respect. Then after class when I meet my friends, I would greet them with “hi” or “hey” since I am already casual with them. 

This first ad is one that I saw in the subway for a long period, and it caught my attention. What drew my eyes in ways that they used to picture and word puzzles to convey a message. This type of ad proved to be very effective because I took it upon myself to discover what each panel was saying. Because of its vibrant colors and imaging, I think this ad targeted a younger generation such as millennials. I think that the advertiser also knew that New Yorkers are people who are always “on the go” so they used short and easy-to-understand statements such as “sleep is the answer”. Based on the place being the subway, where people quickly get on and leave, they tailored the language where it would catch the reader’s attention and leave them with a strong statement. 

This second subway ad is one made to advertise the chocolate candy snickers. What drew my attention to this ad was that similarly to the other ad mentioned, they did not use long sentences to try and inform the public. Instead, they used word puns by merging two words. For example, “snacklish” is the combination of snack and English. Due to this type of language, I also think that it is targeting the younger generation. I think the advertiser chose to use this type of language because they knew that subway goers would more likely look at that than an ad that consists of long sentences. Its effect was to interest the reader enough to think about what is being said. It is also unique because it never actually says that it’s Snickers and that people should purchase it. However, it’s relying on its popularity and how well-known this product is that the public will know what it is. 

I think that short statements, puns, and ads that include images work best in the subway compared to long sentence-filled ads. That is because the people in the subways are probably commuting to work/school/etc. The advertisers probably realized that they wouldn’t want to read that much before going to their destination. I think that because of its word plays and puns it’s targeting the younger generation, but I may be wrong, and the older generation may also enjoy such word plays. Overall, I think that based on its place and the type of language they decided to use, it proved to be very effective. Especially for New Yorkers who are like “busy bees” and constantly on the move, this type of ad can catch their attention before they lose interest. This type of ad may be proven less effective in other regions, such as the south, where it is more suburban and slower-paced. 

I think that this exemplifies covert prestige because there were positive attributes associated with the nonstandard variants in his speech. Based on his word choices, it made him appear friendlier to the high schoolers, which made them more engaged and awake in class. I also noticed that more students participated in his class compared to the classes where the teacher used standard variants in his speech. I believe that this is the case because the atmosphere felt more like a friendly conversation instead of a one-sided “right or wrong” conversation. 

To reiterate, some of the positive attributes of this are that students were more engaged, participated more, and felt more comfortable being in the class where the teacher spoke with nonstandard variants. However, some negative attributes to this are that fellow teachers or students may deem that teacher as not professional, and may treat him differently. Other teachers could be wary of his teaching style while students may feel like they’re able to not pay attention and get away with it since they think he’s a more lenient laid back teacher. 

By using nonstandard variants in his speech, I think that my teacher was trying to communicate that his classroom is a place that’s safe and where students feel comfortable enough to participate. Especially in high school where teenagers may feel like “nobody understands them”, using language that better appeals to that type of generation, can my teacher seem more approachable. This connects to what we learned in class too when Dunkin Donuts and Mcdonald's were used as examples. The -in ending in their name and catchphrases is inviting to the people and catches their attention, which makes it a very good markable strategy.

The second article I decided to use is called “Why Saying “Like” A Lot Is Like, Actually A Good Thing” by Times. I chose to do another article that was based on women’s speech since it would be easier for me to relate to what I’m reading, and I also use the word “like” a lot in my day-to-day speech. In my high school math research class, while preparing to present to college professors our teacher was imminent about us restricting our usage of the word “like” during our presentation. And since it is a word that is said without even thinking about it, for the whole school year she trained us to stop using the word. Every time she hears someone say “like” she would point them out. Today I still think about that and try to limit the amount of “likes” I use in a conversation, but sometimes it just comes out. The overall summary of this article is how girls are criticized for always saying the word “like”, but that there are also benefits to using that word. This connects to Tannen’s difference model that we learned in class since society openly taunts females who say “like” a lot. Often times when one is heard saying “like”, others would start to excessively say “like” as a way to taunt back at them. This linguistic difference reflects women’s negative treatment by society. While this article also did not use quantitative evidence, I still find it convincing. Although my opinion may be biased, I feel like it’s convincing since it documents both the good and bad implements that come with saying the word “like”. Lastly, although I do find this article convincing, it may be biased because the author is a female. 

My first example of a real-world instance where an emoji is used is in my past text messages with my friend Violet. Prior to receiving this text message, she was messaging me a couple of days before nervous about a law exam that she has coming up. Then in this text message, she starts off the conversation with red exclamation mark emoji‘s (‼️). The function of language that this emoji is being used for is phatic since it was used to start a conversation and set the mood of our conversation. Through the use of those emojis, I knew that she was very excited to tell me something and that it was very urgent for me to know. I found the usage of this emoji very successful since it was a good way to not only greet me but show that she had some exciting news to share. Seeing such an excited greeting made me feel anticipation about what she was going to say.

My next example is the use of referential emojis used in a conversation between me and my other friend Adel. A brief context before these text messages is that Adel and I usually text each other while she is on break in the middle of her class, which is economics. Since I transferred and we no longer go to the same college, we often text each other throughout the day to keep in contact with each other, and emojis are often used. In this specific instance, she used the sleeping emoji (😴) to reference the other students in her class during the break. To me, this reference is that other people in her class are tired and sleeping during their break time. Then the usage of the z’s emoji (💤) referenced her also feeling sleepy and wanting to take a nap during the break. I found the usage of this emoji very successful since I could picture her in a classroom surrounded by sleeping students. These emojis are referential since she is referencing the state of herself and her classmates. Overall, the usage of emojis is a great way to visualize and interpret text messages further.

The last example is the use of expressive emojis used in the same conversation between me and my friend Adel. The emoji used as the expressive emoji is the laughing one (😂). In my opinion, I think that this is one of the most, if not the most, used emojis out of all of the other emojis. It is a great expressive emoji because there is so much expression being shown in one small emoticon face. By using this emoji, I am trying to express to Adele that I am laughing and that I find her situation to be funny. I chose to use this emoji this way because I feel like it sets a better tone in the conversation. Normally, in funny situations, people just send the abbreviations “lol” or “lmao”. However to some people, since it is such an overused term used in text conversations, it can sound like a fake filler response. I like to personally include emojis after using such abbreviations to show that my feelings are true and that I actually find the situation funny.

One way that this occurs is because males tend to speak more confidently, which demonstrates their dominance in this field. 

Such as it states in our class slide “Men are more direct; women are more polite”, this allows men to more easily talk over women. 

Funny enough, due to this there are also many moments where when females realize that they are teammates with only other females, they feel more comfortable and light-hearted. 

Lastly, I feel like this also connects to language & interaction: politeness, especially towards interactions between different genders. I noticed a trend, along with personal experiences and experiences from my friends, that when people of the same gender interact within a game they use positive face politeness, while interactions between the two genders end up with negative face politeness.