Changes

Our midterm exam will be next week.  It will be multiple-choice, perhaps 30  minutes in length, and will cover lectures one through eight (including this one).  Items and topic mentioned on the homework will be given greater priority in designing the questions.

Our midterm exam will be next week.  It will be multiple-choice, perhaps 30  minutes in length, and will cover lectures one through eight (including this one).  Items and topic mentioned on the homework will be given greater priority in designing the questions.

Remember these test-taking tips for multiple-choice exams.  You can improve your scores enormously by following and mastering these tips.

Remember and use the following test-taking tips for multiple-choice exams.  You can improve your scores enormously by following and mastering these tips.

== Test-taking tips ==

== Test-taking tips ==

To this day many feel that the King James Bible is the finest English translation available, despite the antiquity of some of its terminology.  It is free from modern translations that hide the existence and wrath of Hell, for example.  But for the purposes of course, we are interested in how this was a defining moment in the development of the English language, and how the language has grown since then.

To this day many feel that the King James Bible is the finest English translation available, despite the antiquity of some of its terminology.  It is free from modern translations that hide the existence and wrath of Hell, for example.  But for the purposes of course, we are interested in how this was a defining moment in the development of the English language, and how the language has grown since then.

The King James Bible established a framework of knowledge of the English language, and it began to develop rapidly afterward.  English is unique in its ability to develop new words, at a rate of about 1000 new words per year.<ref>See [[Essay:Best New Conservative Words]].</ref>  English easily incorporates and adapts words from other languages, such as "detente" (French for a lessening in tensions between nations) and "tsunami" (Japanese for a massive tidal wave).

The King James Bible established a framework of knowledge of the English language, and it began to develop rapidly afterward.  English is unique in its ability to develop new words, at a rate of about 1000 new words per year.<ref>See [[Essay:Best New Conservative Words]].</ref> This enables English to constantly improve its ability to express concepts. English easily incorporates and adapts words from other languages, such as "detente" (French for a lessening in tensions between nations) and "tsunami" (Japanese for a massive tidal wave).

English has one of the smallest alphabet of major languages using the Roman alphabet, including its lack of accented (letters bearing a diacritic mark such as the "e" in "noël"), hybrid (such as the digraph ligature æ often used in British English in words such as encyclopædia or the ampersand character - a contraction of "et"), and pictograph characters. Hebrew has 22 characters, so is an example of a smaller alphabet. [[Elder Futhark]] runic writing has an alphabet of 24.

English has the smallest alphabet of widely used languages;<ref>Some describe the Hebrew alphabet, without vowels, has having only 22 characters, but modern Hebrew (spoken by a few million people) has more characters than English.  See http://www.omniglot.com/writing/hebrew.htm . The obscure [[Elder Futhark]] runic writing has an alphabet of 24.</ref> this compact simplicity gives English an advantage, particularly in using computers.  For example, English lacks accented (letters bearing a diacritic mark such as the "e" in "noël"), hybrid (such as the digraph ligature æ often used in British English in words such as encyclopædia or the ampersand character - a contraction of "et"), and pictograph characters.

It helps that English uses a writing system that has some relation between sounds and symbols as opposed to a purely ideographic system. This also applies to all other languages using alphabets, abjads, syllabaries, and so on - such as ancient Greek and Latin (though English developed from German, not from Greek or Latin).

It helps that English uses a writing system that has some relation between sounds and symbols as opposed to a purely ideographic system. This also applies to all other languages using alphabets, abjads, syllabaries, and so on - such as ancient Greek and Latin (though English developed from German, not from Greek or Latin).