Caffeine removes the filter between my fingers and my brain. (Mmm, brains.</zombie>)

"Passport Photos" would be another article that I'd say could be interesting, but isn't, except I'm not quite sure if it's actually not interesting me, or I'm just so caffinated that I need a really flashy article to keep up with me. (I, um, had a large Americano, which is amusingly appropriate, but um. I think it had three shots of espresso in it, and water, but still. Um, moving on from me and my coffee fixation now.)

Anyway, the idea of looking at the immigrant from all the different views possible is probably a good thing. However, it'll take a while to get there, since people just don't know. The different translations of signs shows how important that would be, though. The question of how to refer to these people is interesting also, with the whole "alien vs. migrant" thing--although that would just refer tp the illegal ones--and the isolation factor that they feel makes it even harder for them identify as anything, I'd think. Except, wow that article kinda went right over my head too, because lots of jumping around, and I'm already doing that, don't need the article to do it too.

...I really need to read that again sans coffee.

However! "How to Tame a Wild Tougue" was flashy enough yet coherent enough to get my interest. It probably helped that I've already read it a few times when I got the book and was flipping around in it. Language in general is just interesting to me, though it's more a hobby than anything.

So. Things I agreed with or found interesting. First off, the codeswitching. I have a weakness for that, probably because I do it too. Even though the language of my location is the same as my native language. Except, I write random notes to myself and think in a mess of English, French and Japanese sometimes, not any Spanish. I'm pretty sure that the Spanish aspect was an important part of the point though, and like Melissa, I'm almost certainly missing things, because I can't speak it, and can only read it based on it's proximity to French--but actually pretty well for that--and I have no idea what Chicano Spanish sounds like, even though she kinda explained it.

I want to know more about the Chicano history, though I don't know where to find it, and that's only related to this in it sparked my interest.

This reminds me of a book I used for my senior paper, in which I argued the validity of chatspeak--because, y'know, I could. It had a few articles about language being alive, and that really seems to be the focus here.

....

I'm going to wrap this up, because the "Ooooh, shiny" kicked in--not that it isn't my natural state, but more so--and I totally forgot what else I was going to type. Something about how different languages are better at different things, and how Japanese--and French, but less obviously--have words and constructs I wish to no end that English had, but yeah. Iunno how I was planning to tie that in.

(Yes, that's more or less how I think. Rambling for the win!)