This sign happens to be outside a gas station in Seattle, which is the city I grew up in. Apparently they put up a new punny sign every week.

Project quote

“Ferdinand de Saussure was a well-known and influential Swiss linguist of the 20th century…Saussure classified language as a system of signs.” (Albert1990, 2017)

My thoughts

Most of us, including myself, have taken language for granted. Really, language is so complex and versatile. Without it, how would we tell stories so detailed that the reader can place themselves in the moment and see it clearly? Without language, how would we explain physics or program a computer, or write a moving poem?

I know I’m not the only person who thrives on word play, puns, and strategic comedy. Just a few things that would be impossible without language. I can’t imagine having to communicate purely by speech and pictures. The book The Handmaid’s Tale portrays a disturbing society where items at the grocery store are labeled with pictures only and women are not allowed to read. There were other disturbing things in the story of course, but for some reason, the thought of my intelligence being insulted and restrained gave me the cold chills. Comparable to only being able to text using emojis and emoticons…oh the horror!

Editing projects for week ending April 23, 2017

College essay, Thesis dissertation

Client countries: US, Canada