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Forums => English & Linguistics => Topic started by: Zalmoxis on October 15, 2004, 11:20:53 AM

Title: KNIGHTS RULE!
Post by: Zalmoxis on October 15, 2004, 11:20:53 AM

Yesterday I walked by the front sign of a local middle school. It read "KNIGHTS RULE!"

No they don't. Knights serve.

That's the whole point of knights in the chivalric sense -- not to mention the original meaning of the word  [ knecht in the Old Frissian (and later Old High and Middle High German  --- although in Old English it refers to a boy/young man -- of course back then that's what young men were -- servants].

Anyway, seeing that led me to a whole meditation on how weird language and symbols are.

So we have this whole tradition of schools and sports and mascots. And part of that tradition is what mascots are suitable or not [ferocious animals and various types of warriors are quite popular].

And then we have this whole slang usage of "rule." My guess is that the origin of the slang is consonant with the standard meaning of the word, that is, things rule because they impose their order on the field of play. But it's become more like a generic term meaning something is cool and the best.

The mascot thing and the slang term meet in what is actually a prosaic piece of discourse [every middle school thinks they rule (except of course most of the students who are having the most miserable time they will probably ever have in their entire lives)], but is also an oxymoron.  

Title: KNIGHTS RULE!
Post by: Porter on October 15, 2004, 12:04:10 PM

Maybe they were trying to sneak in a Bible verse:  "And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all."  This could be interpreted to be that whoever does rule also serves. ;)

Speaking of inappropriate mascotts, one of the local high schools in Oklahoma had the Trojans as their mascot.  "Cream the Trojans" was always the battle cry.
 :cry:

 

Title: KNIGHTS RULE!
Post by: Noemon on October 15, 2004, 12:39:07 PM

Before my father retired from teaching jr. high, he used to make extra money by supervising during football games and such.  One of his favorite stories from doing this was the time that his jr. high was playing a private Christian school of some sort called "Savior of the World jr. high".  One of his school's primary cheers during that game was "Kill Savior of the World".

Title: KNIGHTS RULE!
Post by: Porter on October 15, 2004, 12:59:43 PM

Noemon -- what's that avatar supposed to be?  Leonardo DaVinci building the pyramids from heaven?

Title: KNIGHTS RULE!
Post by: pooka on October 16, 2004, 11:01:31 AM

My eigth grade school was some kind of bronze age warrior.  I'm hoping it was the spartans.