Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 2 of 2 1 2
#114612 10/27/03 07:01 PM
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
Hey, I'm a southpaw, a topsider, and yes, handedness is a very common word indeed.


#114613 10/27/03 09:22 PM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624
Is there an echo in here or something? Hellooooooo!!!


#114614 10/27/03 11:01 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 171
J
member
Offline
member
J
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 171
left handed is to left handedness as...

left footed is to ?????


#114615 10/28/03 03:01 AM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 618
D
addict
Offline
addict
D
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 618
left handed is to left handedness as left footed is to...

... worth a lot of money on the transfer market?



#114616 10/31/03 02:57 AM
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 104
M
member
Offline
member
M
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 104
this new study which "suggests there is no evolutionary disadvantage to being a lefty ..."

Is that what it said?

Extract:
"Faurie plans to continue working to understand why left-handedness might have persisted in the same proportion for such a long time.

'I'm trying to show the possible advantages associated with being left-handed,' she said."

It may be that whatever the disadvantages of being left-handed, there may be compensating advantages.

For instance, it is said that left-handers have superior spatial skills as reflected by higher batting averages in baseball based on the relative percentage of left-handed hitters in the professional game.



#114617 10/31/03 01:35 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
It may be that whatever the disadvantages of being left-handed, there may be compensating advantages.
Good point, moss. I found this--a set of test answers--that gives a concise summary (though I doubt that it's complete).

Faces=right-brain behavior; Names=left-brain behavior

Spontaneous=right-brain behavior; Organized=left-brain behavior

Fantasy=right-brain behavior; Realistic=left-brain behavior

Intuition=right-brain behavior; Logic=left-brain behavior

Open-ended=right-brain behavior; Well-structured=left-brain behavior

Pictures=right-brain behavior; Language=left-brain behavior

Creative=right-brain behavior; Not creative=left brain behavior

Humorous=right-brain behavior; Serious=left-brain behavior

Main idea and overview=right-brain behavior; Details and facts=left-brain behavior

Exploration=right-brain behavior; Systematic plans=left-brain behavior.

http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/TM/WS_brain_key.shtml

Hey, this is really cool! Esp. take a look at 'Warnings'.
Introduction
Some language skills involve analytical, sequential, and left-brain processing. Others involve right-brain skills such as guessing, associating, and getting the main idea.

Obviously, those with bilateral dominance have some advantages.

There are, however, good language learners with both left-brain or right-brain dominance who achieve a high degree of fluency and accuracy. They learn to use both left-brain and right-brain skills depending on what works best for the activity at hand.

Guidelines
Here are some general guidelines to follow when you use your brain dominance for language learning:

Use your left-brain analytical skills to determine the purpose of a learning activity or to set up the activity. Once you are involved in the activity, put most of your attention on the content of the message and let your right-brain go to work.
According to James Asher, author of the Total Physical Response method, direct association methods for building listening comprehension rely more on right-brain processing than on left brain processing. Do not consciously try to figure out every detail when using these methods. Let your subconscious do the work.

Warnings
Here are some warnings about using your brain dominance for language learning:

Analytical thinkers who make good linguists sometimes never acquire communicative fluency in a second language because their left-brain, sequential processing slows them down.
Right-brained, global thinkers sometimes become quite fluent in comprehending and expressing themselves in a second language, but never become truly accurate. They are content to get across the main idea without worrying about the details.

You can read more by going to
http://makeashorterlink.com/?W25E12566



#114618 10/31/03 06:33 PM
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
One of the most interesting features of hemisphere dominance and its link to handedness is the way that it can be overriden in emergencies. I know someone who suffered oxygen deprivation for around 15 minutes at birth, due to being transverse in the womb. The deprivation apparently affected the left hemisphere most significantly. This person is left-handed, but is no good at any of the things sinistrals are supposed to excel at. For all intents and purposes, this person is a dextral trapped in a sinistral shell. Apparently, this sort of last second switch is fairly well-documented.


#114619 11/02/03 06:14 PM
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 104
M
member
Offline
member
M
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 104
dextral trapped in a sinistral shell

Yes, and our right-handed prejudice as a society is stunningly apparent for all to see in your deft turn of phrase.

Juxaposing "dextral" (same root as "dexterity") and "sinistral" (same root as "sinister") is quite sublime (same root as "subliminal"?).


Page 2 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 444 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5