TRANSLATE GAME
SKIP INTRO
Translate the highlighted words as you listen to the song
You're
telling
a
friend
an
amazing
story
And
you
just
get
to
the
best
part
when
suddenly
he
interrupts
'the
alien
and
I'
not
'Me
and
the
alien'
Most
of
us
would
probably
be
annoyed
But
aside
from
the
rude
interruption
Does
your
friend
have
a
point
?
Was
your
sentence
actually
grammatically
incorrect
?
And
if
he
still
understood
it
why
does
it
even
matter?
From
the
point
of
view
of
linguistics
Grammar
is
a
set
of
patterns
for
how
words
are
put
together
To
form
phrases
or
clauses
Whether
spoken
or
in
writing
Different
languages
have
different
patterns
In
English
the
subject
normally
comes
first
Followed
by
the
verb
And
then
the
object
While
in
Japanese
and
many
other
languages
The
order
is
subject
object
verb
Some
scholars
have
tried
to
identify
patterns
common
to
all
languages
But
apart
from
some
basic
features
Like
having
nouns
or
verbs
Few
of
these
so-called
linguistic
universals
have been
found
And
while
any
language
needs
consistent
patterns
to
function
The
study
of
these
patterns
opens
up
an
ongoing
Debate
between
two
positions
Known
as
prescriptivism
and
descriptivism
Grossly
simplified
Prescriptivists
think
a
given
language
should
follow
consistent
rules
While
descriptivists
see
variation
and
adaptation
as
a
natural
And
necessary
part
of
language
For
much
of
history
the
vast
majority
of
language
was
spoken
But
as
people
became
more
interconnected
And
writing
gained
importance
Written
language
was
standardized
to
allow
broader
communication
And
ensure
that
people
in
different
parts
of
a
realm
Could
understand
each
other
In
many
languages
this
standard
form
came
to
be
considered
The
only
proper
one
Despite
being
derived
from
just
one
of
many
spoken
varieties
Usually
that
of
the
people
in
power
Language
purists
worked
to
establish
and
propagate
this
standard
By
detailing
a
set
of
rules
that
reflected
the
established
Grammar
of
their
times
And
rules
for
written
grammar
were
applied
To
spoken
language
as
well
Speech
patterns
that
deviated
from
the
written
rules
Were
considered
corruptions
Or
signs
of
low
social
status
And
many
people
who
had
grown
up
speaking
in
these
ways
Were
forced
to
adopt
the
standardized
form
More
recently
however
Linguists
have
understood
that
speech
is
a
Separate
phenomenon
from
writing
With
its
own
regularities
and
patterns
Most
of
us
learn
to
speak
at
such
an
early
age
That
we
don't
even
remember
it
We
form
our
spoken
repertoire
through
unconscious
habits
Not
memorized
rules
And
because
speech
also
uses
mood
and
intonation
for
meaning
Its
structure
is
often
more
flexible
Adapting
to
the
needs
of
speakers
and
listeners
This
could
mean
avoiding
complex
clauses
that
are
hard
To
parse
in
real
time
Making
changes
to
avoid
awkward
pronounciation
Or
removing
sounds
to
make
speech
faster
The
linguistic
approach
that
tries
to
understand
And
map
such
differences
Without
dictating
correct
ones
is
known
as
descriptivism
Rather
than
deciding
how
language
should
be
used
It
describes
how
people
actually
use
it
And
tracks
the
innovations
they
come
up
with
in
the
process
But
while
the
debate
between
Prescriptivism
and
descriptivism
continues
The
two
are
not
mutually
exclusive
At
its
best
prescriptivism
is
useful
for
informing
people
About
the
most
common
established
patterns
at
a
given
point
in
time
This
is
important
not
only
for
formal
contexts
But
it
also
makes
communication
easier
between
non-native
speakers
From
different
backgrounds
Descriptivism
on
the
other
hand
Gives
us
insight
into
how
our
minds
work
And
the
instinctive
ways
in
which
we
structure
our
view
of
the
world
Ultimately
grammar
is
best
thought
of
as
a
set
of
linguistic
habits
That
are
constantly
being
negotiated
and
reinvented
By
the
entire
group
of
language
users
Like
language
itself
It's
a
wonderful
and
complex
fabric
Woven
through
the
contributions
of
speakers
and
listeners
Writers
and
readers
Prescriptivists
and
descriptivists
From
both
near
and
far