Language Arts

The Miracle of Language book mentioned redundant words and the growth of a language.
I think that some of the redundant words he mentioned have changed their meaning so they would not sound correct without the second, technically redundant, word.
Also, there are some words that seem to come into existence as a family joke, but then you can notice that other people use the same word, or mispronunciation of a store. My father, for example, calls Target "tar-jay (soft 'j')" as if it was French. And when I was at one of my friends' house, I heard her father call it the same thing. It was weird.
Also, there are some words that become widely used and then pretty much disappear. I have a dictionary that states that "absquatulate" is slang.
Today I was chatting with my mum and the Mr.Dolan and I called somebody a slacker and he commented how that's such an old word that he hasn't heard for thirty years.
Did anybody else notice anything/ have any comments on this book?

-And if you're wondering, absquatulate is slang. It means "to make off, decamp, or abscond." It's just from the 1830s.

Why do the characters live in "solitude" and why 100 years?

Please comment on the role of solitude in 100 Years of Solitude and the use of 100 years to frame the beginning and end of the novel. Are we isolated by our individual inability to see and understand the people and world around us? Is it some other type of solitude Marquez is talking about? Is solitude the inevitabe fate of all individuals as it seems to be for these characters? Do any of the characters avoid the solitude which consumes most? Does the theme of solitude play out in any of the other novels/stories we read this summer?

100 Years of Solitude -- Paradise Lost?

Take a look at the Paradise Lost (John Milton) excerpt in your text and read the background info (page 465ish) or just think about the Biblical creation story. One Hundred Years of Solitude is a much more sprawling saga but do you see any parallels? Has Garcia Marquez created a modern Paradise Lost?

Please let me know what you think of this novel in general as well or ask any questions you have for the rest of us!