Your assignment consists of two parts. You need to discuss both parts. The answer to Part 1 will
consist of two paragraphs. The answer to Part 2 will have only one paragraph. You do not need to
link the paragraphs. However, the structure within the paragraphs should be clear and coherent.
Note that the paragraphs are not weighted equally in the grading (see rubric posted on Blackboard
for more details).
Part 1. In the attached poem by Richard Outram, consider the sentence ‘Styx nix hix pix’ and
discuss it in the following way:
Paragraph 1 – Identify the category of each word in this sentence and explain your answers. The
full answer should include morphological, syntactic and semantic evidence. You may find it useful to use a good dictionary and the following entry in
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sticks_nix_hick_pix Note that the fact that a particular word is
listed with a particular category in the dictionary does not constitute good evidence for the
purpose of this assignment.
Paragraph 2 – Briefly explain what you think this sentence might mean in the context of the
poem. There is no wrong or correct answer for this question. Your answer will be evaluated on its
argumentation, coherence, logic, style, and so on
Part 2. In the same poem by Richard Outram, find a prototypical example of non-standard
English (but do not focus on unusual orthography and capitalization, fragment sentences, the use
of non-English words and abbreviations). In one paragraph (Paragraph 3), discuss whether you
think its use is appropriate or not in the context of this poem. Again, there is no wrong or correct
answer for this question. Your answer will be evaluated on its argumentation, coherence, logic,
style, and so on