MEANING OF THE PENTANGLE

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Gawain, for he was found faultless in his five senses, and his five fingers never failed him; and he had five virtues - frankness, fellowship, purity, courtesy, and pity."

You may think of yourself as a knight engaged in an important adventure that will win you honor. Your adventure is the mastery of the language of your country. In this adventure it is proper that you, too, have an emblem. And, as the old writer said of Sir Gawain's use of the pentangle, it is a "seemly," or appropriate, emblem for you. Now, what shall the Language Pentangle mean? Let us name the five points.

1. Truth: This means not only speaking what is true at all times, but speaking in words that exactly express your meaning.

2. Purity: Leaving out of your speech all profanity and vulgar slang, and pronouncing words correctly. 3. Correctness: Using the correct forms of words. 4. Clearness: Speaking words clearly and distinctly. 5. Beauty: Expressing thoughts in beautiful words.

In the pentangle each point is made by the meeting of two lines. In the Language Pentangle let us call these meeting lines I can and I will.

In the pentangle every line crosses two others. In the Language Pentangle let us call the two

crossings "look" and "listen." This will mean looking carefully at the words and expressions used in our reading, that we may learn to use the best language in our daily speech; and listening to people who use correct, clear, beautiful language, in order that we may improve our own.

The pentangle is an endless knot. Begin at any place to trace it, and you will find that you can go on and on. There is no stopping-place. In our Language Pentangle there is no stoppingplace. If we really wish to master our own language, we must be ever on the alert to correct our errors and to improve our speech.

By the emblem of the pentangle, all people knew Sir Gawain. By your speech, let all know that you are a member of the Pentangle Club.

Make Sir Gawain's virtues your own.

TRUTH

Show frankness by speaking the truth.

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Show fellowship by speaking the language of America, that binds together all who use it.

Show purity by keeping your speech free of all uncleanness.

Show courtesy by speaking words of kindness and appreciation to all. Get the habit of saying "please," "thank you," and "excuse me" when

necessary.

Show pity by speaking in a cheerful, pleasant voice at all times. To one ill or in trouble, nothing is more cheering and comforting than to have someone sympathize or encourage in happy tones.

II. MAKING A PENTANGLE CLUB
LANGUAGE BOOK

Your teacher will tell you how to make this interesting book, and how to use it.1

III. TRUTH, THE FIRST POINT IN THE LANGUAGE PENTANGLE

Here is part of a conversation heard in a city park between a cross child and his mother:

Mother: Take another sandwich, Willie.
Willie: I don't want no more.

Mother: Don't you like these jelly sandwiches?

Note to the teacher: Full directions are in your Manual, page 148.

Willie (Crossly): I don't like nothing but candy. Mother: Be a good boy or I won't bring you to the beautiful park again.

Willie: I'm not coming here no more.

In the conversation you have just read, Willie speaks three sentences:

I don't want no more.

I don't like nothing but candy.

I'm not coming here no more.

Willie thinks he is telling the truth, but in every sentence he says what he does not mean.

"No more" means none. So when Willie says, “I don't want no more," he really says, "I don't want none." If he doesn't want none, he must

want some.

In the two groups of sentences below, each statement of the first group is denied by the opposite statement of the second group.

Words that deny are called negatives. The words "not" and "nothing" used in the sentences under (2), deny. They are negatives.

If two negatives are used in the same sentence, one negative denies or destroys the other; then the sentence itself is not a denying sentence. When the boy said,

I don't want no more,

what two negatives did he use?

I want more.

He really said,

But that was not what he really meant. He meant and should have said,

That is, he should have used one negative only. When the boy said,

I don't like nothing but candy,

what two negatives did he use?

or,

He really meant, and should have said,

I don't like anything but candy,

I like nothing but candy.

That is, he should have used only one negative.

When the boy said,

I'm not coming here no more,

what two negatives did he use?