Political Comics, Memes, Jokes, etc.

[SunsetBengal]

Quote:2nd Amendment Linguistics

A) the structure of English has not changed much. Especially legal and formal language.

B) from diagramming sentences, we know that:
- the most important clauses to identify are the subject and predicate
- then we look at supporting information, including clauses
- we look at the supporting information within the framework of the subject/predicate. This is because the supporting information is not the focus. It adds to the subject/predicate. In fact, the supporting phrases can be removed.

C) Example: Even though it was brand new, less than 6 months old, the red house was re-painted blue.

Subject: house
Predicate: was painted

Subordinate info for subject:
Which one? the red

Subordinate info for predicate:
What color was it painted? blue

The sentence could be simplified to: The house was repainted. (The rest of the info is supporting information.)

D) apply to 2A:
"A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Subject: the right of the people to keep and bear arms
Predicate: shall not be infringed

Subordinate for subject:
A well regulated militia
- Being necessary to the security of a free State

E) the subject
noun: right
What/who's right? The people's
To do what? To keep and bear arms

And it's all in one phrase. Together. Separated from both the support phrases and predicate by commas. Which was done on purpose. The placement of the commas is not an accident.

It is to be interpreted as one phrase.

The right of the people to keep and bear arms

F) predicate: active verb

infringed
past participle,
past tense of in·fringe (Verb)
- Actively break the terms of (a law, agreement, etc.): "infringe a copyright".
- Act so as to limit or undermine (something); encroach on: "infringe on his privacy".

G) predicate: auxiliary verb

Shall
Used before a verb in the infinitive to show:
1. Something that will take place or exist in the future: We shall arrive tomorrow.
2. Something, such as an order, promise, requirement, or obligation: You shall leave now. He shall answer for his misdeeds. The penalty shall not exceed two years in prison.
3. The will to do something or have something take place: I shall go out if I feel like it.
4. Something that is inevitable: That day shall come.

Being that the statement is in a legal document, the definition to be used is #2.

H) There is no supporting predicate phrase.

I) predicate

Shall not be infringed = Don't break it and don't undermine it. Not ever.

J) so the subject and predicate together are:

The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

K) regulate[ reg-yuh-leyt ]
verb (used with object) reg·u·lat·ed, reg·u·lat·ing.
1. to control or direct by a rule, principle, method, etc.: to regulate household expenses.
2. to adjust to some standard or requirement, as amount, degree, etc.: to regulate the temperature.
3. to adjust so as to ensure accuracy of operation: to regulate a watch.

It's pretty clear that it wasn't definition 1 or 2 ... that would have conflicted with the "shall not be infringed" predicate. Which leaves definition 3.

well regulated means "in good working order"

L) militia[ mi-lish-uh ]
noun
1. a body of citizens enrolled for military service, and called out periodically for drill but serving full time only in emergencies.
2. a body of citizen soldiers as distinguished from professional soldiers.
3. all able-bodied males considered by law eligible for military service.
4. a body of citizens organized in a paramilitary group and typically regarding themselves as defenders of individual rights against the presumed interference of the federal government.

Let's review the phrases involved:
"A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, ..."

The purpose of the militia is ensuring that the free state stays free. Definitions 1 and 3 are not applicable. They are state-based definitions. Hence, they could be used to enforce totalitarianism. Having eliminated those, definitions 2 and 4 remain. Which one? Let's look to the wording again. It uses the term well-regulated, which we know means "in good working order." In both cases, it is a "body of citizen soldiers" ... which tells us there could be an organization - could be one person, and could be an organization. Neither option is eliminated. One definition lists a purpose, the other doesn't. As a result, 4 is a subset of 2. Which means that, in this context:

Militia: a body of citizen soldiers (1 or more) as distinguished from professional soldiers (this includes citizens organized in a paramilitary group and typically regarding themselves as defenders of individual rights against the presumed interference of the federal government)

M) Arms. Notice it is capitalized.

arm (ärm) n.
1. A weapon, especially a firearm: troops bearing arms; ICBMs, bombs, and other nuclear arms.
2. A branch of a military force: infantry, armor, and other combat arms.
3. arms
a. Warfare: a call to arms against the invaders.
b. Military service: several million volunteers under arms; the profession of arms.
4. arms
a. Heraldry Bearings.
b. Insignia, as of a state, an official, a family, or an organization.
v. armed, arm·ing, arms
v.intr.
1. To supply or equip oneself with weaponry.
2. To prepare oneself for warfare or conflict.
v.tr.
1. To equip with weapons: armed themselves with loaded pistols; arm a missile with a warhead; arm a nation for war.
2. To equip with what is needed for effective action: tax advisers who were armed with the latest forms.
3. To provide with something that strengthens or protects: a space reentry vehicle that was armed with a ceramic shield.
4. To prepare (a weapon) for use or operation, as by releasing a safety device.
Idiom:
up in arms
Extremely upset; indignant.
[From Middle English armes, weapons, from Old French, pl. of arme, weapon, from Latin arma, weapons; see ar- in Indo-European roots. V., Middle English armen, from Old French armer, from Latin armre, from arma.]
armed (ärmd) adj.
armer n.

Look at that first definition: "A weapon, especially a firearm: troops bearing arms; ICBMs, bombs, and other nuclear arms."

Well, that's pretty clear. Notice how it does not say "musket"? If any further discussion is needed, check out the Federalist Papers. The founding fathers intended the populace to have access to any weapon the government could access.

N) all of this is in the SAME sentence, so it was all one thought.

O) so put that all together:
- people have the right to keep and bear arms
- that right shall not be broken or limited
- one reason for this is because it is really important to have a militia (1 or more citizen soldiers, not professional soldiers)
- the militia needs to function really well
- in fact, it's necessary
- the security of the free state is dependent upon it.

P) the founding fathers managed to put all of that meaning in 27 words. Pretty snazzy.

(if you are an English teacher: yes, there are more levels to diagraming this ... I tried to simplify. Going to lower levels would likely be seen as pedantic and is unnecessary for the intended purpose.)

(H/T to Rebecca Paddock, who wrote this, the image I attached)

For those who argue the semantics of the sentence..