Language and Knowledge (2)

Language and Knowledge

• Some specific jargons: Legal Language, Scientific Language, Language in Sports.
• Certain types of knowledge need an specific type of language.
• Specific type of language may create certain types of knowledge.
• It is important to bear in mind that: understanding, knowledge and intention affect language and that language affects understanding, knowledge and intention.

       Politically Correct Language

• By using more polite language in the classroom we might encourage greater tolerance and risk-taking in the exchange of ideas
• "man", "human beings" or "people"?
• How hard do you try to make sure not to use an offensive or politically incorrect term when referring to other people?
• Think of terms or expressions you use that might seem offensive  to others. Can you change your own attitude and relationship to other people by changing your language?

  

  

 

• " A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common: Rhode Island's Japanese community; the scientific community." Oxford Dictionary
• "The people with common interests living in a particular area" Merrian-Webster
• "A group of people that share the same customs, interests, laws or traditions, and language" Course Companion

Language and Community

1. Communities are created by people to produce knowledge, authority, and language.
2. Language becomes a type of community (by reading this you are part of an English-speaker community)
3. How many communities do you belong to, either formally or informally? Do any of your communities use language in a particular style?

Which English is that? Chinglish. Hindlish - Indlish - Spanglish - Chicano English?

Watch the following video and jot down all the mispronounce words you hear as well as the ones with grammatical mistakes. 

1. How did you feel when listening to Gloria's accent? 
2. Is this variation of language identifying a particular community for good or bad ?
3. Is this an inferior variation of the English language?
4. Do you usually judge people's accents? 

Ebonics: Black English

Activity CC p. 102: Dialect, identity and power.

Read the following passages, taking notes as you go along, and consider any quiding questions. Interrogate the texts, trying to uncover interesting features, ideas, and attitudes towards language and particular communities. At the same time note any intersting linguistic features or patterns.

Friday June 22nd, 2012

Are you wondering what you need to have on your blogs by Monday 25? If you need help, have a look at this list!

- At least one summary per week. These are the weeks you have to include: 

Week 9: Language in Cultural Context (Polyglot Video)

Week 10: Language and Knowledge (Legal Languae, Scientific Language, Language  in Sports ; The Drake's Equation ; Role-play activities)

Week 11: Language and Cultural Context (Reading Comprehension Activity ; Y10LL Errors)

Week 12: Reading Comprehension Test

Week 13: British Week

Week 14 - Week 15: Winter Holidays

Week 16: Politically Correct Language ; Language and Community ; Black English; Online Communities

- Also you will have to include an analysis from a text, that will be graded accordimg to the IB  rubric for Paper 1.  This text will be: " A Language Without Limits" CC p.99 

Remember not to leave everything for the last moment! :)

Dialect, identity and power

TEXT 1: Passage from Toni Morrison's Beloved

1. How would you describe the language and diction of the narrator?

2. How is the implied diction or vocabulary of the character Paul D. conveyed?

3. Why does he sing one kind of song as opposed to another?

TEXT 3: Soulja Boy's Turn My Swag On 

1. How much of the vocabulary do you understand in this song?

2. Does this song belong to a particular comminity or to a variety of communities?

3. For whom is this song written or perfomed? To whom is this song marketed? By whom?

4. Does this song go against a dominant community, or along with it?

Online Communities

An online community is a a group of people with common interests who use the Internet (web sites, email, instant messaging, etc.) to communicate, work together and purse their interests over time. Lee LeFever on CommonCraft 

YouTube Video

1. What's the role of Social Media?

2. What's the role of people?

3. What's the role of fans?

4. What's the benefit of Social Media to people and/or organizations?

4. What online community do know you it's based on this system?

5. Is Social Media the same as a Social Network?

Reading Comprehension Activity

TEXT 2: Teenagers' Internet Socializing Not a Bad Thing  p.109

TEXT 3: How using Facebook could raise your risk of cancer p.110

Questions to the texts:

1.. What are the opinions expressed by the researchers in texts 2 and 3?

2. What are the differences in the ways the researchers view community?

3. What kinds of distinctions do the researchers make (or not make) in relation   to communication?

YOUR TURN !

Considering the ways we communicate through language, is there any difference in actual communication, between members of an online community and a physical world community? If you communicate with your friends online, do you use different types of language to the way you communicate face to face?

* Do not forget to upload your thoughts on this into your blogs !

1. What is the issue with identity on the Internet? 

2. Can you be anyone you want on the Internet?

3. Can you be indentified by your use of language?