L&L Part I Topics
Language and Cultural Contexts
Language in cultural context focuses on: how language develops in
specific contexts, how meaning is determined by context and how people
express their identities throughout language.
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Gender and sexuality (inequality, constructions of masculinity and
femininity)
Language and communities (nation/region, subcultures)
Language and the individual (multilingualism/bilingualism, language
profile/identity)
Language and power (linguistic imperialism, propaganda)
History and evolution of the language (disappearing and revival
languages, creoles)
Translation (what is added and what is lost)
Language and knowledge (science and technology, argot and
jargon)
Language and social relations (social and professional status, race)
Language and belief (religious discourse, mythology)
Language and taboo (swearing, political correctness)
Gender and sexuality
(inequality, constructions of masculinity and femininity)
This topic asks us to become more aware of language as an expression of
gender identities. When we talk about gender in reference to language,
we are referring to the way language embodies, reinforces and creates a
socially constructed notion of maleness or femaleness, in often complex
relation to the biological construct of sex. In some ways, we could say that
gender is in the mind, while sex is in the body. Male and female are
considered to be sex-based categories, while femininity and masculinity are
gender-based categories. Most studies of language and gender revolve
around questions such as whether there IS a gender differentiation of
language use, where it comes from, what forms it takes linguistically, and
what effects it has on individuals and in society at large.
Guiding Questions?
1. How can language be gender-biased?
2. How does language reinforce stereotypes or culturally received ideas
about what different genders do, and don't do, think and don't think?
3. Does language reflect our world, or does it create it? Is English really a
non-sexist language because it has no masculine and feminine forms?
4. Is there a difference in the way men and women use language to
achieve the same things? What are things that men can get away with
saying but women can't (or vice-versa)?
Language and communities
One of the suggested topics from the Language A: Language and
Literature guide is 'language and communities'. As we look at how
language is used in various contexts, we see that people express allegiance
to a particular community through language. A 'community' can mean
many things. It may refer to a nation or a region, but it may also refer to a
subculture or 'cult'. In fact one could argue that a community is defined by
its use of language. Take for example the picture of this crowd. If you look
carefully, you see that they are all wearing a green bracelet and raising
their arms at the same time. These expressions define their belonging to a
community, perhaps a community that attends a particular musical event.
In these lessons we will look at how people express their allegiance to a
particular community through language.
Guiding Questions
How do people express their allegiance to a particular community through
language?
How is language used to define a particular community?
What kinds of practices define a community?
Language and the individual
(multilingualism/bilingualism, language profile/identity)
One of the suggested topics from the Language A: Language and
Literature guide is 'language and the individual’. How are we defined by
our language; our mother tongue, our word choice and diction? How does
being bilingual or multilingual change our perception of language and
input and how does this affect our reception of the adages of culture and
contexts? Even within in monolingual environment individuals are astute to
the effects of language and how one’s language seems to define them or
potentially redefine them. How can something so very mathematical and
systematic as a language, it’s phonetic and grammatical characteristics
potentially exude cultural concepts?
Guiding Questions?
Language and power
One of the suggested topics from the Language A: Language and
Literature guide is 'language and power'. This is a very broad topic and may
cover other topics as well. One of the many uses of language is to exert
power over others through the use of language. Power may be wielded for
various reasons, such as creating allegiance to a political stance or
decision, defining identities, or naming categories to include or exclude.
What's more, the use of one style of language over another in various
situations demonstrates where allegiances lie and who holds power. As this
topic is broad, it covers aspects of Part 2 as well, where we look at the
language of rhetoric, propaganda and speeches. Here are some of the
guiding questions that are explored in the following pages on language
and power (see left menu).
Guiding Questions?
How does one exert power through language?
How is language used to propagate ideas and ideologies?
Where do we see evidence of linguistic imperialism in the Anglophone
world?
How do titles, groupings or terminology to identify groups help to promote
or hinder a particular group's interests?
Is holding power always to the detriment of someone else?
Can language ever be used to gain power?
History and evolution of the language
(disappearing and revival languages, creoles)
Where has the English language come from and where is it going? English
has traveled all over the world on the back of British Imperialism and on the
airwaves of MTV. Subsequently there are various forms of English, creoles
and threatened languages. From Geoffrey Chaucer to Bob Marley, the
English language has a rich history all around the world. For this topic we
explore different forms of English, asking ourselves: 'What are the effects of
language change?' You do not have to be a linguist to appreciate these
linguistic differences. These texts will, however, ask you to think about the
origins of English and the social systems that encourage English to evolve.
Guiding Questions?
Is there an inherently 'correct' English?
Who determines the 'brand' of English we learn and speak?
Is there a natural tendency for English to deteriorate? Must we take active
measures to 'preserve' English?
Will technology change the English language and its standardized forms?
Translation
(what is added and what is lost)
One of the suggested topics from the Language A: Language and
Literature guide is 'translation'. As we study various contexts of the
Anglophone world, it is interesting to look at how texts are translated. Even
the simplest translations, such as those you see in this image, contain
cultural implications. 'Thanks' may be less formal than 'gracias' and may be
intended more for an American audience. In Australia it's quite common to
greet someone with 'G'day'. In the UK it's common to thanks someone with
'cheers'. Such differences are magnified when you compare translations of
larger, more complex texts such as novels or advertisements, which we will
look at in this topic.
Guiding Questions?
In translations from one language to another, what cultural meaning is lost
or gained? How is language used to express cultural views and appeal to
certain cultural contexts?
Language and knowledge
(linguistic imperialism, propaganda)
Guiding Questions?
Language and social relations
(social and professional status, race)
Guiding Questions?
Language and belief
(religious discourse, mythology)
One of the suggested topics from the Language A: Language and
Literature guide is 'language and belief'. People use language to express
their beliefs and persuade others to believe their convictions. For this topic
we will explore passages from religious texts and myths, looking at how
language is used to express beliefs and propagate myths. Furthermore we
will explore belief-oriented vocabulary and sentence structures. Texts on
'language and belief' are deeply embedded in a system of cultural values,
which emphasizes the importance of context when studying them. We
need to be careful when studying the use of language in belief, as to avoid
stereotyping and labeling.
Guiding Questions?
How do people express their beliefs through language? How is language
used to construct myths? How does language reinforce the beliefs of a
particular culture?
Language and taboo
(swearing, political correctness)
One of the 'suggested topics' from the IB Language A: Language and
Literature guide for Part 1 is 'language and taboo'. As we look at how
language is used in various contexts, we see that some people are shocked
or offended by certain forms of language. What constutues acceptible use
of language varies from culture to culture. One example that is explored in
this suggested topic is the use of langauge to prevent the spread of AIDS
and HIV. The ways in which different advertisements deal with this subject
matter vary, because audiences everywhere respond to this topic
differently.
Guiding Questions?
Why is a certain audience shocked by the use of certain language? What
do taboos say about cultural values and shared beliefs? How is language
used to break taboos?