Introductory Stuff

1
Introductory Stuff

• David W. Marlow
• Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics

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About the Course

• Linguistically based
• Read Syllabus
• Goals
• Attendance
• Evaluation
• Deadlines
• Accommodations

3
Disclaimer

• My role
• Coach
• Your responsibility
• Academic Athlete
• Keep up
• Keep in touch
• Do your best

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Technical Enhancements

• My Homepage (http//faculty.uscupstate.edu/dmarlo
  w)
• Slides
• Course Info
• General Links
• Blackboard (http//www.bb.sc.com)
• Paper Submission
• Discussion
• Clickers
• Attendance, Participation, Quizzes (maybe)

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Clicker Test

• I am ready for the semester to begin

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Sociolinguistics

• Chapter 1 Foundational Stuff

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Whaddya Think?

• Language is simple.

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Language

• define in 25 words or less
• LVQ Practice

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Language for a Linguist

• Communicative
• Community-based
• Systematic
• Generative
• Arbitrary
• Human

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• Whenever we speak
• Language Strategic Competence C
  ompetence
• Organizational Pragmatic
• Competence Competence
• Grammatical Textual Illocutionary Socioling
  uistic
• Competence Competence Competence Competence
  
• Vocabulary Cohesion Rhetorical
  Dialect Cultural
• Organization References
• Syntax Register
• Morphology
• Functional
• Phonology Abilities

Primary areas of interest for Sociolinguistics
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Two Views of Language

• Noam Chomsky
• Focus on ideal situation
• Homogeneous speech community
• Competence performance
• Dell Hymes
• Focus on real people
• Speech community is critical
• Competence ? Performance

Which approach will allow us to examine Dialect?
A. Chomsky B. Hymes
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Whaddya Think?

• What is the most noticeablefeature of dialect?
• Pronunciation
• Vocabulary
• Intonation
• Grammar
• Speed

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Dialect

• American English
• Words in the South
• http//www.blogthings.com/amenglishdialecttest/
• International English
• Nigerian English
• Chinese English
• Many more at http//www.ku.edu/idea/

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Politics of Language
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Linguistic Perspectives

• Mutual Intelligibility
• English
• American
• British
• Nigerian
• Mutual Unintelligibility
• Chinese
• Mandarin (Beijing)
• Cantonese (Hong Kong)

A language is a dialect with a navy
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Does Culture Matter?

• Choose the best statement below
• Our language controls our thoughts
• Our thoughts control our language
• Our culture controls our thoughts
• Our thoughts control our culture
• Our language, thoughts cultural are inseparably
  intertwined

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Sapir-Whorf

• Language Culture Inseparable Couple?
• Strong view
• Weak view

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Our Word Choice Matters

• Consider the following
• blue vs. azure
• postman vs. mail carrier
• senior citizen vs. old dude
• white vs. honkie vs. cracker

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I aint got none (Yes, I say it)

• Prescriptive rules
• Correct English is the slang of prigs who write
  history and essays. -George Eliot -

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Prescriptive Fallacies

• The standard is more logical
• The standard is classical
• Older is better
• Language should be pure(free from foreign
  influences)

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Speech vs. Writing
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Which is Primary?

1. Speech
2. Writing

Why do you think so?
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Speech vs. Writing

• Primacy of Speech
• Traditional focus of Sociolinguistics
• Quasi Independence of Writing
• Coming into its own
• Electronic Communication
• Organizational Communication
• English for Specific Purposes

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Nice Quote

• Languages are not products residing in grammars
  and dictionaries, but flexible, interactive
  tools
• p. 33

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Language Society

• Functionalism in Sociolinguistics
• Culture
• Socialization
• Norms values
• Status role

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Linguistics Politics overlap?
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Marxism in Sociolinguistics

• Whats the relevance to today?
• Race
• Gender
• Social class
• Others?
• Benefits/Dangers of this approach?
• cf. Sapir-Whorf

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All languages created equal?

• Theoretically?
• Practically?

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Rural India Plowing

• Whats the moral?
• Possible corollaries?
• p. 36

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Research Approach Matters?

• Interactionalism (cf. Hymes)
• Bottom-up approach
• Benefits/dangers?

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Nice Quote - Redux

• Languages are not products residing in grammars
  and dictionaries, but flexible, interactive
  tools
• p. 33

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Key Vocab

• Culture
• Socialization
• Norms/Values/Mores
• Status/Role

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Which is a Speech Community?

1. This class
2. The city of Spartanburg
3. Upstate South Carolina
4. South-eastern United States
5. All of the above

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Speech Community

• define in 25 words or less
• (5 pts on pg 38)

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Speech Community Contd

• Bilingualism (incl. Multilingualism)
• in Society
• in Education
• Bi-Dialectalism
• Diglossia (segue to next slide)

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Diglossia

• What is it?
• How many languages?
• What is the status of the languages?
• How is language selection governed?

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Common Code Usages

• High
• Sermons, lectures, political stuff, serious news,
  poetry, fine literature
• Low
• Instructions to workers servants, conversation
  with friends, pop-culture stuff, folk literature,
  humor

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Diglossia in Use

• High is seen as more ____ than Low
• How does diglossia develop?
• Why does it persist?
• Pride
• Power
• Tradition

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Diglossia Examples?

• Arab Speaking World?
• Spanish Speaking World?
• English Speaking World?

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Diglossia in Spartanburg?
Why do you think so?
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Whaddya Think?

• Diglossia should be a part of an enlightened
  community?

Why do you think so?
42
Dont Forget

• Read
• See Schedule
• Reflect Write
• 250 word reflection on a day in your life
• How did you use language (different situations,
  goals, products)
• What dialects/styles did you use? When? Why?
• Relate class concepts to your day