MuMU Material 1

Multilingualism & Multiculturalism 1
Material No. 1
Lesson 1. Language and Identity: Sociological and Cultural Perspectives of

Language (Part 1)
What is Language?
Language is the primary tool used in the communication process. This connoted
sharing one's thoughts, emotions, and knowledge with others using a certain code
(culture) and symbols (language) that must be learned and shared between
communicators.
What are the linguistic elements of language?
Languages in the world share the same elements, with an exception of a few
which do not have yet a written orthography.
1. Phonology: (fuh-nol-uh-jee) (n.) - the sound system of a language.

2. Morphology: (mawr-fol-uh-jee) (n.) - the study of the structure of words.
3. Syntax: (sin-taks) (n.) - the study of the structure of sentences.
4. Semantics: (si-man-tiks) (n.) - the study of meaning in language.
5. Pragmatics: (prag-mat-iks) (n.) - the appropriate use of language in different
contexts.
Why is language culture-based?
For the listener to understand what a speaker intends, the speaker should have
something definite in mind. If an idea or impression is vague in the speaker's mind, the
resulting message will be confused and ambiguous. Understanding is the core of
meaning and is a two-way process; that is, the speaker is responsible for representing
the idea clearly, and the listener is responsible for trying to understand it accurately.
Meanings are ultimately determined by people, not by words.
When speaking of some subjects, you have to sue a very specialized vocabulary.
Language differences might even occur within a family. The world of adults is
different from the worlds of children or adolescents. Parents might wish, for example,
that their child were popular. But "popular" to a teenager may mean "being able to stay
out late and own a car"- possibly unacceptable conditions to the parents. Because
experiences of the teenager and parent are so different, their values and vocabulary
also differ.
New meanings are continually created by all of us as we change our ideas, our
feelings, and our activities. As we think, read, travel, make friends, and experience life,
the associations and connections that words have for us are changed.
What is the language environment?
All languages take place within a particular environment. A minister and priest
speak in the environment of a church; two friends have a conversation in the student
center; an instructor gives a lecture in a classroom. Language that is appropriate to one
environment might appear meaningless or foolish in another. The language you use in a
dormitory, for example, might be completely inappropriate in a classroom.
According to Neil Postman, who writes about language and education, the
language environment is made up of four elements: (1) people, (2) their purpose, (3)
the rules of communication by which they achieve their purpose, and (4) the actual talk
used in the situation.

Appropriate Language. For any society to function it must have some sort of
understanding about which words are inappropriate. As children grow up, they try out
the new words they hear and, from the reactions of the adults around them, learn the
words they should and shouldn't use.
Sometimes you have to refer to something for which it would be impolite to use
the direct word. To do this you user a euphemism- an inoffensive word or phrase that is
substituted for other words that might be perceived as unpleasant.
Sometimes government agencies, business, or other institutions create

euphemisms to either cover up the truth or make the truth more palatable. When
euphemisms are created by government or institutions, they are often referred to
as doublespeak. Often doublespeak is used to further evil ends. Adolf Hitler used the
phrase "final solution" when he meant the killing of all Jews, gypsies, and homosexuals
in Nazi Germany.
Specialization. Most language environments have words that are specialized

and are used only in those environments. If your plumber tells you that your toilet
needs a new sleeve gasket, you probably won't know what that means. You would
understand if the plumber told you that the toilet needs a new seal at the bottom to
keep the water from leaking out onto the floor.
Some language environments can be specialized even if the communicators are

trying to reach a mass audience.
Whenever you shift roles, you shift your language environment and your speech
as well. Let's say that in a single day you talk to your roommate, you go to class, and
you speak to your mother on the telephone. Your role has shifted three times: from
peer, to student relating to instructor, to child relating to parent. Each circumstance has
entailed to a different language environment, and you have probably changed your
speech accordingly- perhaps without even realizing it.
The important thing to remember about a language environment is that you

must choose a language that is appropriate to it. The language used in one
environment usually does not work in another. When you think about the environment,
you need to ask yourself who it is you are going to be talking with and in what context
your language is going to be used. If you don't adapt to the environment, your
language will not work, and you will lose the chance for effective communication.

MuMU Material 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

MuMU Material 1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

MuMU Material 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Multilingualism & Multiculturalism 1

Lesson 1. Language and Identity: Sociological and Cultural Perspectives of

What are the linguistic elements of language?

1. Phonology: (fuh-nol-uh-jee) (n.) - the sound system of a language.

Why is language culture-based?

What is the language environment?

Sometimes government agencies, business, or other institutions create

Specialization. Most language environments have words that are specialized

Some language environments can be specialized even if the communicators are

The important thing to remember about a language environment is that you

You might also like