Language and Identity | Key theories and concepts

Question 1

define semiotics

Answer 1

the study of signs and symbols, what they mean and how they are used

Question 2

what is an icon

Answer 2

a sign that represents or indicates something else

Question 3

what is sanders peirce’s theory

Answer 3

a sign represents something else

Question 4

what is a symbol

Answer 4

what you’ve been taught is what you identify

Question 5

what is an index

Answer 5

a sign and object connected in a logical way

e.g tired (icon)- need sleep (index)

Question 6

what is syntax

Answer 6

the structure of sentences

Question 7

what are pragmatics

Answer 7

the context

Question 8

what does sociolect mean

Answer 8

language belonging to a specific group of people e.g- they have the same social group, share the same social factors- class, age, occupation

Question 9

what does familect mean

Answer 9

language you and your family use and sometimes create that probably wouldn’t be used elsewhere

Question 10

what does idiolect mean

Answer 10

the specific way an individual speaks

Question 11

what is a social network

Answer 11

a social structure made up of individuals who are linked by one or more specific connections

Question 12

networks can either be ______ or ________

Answer 12

open
closed

Question 13

what is a closed network

Answer 13

when someone’s personal contacts all know each other

Question 14

what is an open network

Answer 14

when someone’s contacts tend not to know each other

Question 15

what does density mean

Answer 15

whether members of a person’s network are in touch with each other

Question 16

open networks have a low density, closed networks have a high density- T or F

Answer 16

true

Question 17

what is physical context

Answer 17

where a conversation takes place

Question 18

what is epistemic context

Answer 18

what the speakers now about the world, background knowledge about the subject of the conversation

Question 19

what is linguistic context

Answer 19

what’s already been said in the conversation

Question 20

what is social context

Answer 20

social relationship among speakers and listeners

Question 21

list thornborrow’s four identities

Answer 21

master
interactional
personal
relational

Question 22

what is master identity according to thornborrow

Answer 22

this identity is stable and unchanging, e.g gender, ethnicity

Question 23

what is interactional identity according to thornborrow

Answer 23

the roles people take on in a communicative context with specific other people

Question 24

what is personal identity according to thornborrow

Answer 24

stable and unique, the way in which people talk and behave towards others

Question 25

what is relational identity according to thornborrow

Answer 25

the kind of relationship that a person entacts

Question 26

what is whorfianism (1956)

Answer 26

the structure of a language affects its speaker's world view: language we use determines the way we think about things

Question 27

what is tajfel's theory

Answer 27

an individual acts as a member of a group they identify with

Question 28

according to tajfel what is social categorisation

Answer 28

the world is divided into 'them' and 'us'

Question 29

what are grice's four maxims

Answer 29

quality quantity relevance manner

Question 30

what does grice's maxim of quality state

Answer 30

speaker's contributions ought to be true

Question 31

what does grice's maxim of quantity state

Answer 31

speaker's contributions should not say too much or to little

Question 32

what does grice's maxim of relevance state

Answer 32

contributions should relate to the topic

Question 33

what does grice's maxim of manner state

Answer 33

contributions should be rude or obscure

Question 34

what does goffman's theory entail

Answer 34

he suggested that we present a particular image of ourself to others: this is called presenting a 'face

Question 35

what is a adjunct

Answer 35

an additive that is not of importance

Question 36

what is a disjunct

Answer 36

adverbs that express an attitude

Question 37

who came up with the accomodation theory

Answer 37

giles

Question 38

what is giles' accomodation theory

Answer 38

people adjust their speech to one another

Question 39

what is accommodation

Answer 39

constant movement toward and away from others by changing communicative behaviour

Question 40

what is convergence

Answer 40

strategy through which you adapt communication behaviour to become similar to another person

Question 41

what is divergence

Answer 41

strategy of accentuating the difference between yourself and another person.

Question 42

what is a denotation

Answer 42

a factual meaning

Question 43

what is a connotation

Answer 43

inferred, personal meaning

Question 44

list 3 examples of modal auxiliary verbs (possibility)

Answer 44

will shall could may might must should