Topical Language Issue

Question 1

John Mcwhorter

Answer 1

• technology = ‘fingered speech’ (we can write the way we talk) Its an ‘emergent complexity’
• a form of bilingualism (as opposed to fairclough border crossing)
• since 63AD ppl have been saying change in language is a deterioration (63AD ppl started speaking french>latin).

Question 2

When was the ‘WWW’ on internet invented/ by who

Answer 2

Tim Berners-lee
1991

Question 3

3 prescriptivists

Answer 3

1) Samuel Johnson
-> wrote the first proper modern dictionary that included examples in 1755 .

2) Arch Bishop Louth
-> wrote a grammar book in 1762.

3) Jonathan Swift
-> wrote a letter to the minister asking for an English academy where people will learn proper english i order to fix it/prevent it from changing in 1711.

=these are all forms of codification/standardisation

Question 4

Julia Stanley

Answer 4

-> found that there were 220 terms for a ‘promiscuous woman’ and only 20 terms for men

Question 5

Sapir whorf hypothesis/ Loftus and Palmer

Answer 5

= language determines the way we think (linguistic determinism)

e.g “bridge” -> feminine in german and so when described is with stereotypical feminine adj
“bridge” -> masculine in spanish and so when described is with stereotypical masculine adj

LOFTUS AND PALMER:
“how fast was the car going when it smashed/contacted with the barrier?”
-> More violent verbs: greater perception of speed
-> Milder vocabulary : slower perception of speed

Question 6

linguistic reflection vs determinism

Answer 6

Reflection : Language is shaped by our thoughts and are simply a reflection of the way we think. ( so Language changes due to our beliefs)

Determinism : Language changes how we think/believe

Question 7

Speech vs Talk

Answer 7

SPEECH
- purpose : influence
- use rhetorical schemes (anaphora, parallelism, rhetorical qs, tripling, repetition etc)
- emotive/figurative language
- discourse markers ‘therefore,’
- more formal
- varied sentence lengths
- inclusive pronouns
(ie ‘I have a dream’ MLK, ‘Chocolate Biscuit’ )

TALK
- purpose: inform
- personal introduction ‘Hi, I’m…’
- anecdotes
- audience participation (closed q/ can i see a raise of hands if..)
- direct address/inclusive pronouns
- informal
- avoid ‘invisible’ punctuation (‘linguist david said…)
- varied verb mood
- simple sentences
- deixis ‘As shown on the screen now..’
(ie Jamie Oliver Ted Talk)

Question 8

Border crossing (fairclough)

Answer 8

aka informalisation

There is an increased blurring between professional discourse and personal discourse in language change ( ie teachers more informal with children now then strict; perhaps because punishment isn’t an effective educational tool)

-> more emphasis on relationships and mental health nowadays

Question 9

plain english campaign

Answer 9

• since 1979
  = Attempting to control written discourse (specifically in gov legal documents) to prevent misinformation , increasing clear and concise language. (promoting plainer English)

EG
-> use active more than passive (but passive okay when avoiding blame etc)
-> avoid jargon, use words appropriate to reader
-> keep sentence length down (15 to 20 words)

IMPLICATION
- modern day prescriptivism (disguised as political correctness)
- ‘P.E.C’ itself is unclear and confusing (eg don’t use this…but you can here.)
- Suggesting other forms on english (more complex) is wrong -> reducing people’s expression using their own language