Language and the Self

Language and the Self

Unit Overview

Explore how language allows us to communicate our sense of self to others, as well as playing a highly significant role in the ongoing construction, determination and development of that self.

Unit Overview Cont.

Study the degree to which language is innate, learned, or both; the ways in which language and thought are both interwoven with, and separable from, each other; and how we use language, both consciously and unconsciously, to construct and maintain social identities.

Knowledge and Understanding

• Innateness and learning

• The relationship between language and thought

• The relationship between language and social identity

Multiple Select

Which is not something being covered this unit?

• Innateness and learning

• English as a global language

• The relationship between language and thought

• The relationship between language and social identity

Students Should Be Able To:

• Read and demonstrate critical understanding of unseen texts relating to 'Language and the Self'

• Select and analyze pertinent ideas and examples from the texts

• Relate those ideas and examples to theories, theorists, and studies from their wider research in the relevant topic area

• Sythesize these considerations into a coherent analytical essay

Important Concepts

• Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

• Linguistic Relativity: The idea that the structure of a language affects how its speakers see the world and understand things. (Ex. Snow)

• Linguistic Determinism: The idea that a language and its structures limit and determine how its speakers think and how they understand things. (People who speak different languages have different thought processes) (Ex. Russian words for blue)

Poll

Which is the strong aspect of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

• Linguistic Relativity

• Linguistic Determinism

Functions of Language

• Instrumental Function: Using language to express one's needs

• Interactional Function: Using language to engage with others

• Personal Function: Using language to express thoughts about oneself

• Regulatory Function: Using language to affect the behavior of others

Key Terms

• Idiolect: An individual's distinctive and personalized use of language

• Sociolect: The variety of language shared by people in a particular social group. Ex: That man has hyperhidrosis / That man sweats a lot

• Genderlect: A variety of language considered to be (at least in part) determined by the user's gender (Ex. Women may talk to someone and try to find common ground while men may talk more about personal achievements)

Concepts Concerning the Self

• The self develops through stages of learning

• The relationship between our language and our thought is complicated; some theorists argue that language limits or determines thought.

• The idea of self seems to involve some aspects of acting or performing

Key Terms

• Self: An individual's idea of themselves as a unique and unified entity (Something that makes someone unique)

• Self-Esteem: Belief in one's own abilities and worth as a person (Ex. High self-esteem = acting assertively without feeling any doubts)

• Self-Identity: The characteristics, physical and psychological, which a person sees as making up their sense of self throughout their life (Labels we use to describe ourselves)

• Speech Community: A group of people defined by their shared linguistic norms and expectations (NYC)

Politness Strategies and 'face'

• Face: In politeness theory, an individual's sense of their own image and how they are pervaded in social contexts. (Politeness)

• Positive Face: Our wish to have our self-image approved of by others (Ex. Having a positive self-image)

• Negative Face: Our wish to not let other people impose upon us- this preserving our freedom to act (Ex. Freedom to make own decisions)

Face-threatening acts

• Any form of words which creates a risk that our own face needs -- or the face needs of anyone with whom we are interacting, will be damaged (Ex. Please pay attention)

• Politeness Strategies: Methods used by speakers to minimize the negative effects of face-threatening acts. (Using jokes, nicknames, honorifics)

• Most people modify their language to avoid FTA

Avoiding FTAs

• Hedges: words and phrases used to soften the force of an utterance (expresses indecisiveness or doubt) (Ex. Assume, may, seem)

• Modal Verbs: A verb that expresses necessity or possibility (Ex. Must, should, shall)

Multiple Choice

What is a way people avoid FTAs?

• Hiding under their bed

• Running away

• Modifying their language

• Wearing a facemark

Grice's Maxims

• Maxim of Quantity: Only say as much or as little as you need to in a situation

• Maxim of Quality: Only say what you know to be true

• Maxim of Relevance: Only say what is relevant to the situation

• Maxim of Manner: Avoid being unclear or ambiguous

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT one of Grice's maxims?

• Quality

• Quantity

• Relevance

• Relativity

• Manner

Open Ended

What is morphology?

Morphology

• The study of how words are formed

Key Terms Related to Morphology

• Morpheme: The simplest form of a word, also called a root form or a base form

• Free Morpheme: A unit that makes sense on its own (Ex: Cat)

• Bound Morpheme: A unit that makes sense, but not on its own (Ex: -s)

Morphology Key Terms Cont.

• Inflection: Making a change to the root or base form of a word in order to change its grammatical meaning or function

• Affix: A unit that can be added to a stem or root

Multiple Select

Which are examples of free morphemes?

• Cat

• Girl

• Caravan

• -Berry