Agenda True Colors Activity Introduction to Part I: Language in Cultural Context Cultural Sensitivity Activity

Part I: Language in Cultural Context What is language? What is culture? How are language and meaning shaped by culture and context? How do audience and purpose affect the structure and content of a text?

First a Few Definitions: Audience: the group of listeners or readers for whom a text or message is intended. Text: any written work or transcribed piece of speech. For the sake of this course, we will think of texts as clues that lead to a better understanding of culture. These clues can range from emails to poems and from advertisements and posters to books. Or tweets. Or tumblr. Purpose: describes the writer’s intentions in writing a text, be they to entertain, enlighten, persuade, inform, evaluate, define, instruct, or explain. Writers and speakers want to instigate a response from their audience.

What is Language? Language is a system of communication that is mutually intelligible among all members of a society. Language is a system of vocal signs through which humans communicate. Do animals have language? What is meant when you say you “know” a language?

What is Culture? 1.The values, goals, convictions and attitudes that people share in a society. Parts 1 and 2 of the course are particularly interested in this aspect of culture. 2.It refers to the fine arts and a society’s appreciation of the arts. Parts 3 and 4 of the course are particularly concerned with this, through the study of literature.

What is Culture? When discussing texts, we need to identify which values are being conveyed and how these values are shared with the texts’ target audiences. Cultural bias: not being objective, but judging something from another culture with reference to what is usual in your own culture. Values is defined as a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life. In this case we are talking about a culture’s shared values.

What is Context? Context: refers to the circumstances that surround the writing and the reading of a text. Trying to understand why a text was written (the purpose) and whom it was written for (the audience) are good starting points Context of composition: refers to the factors that influence a writer when creating a text, such as time, place, and personal experience. Context of interpretation: refers to the factors that can influence a reader of a text, such as time, place and personal experience.

Consider... Stereotypes Culture Context of interpretation

Stereotypes How are stereotypes constructed in the media? Instead of making broad generalizations, we need to identify the cultural characteristics that we identify with the stereotype. Then, we need consider why the author/producer chose to embed these characteristics. We need to DECONSTRUCT the author’s choices.