Language and community Mon 26 th – Fri 30 th Aug 2013

Demonstrate an awareness of how language and meaning are shaped by culture and context Watch this clip

 What are the difficulties of understanding different accents and languages?  Can you think of any examples where ideas/opinions/discussions have been lost in translation?

 Use the internet/discuss to find curious examples of the vernacular that you know about.  What typical slang words do communities you know about use? Think of slang words that common to a distinct language group like Australia or Scotland? Consider how vernacular language is promoted or overtaken by more global forms of communication.  Make a list of different words  Be prepared to share your ideas with the group.

Scotland Bairn or wean – child Eejit - Idiot Steamin’ – very drunk Wee – small Australia cya this arvo – See you this afternoon. dunnie – toilet, bathroom thong – flip flops

 Read the extract from Amy Tan’s Mother Tonguethe extract  As you read, highlight and annotate the extract to consider the following ideas:  What key issues arise from the extract?  What is the effect on language of being a “second or third culture kid”?  Have you felt this?

 What are your thoughts on the clip?  Be prepared to share your ideas with the group.

 Read the lyrics to the song now.  Make notes on the following prompts:  How much of the vocabulary do you understand in this song?  Does this song belong to a particular community?  For whom is this song written or performed? Who is it marketed to?  Does this song go against a dominant community, or along with it?  Be prepared to share your ideas with the group

Language and community Fri 30 th Aug 2013

 Dialect is a term describing consistent variations within a language. Dialects can be social, occupational, cultural, technological and geographical.  Accent refers to spoken features of dialect, and that is all it refers to.  To ‘accent’ a word or phrase gives it emphasis.

 How did you recognise the dialect/accents?  What stereotypes do you associate with that style of speech?  How did you judge the accuracy/authenticity?

Tom Leonard (born 1944) is a Scottish poet, writer and critic. He is best known for his poems written in the Glaswegian dialect of Scots, particularly his Six Glasgow Poems and The Six O'Clock News. His work frequently deals with the relationship between language, class and culture.Glaswegian dialectScots Source: wikipedia

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 What is the challenge with understanding this poem?  What comment do you think Leonard is making about accent and issues of class?  Find examples in the poem to support your ideas.

 Read the following transcript try to elicit the linguistic features you notice:  In the following transcript a girl, aged 17, is talking to two friends about a minor mishap steering a cabin cruiser close to a jetty. They are all on family holidays on a canal.  () = pause (2) = 2 second pause

so I er well you know () I sort of swung it round too hard and and oh no before that I hadnt pulled back the throttle () well I thought I had () so I was going too fast (2) look theres one just like ours only without this awning thing () I think this is the trouble you know you cant see out properly () anyway it bumped and he went mad and he said get off the boat () there wasnt any damage () I got it in neutral and it cut out I said I was sorry and I picked up all the things (2) but hes just not er well Im not his favourite person just at the moment

 The use of ‘so’ twice as both an attention getter and device for ordering one’s thoughts  The use of ‘er’ twice as a filler  The use of ‘well’ twice as a useful adverb, such as emphasising what’s happening next  The use of exclamation of ‘oh’  The use of pronouns – ‘I’ and ‘you’  The sudden change of agenda – ‘look there’s one just like ours’  The use of the adverb ‘anyway’  The pronoun shift from ‘he’ to ‘I’ towards the end of the speech  The use of ‘and’ as a connective  The use of contractions such as ‘I’m’, ‘can’t’ and ‘there’s’

 Use your mobile phones or other recording equipment and discuss your weekend events with a partner.  Just speak for 1-2 minutes each.  Listen back to the recording of your partner and type the transcript  Try to identify the linguistic devices

We’re going to read Act 1 p from ‘Pygmalion’ by George Bernard Shaw.  Produce brief responses to each of the following questions:  How would you describe the language and diction of Eliza Doolittle?  How is the diction and vocabulary of Henry Higgins conveyed?  How does this extract show a division is social/cultural class?

First 10 minutes of Pygmalion Act 1 p