The Politics of Language

Linguistics Unit
Grades 11 & 12
B. Yafckli

Yafckli
 – CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.B
Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the
most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and
limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge
level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
– CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.3
Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how
Objectives & specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course
of the text.
Content – CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.5
Standards Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in
his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes
points clear, convincing, and engaging.
– CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.D
Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments,
claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions
when possible; and determine what additional information or research is
required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.

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Educational – Although we have read the material through, think about this:
– How many times have you heard an individual code–switch?
Hook – What dialects were they using?

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 – Key Terms:
1. Language & Dialect
2. Nationalism & Nationism
3. Minimum & Arbitrary
4. Diglossia
5. ”Official English” & Bilingual Maintenance
6. Hate speech
Lecture
Preview – Major Objectives for the Text:
1. Relationships with language and identity
2. Variation of views on language standardization
3. Political influence on language
4. Educational role in language
5. “Official English” cases of language and dialect

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 – When identifying with a particular social group, we also distance
ourselves from other groups.
– Dialect differences are used to distinguish different groups of
people.
– Social identity is tied to loyalty, and governments are concerned
with the loyalties of its citizens.
Identity in – Nationality- has as a goal of the establishment of its own
sovereignty to become a new country (p. 376)
Language – Nation- state that is “large or increasingly” under the control of
one particular nation (p. 376)
– What would a country fall under?

– Symbols of identity: language, region, faith, religion

– Anything else?

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 Nationalities National language
concernment is concerned with
revolves around the language
their status in spoken within the
relation to other government and
social groups on official
Nationality v. around them. documents.
Nationism

Nationalism = Nationism = nuts

concerned about & bolts of
people governing

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 – Varieties of instruments used in language standardization:
grammar books & dictionaries

– There are two main kinds of language standardization

– Minimum- implies there is a scale of measurement in order to
Language determine what is acceptable with language.
– Arbitrary- implies that the rules of standard English are “purely
Standardization conventional”.

– Which perspective is deemed as more acceptable than the other?

(According to a linguist)

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 What is wrong with
creating this
standard for
students?

Pause &
Reflect Think of one way
Why is it wrong
to consider these
you may use
variations of
different dialects
dialect ‘sub-
in different
standard’ or
settings.
wrong?

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 – When varieties do not conform to the ‘standards’ of the language,
they may be viewed as wrong or incorrect.
– “Correct English” is only “correct” because people have agreed
Non-Standard that they are correct (p. 381).

Languages – Children take the biggest burden when there becomes an

educational divide placed on the students
– Why? Because of their language variations.

– Why is it wrong to imply this “standard” with students?

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 – Why did the government of Singapore provoke an NC-17 rating?
– Singlish influence in movies creates constrictions if they are forced
to confine to standard English (p. 385).
– What is your opinion on Singlish in this context?

– Why did the Chinese government want to weaken other languages

Language and dialects?
Variations – To reduce the power of the dialects as a symbol of potentially
competing group identities (p. 384)
Around the – Why did Beijing forbid the Tom and Jerry television cartoons?
Globe – Combination of identity concern and a language standardization
insecurity (p. 383).

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 What are some language variations seen in
the United States?

Pause & What are some international language

Reflect variations?

Discuss briefly some cultural differences

students may have when pertaining to school.

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 – Ferguson noticed there were varieties of dialects spoken between
communities, and none were held in contempt.
– He explains low dialect as the one spoken at home and high
dialect is used for formal speaking and most writing.
– Typically taught high dialect in school

Diglossia – All individuals use both high and low dialect and nobody in those
communities would avoid low dialect for only high dialect.
– Diglossia can be seen in communities around the world:
– German-speaking Swiss
– Classical Arabic

Yafckli
 High and low
dialects in
diglossia are still
the same
language.

People can
“Language” & understand a
different dialect
“Dialect” of the one they
speak but not a
language.

Dialects are typically less

developed than languages
and almost always have
literacy tradition associated
with it.

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 2 biggest
debates
about
language
“Official
English”
No legislatively There is no
designated official
nationality of
official
the United
language. States.

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 – No laws to preserve the language rights in the United States.
What is wrong – Some employers have been known to fire workers for speaking in
with ”Official a language other than English (p. 391).

English” in the – Courts have upheld certain ‘Official English’ rules created in the
workforce when there are “legitimate business reasons” (p. 391).
U.S. – CONSTITUTIONAL: Freedom of speech!!!!

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 To maintain another language in the
United States, there are certain
circumstances and motivations.
Continuing immigration would allow those
with a native tongue other than English to
learn it as a second language.

Bilingual
Maintenance Another motivation promoting
bilingual maintenance is for people in
groups to have an identity more
relatable to a nationality than an
ethnic group

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 – Hate speech is broadly defined in this chapter as the speech
intimidating people on the basis of social characteristics such as
race, sex, national origin and much more.
How much – The people leaning towards conservative political views may tend
speech do you to find that limiting free speech to prevent swearing is justified but
feel differently about hate speech (p. 397).
allow? – On the other hand, those more liberal may defend the restrictions
on hate speech and see serious violations of free speech when
relating to cursing (p. 397).

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 – You may want to freely express ideas that are unpopular.
– It may create hostile environments for those that oppose the hate
Where might speech code rules.
hate speech be – You may be exposed to hate speech, but hate speech is inherently
irrational since it consists of blanket condemnations of whole
relevant in groups (p. 398).

your life?
– It is of course far from simple, but how much freedom do you want
to sacrifice for a standard protection?

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 – Language is not only a form of communication, but expression
from boundaries as well.
– Of course their may be political controversy, but what do you
Overview deem as acceptable?
– Why do generations throughout time lose their sense of bilingual
maintenance and adopt English as their only language?

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 – Think about how students may be treated unequally because of
cultural differences..
– And how that may effect how they get an education
– Which will effect them throughout their entire future in both the
Leave with workforce and social life.
– Think about unequal treatment in the workforce and how that
this… may be effected by ones accent, dialect, or even native language.
– Think about how individuals may lose their job for speaking a more
comfortable language,
– Or how they may not even get the job because of their dialect or
accent.

Yafckli