Discipline:
Linguistics
Title:
Assignment 1
Sources to be cited:
1
Paper format:
APA 6
Paper instructions:
In this assignment you will collect examples from everyday communication in which you participate to underscore the point that language is about CULTURAL COMPETENCE (knowing what to say and when to say it, and to whom to say it – with “say” being used here to include both speech and Sign) as much as it is about LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE (being able to construct an utterance that uses grammar flawlessly).
The categories of communication you might pay particular attention to include:
- Examples of learning a new word or phrase, or a slang term. Is it enough to be able to recreate it and insert it into a sentence in a grammatically correct way? What cultural and social cues are important to know as well?
- Examples of people making mistakes in what they communicate, not because they cannot be understood, but because their intentions are misread, or because they don’t assess the situation well enough to know what to say or how to say it (think of children, or people unfamiliar with English – or any other language you choose to discuss).
- What about gesture and body language? What kinds of social and cultural expectations attach themselves to visual and kinesthetic components? What is acceptable and not acceptable (and in what contexts) in terms of how one uses one’s hands, body or face in speech communication? If the modality is Sign, what is acceptable and not acceptable visually and kinesthetically there?
Use at least two of the above suggestions for your study.
Make your observations, taking careful notes. Then compose your examples into a short essay (around 3 pages in length, double-spaced, 1 ” margins etc. etc.) in which you argue for the anthropological view of language as a socio-cultural as well as a cognitive/technical achievement.