Choose one of the following readings from the first module book, The art of English: everyday creativity:
Question: Choose one of the following readings from the first module book, The art of English: everyday creativity:
(a) Ronald Carter, ‘Common Language: corpus, creativity and cognition’, pp. 29–37.
Summarize the main points of your chosen reading, and evaluate, with reference to other material in the module you have engaged with to date, the extent to which it helps you understand how to identify creativity in everyday language.
ANSWER:
The concept of creativity is very complex and could be defined in several ways with different approaches that could overlap and build on each other; they may also contrast and conflict. Creativity is an all pervasive feature of everyday language that is not simply a property of exceptional people, but an exceptional property of all people (Carter 2004, p.13). It is basic to a wide variety of different language uses, from everyday advertising language and slogans to the most elaborated of literary texts. The variability of the word creativity then suggests that the plural term creativities may be preferable in defining it. (Carter, p.54) argue that creativity is best understood by means of clines and with reference to social contexts by referring, thus building and developing Csikszentmihalyi’s theory that what is estimated to be literary or what is valued as creative either seen as ordinary or extraordinary is relative to the contexts in which it is used and to the values of those that shares in its use as both producers and consumers. As well as using the notion of clines to measure the relative degrees of creativity in language in relation to different goals, different uses and different values.
Because the existing studies of creativity as a linguistic phenomenon was based mainly on written artefacts, researchers in applied linguists have proved “that the same kind of language creativity and artistry found in art and literature can as well be found in the communication practices of everyday life” (p.1) which
(a) Ronald Carter, ‘Common Language: corpus, creativity and cognition’, pp. 29–37.
Summarize the main points of your chosen reading, and evaluate, with reference to other material in the module you have engaged with to date, the extent to which it helps you understand how to identify creativity in everyday language.
ANSWER:
The concept of creativity is very complex and could be defined in several ways with different approaches that could overlap and build on each other; they may also contrast and conflict. Creativity is an all pervasive feature of everyday language that is not simply a property of exceptional people, but an exceptional property of all people (Carter 2004, p.13). It is basic to a wide variety of different language uses, from everyday advertising language and slogans to the most elaborated of literary texts. The variability of the word creativity then suggests that the plural term creativities may be preferable in defining it. (Carter, p.54) argue that creativity is best understood by means of clines and with reference to social contexts by referring, thus building and developing Csikszentmihalyi’s theory that what is estimated to be literary or what is valued as creative either seen as ordinary or extraordinary is relative to the contexts in which it is used and to the values of those that shares in its use as both producers and consumers. As well as using the notion of clines to measure the relative degrees of creativity in language in relation to different goals, different uses and different values.
Because the existing studies of creativity as a linguistic phenomenon was based mainly on written artefacts, researchers in applied linguists have proved “that the same kind of language creativity and artistry found in art and literature can as well be found in the communication practices of everyday life” (p.1) which
Bibliography: Carter, R (2004) “Language and Creativity: The Art of Common Talk, London, Routledge Carter, R (2006) Reading A: ‘Common language: corpus, creativity and cognition’ in Maybin, J and Swann, J (eds) The art of English: Everyday Creativity, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan/Milton Keynes, The Open University The Open University (2006) ‘CD-ROM 1: The art of English: Everyday Creativity, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Owen 2006: E301 The Art of English: Everyday Creativity, Study Guide 1, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Swann, J (2006) ‘The art of the everyday’ in Maybin, J and Swann, J (eds) The art of English: Everyday Creativity, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan/Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp.3-28 Toolan, M (2006) ‘Telling Stories’ in Maybin, J and Swann, J (eds) The art of English: Everyday Creativity, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan/Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp.54-76 McRae, S, Swann, J (2006) ‘Putting on the style’ in Maybin, J and Swann, J (eds) The art of English: Everyday Creativity, Palgrave Macmillan/Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp.103-123 Cook, G (2006) Reading B: ‘Why play with language?’ in Maybin, J and Swann, J (eds) The art of English: Everyday Creativity, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan/Milton Keynes, The Open University Cameron, L (2006) Reading C: ‘Metaphor in everyday language’, in Maybin, J and Swann, J (eds) The art of English: Everyday Creativity, Palgrave Macmillan/Milton Keynes, The Open University