Sociolinguistics: Language and Following Essay Questions
1. Choose a topic related to language use (in your placement school) which you would like to explore further, eg:
- The different languages spoken in the country/region/city of your placement school;
- The use of different languages/dialects/varieties in the school;
- Language use in the classroom; patterns of interaction, gender and cultural differences;
- Language use in a multilingual classroom;
- Teachers’ attitudes to pupils’ (non-standard) language.
Although the presentation should be in English you may well want to investigate the use of Dutch or other languages in your research. You may also need to use Dutch sources.
Alternative Assignment : Essay (1000-1500 words) on ONE of the following essay questions
• ‘A language is a dialect with a flag’. Is this an adequate description of the difference between a language and a dialect?
• Discuss the validity of some of the conflicting theories about the origin of creole languages. In your answer, you may confine yourself to a discussion of one or more languages.
• Language choices can be determined by factors relating to solidarity and power. Discuss this statement in relation to either language codes or language functions.
• Discuss the similarities and differences between diglossia and code switching in relation to various types of linguistic situation found in multilingual communities, adding further concepts if necessary.
• Linguists have provided evidence for differences in the way men and women speak. Choose one or more areas of difference and discuss the evidence provided and possible reasons for the differences found.
• Discuss the various reasons put forward by sociolinguistics to explain why a child who does not speak the standard language may be less successful at school than one who does. How can an understanding of the sociolinguistics prove useful to a foreign language teacher?
• Language determines the way we perceive the world and consequently our behaviour.
- The different languages spoken in the country/region/city of your placement school;
- The use of different languages/dialects/varieties in the school;
- Language use in the classroom; patterns of interaction, gender and cultural differences;
- Language use in a multilingual classroom;
- Teachers’ attitudes to pupils’ (non-standard) language.
Although the presentation should be in English you may well want to investigate the use of Dutch or other languages in your research. You may also need to use Dutch sources.
Alternative Assignment : Essay (1000-1500 words) on ONE of the following essay questions
• ‘A language is a dialect with a flag’. Is this an adequate description of the difference between a language and a dialect?
• Discuss the validity of some of the conflicting theories about the origin of creole languages. In your answer, you may confine yourself to a discussion of one or more languages.
• Language choices can be determined by factors relating to solidarity and power. Discuss this statement in relation to either language codes or language functions.
• Discuss the similarities and differences between diglossia and code switching in relation to various types of linguistic situation found in multilingual communities, adding further concepts if necessary.
• Linguists have provided evidence for differences in the way men and women speak. Choose one or more areas of difference and discuss the evidence provided and possible reasons for the differences found.
• Discuss the various reasons put forward by sociolinguistics to explain why a child who does not speak the standard language may be less successful at school than one who does. How can an understanding of the sociolinguistics prove useful to a foreign language teacher?
• Language determines the way we perceive the world and consequently our behaviour.