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December 03, 2005
Chapter 5 Response "Some Basic Sociolinguistic Concepts"
Comments:
1) It was interesting how Michael Stubbs examined the relationship between language and education. This was based on the assumption that a language that deviates from what is deemed "standard english" leads to the educational failure of children. He showed how this assumption mostly comes from people who linguistically stereotype children and believe that they can associate their use of language with how well of an education they will be able to receive. I think that this is an unfair and misleading belief, because the way that a person speaks cannot affect the way that they learn. However, it is true that many people make judgements about others based on the way that they speak.
2) Stubbs mentions the social implications that are involved with a person's accent and dialect. I think that this is an important aspect, because it has a lot to do with how people are chosen for jobs or other things that are work-related. For example, people who are newscasters usually do not have accents and they all have a standard way of speaking. This is because it would be difficult for some people to understand them if they have a thick accent and were trying to present a news event. Even though these people are from different regions, they all sound the same which makes the delivering of news a lot eaisier.
3) I think that it is interesting that many people still go along with the myth that primitive languages still do exist. Even though some languages are not as widely used and are in danger of extinction, they should not be considered to be primitive. All languages have some level of complexity and are based on a particular linguistic system.
4) Stubbs mentions how hard it is to define the term "standard english". This is basically the form of English that is used as a form of communication among different languages and also that is taught in schools. English is used in this way almost as a currency, so that people can exchange information using a system that has a specific set of rules and governs linguistic interaction.
5) I think that it's sad how some teachers still have the attitude that some of their students may be educationally inferior based upon their linguistic ability. I think that this claim should be disregarded, especially if the student is of good academic standings and is able to prove that they are capable of learning. A person's level of comprehension should not be judged by their linguistic background.
Questions:
1) Why do people consider some languages "lazy"?
2) Is linguistic profiling really useful?
3) What makes linguistic stereotypes so powerful?
4) Why are some languages more functional or highly developed than others? How can you tell?
5) Why do we still use some words in our speech even though we were taught that they are not gramatically correct?
--Yasmin
Posted by lcisperez at December 3, 2005 01:20 PM