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CC8 Lesson 1

The lesson focuses on the relationship between language and identity, emphasizing the influence of society and culture on language development and communication. It outlines key elements of language, such as phonology and semantics, and discusses how language varies across different environments and roles. Additionally, it highlights factors affecting language styles, including gender, age, social status, and religion.

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7 views2 pages

CC8 Lesson 1

The lesson focuses on the relationship between language and identity, emphasizing the influence of society and culture on language development and communication. It outlines key elements of language, such as phonology and semantics, and discusses how language varies across different environments and roles. Additionally, it highlights factors affecting language styles, including gender, age, social status, and religion.

Uploaded by

allysa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CONTENT AND PEDAGOGY IN MOTHER TONGUE

(CC 8)
Lesson No: 1

Lesson Title: LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY: SOCIOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL


PERSPECTIVES OF LANGUAGE

Let’s Hit These:


At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

1. Explain the relationship between language and identity


2. Analyze the relevance of society and culture to language development and
communication

Let’s Get Started:


Fill out the graphic organizer below of words related to language.

Language

Let’s Read:
Language is considered one of the elements of culture. It is the system of words or signs
that a particular group of people uses to express thoughts and feelings with each other.
Languages in the world share the same elements, with an exception of the few which do not have
yet a written orthography:
(1) Phonology – the sound system of a language
(2) Morphology – the study of the structure of words
(3) Syntax – the study of the structure of sentences
(4) Semantics – the study of meaning in a language
(5) Pragmatics – the appropriate use of language in different contexts

All languages take place within a particular environment. A minister and priest speak in
the environment of a church. Language that is appropriate to one environment may appear
meaningless or foolish in another. For example, the language you use in your dormitory might be
completely inappropriate in a classroom.
According to Neil Postman, who writes about language and education, the language
environment is made up of four elements: (1) people, (2) purpose, (3) rules of communication by
which they achieve their purpose, and (4) the actual task used in the situation.
Whenever you shift roles, you shift your language environment and your speech as well.
Let’s say that in a single day you talk to your roommate, you go to class, and you speak to your
mother on the phone. Your role has shifted three times: from peer, to student relating to
instructor, to child relating to parent. Each circumstance has entailed to a different language
environment, and you have probably changed your speech accordingly --- perhaps without even
realizing it.
The important thing to remember about a language environment is that you must choose a
language that is appropriate to it. The language used in one environment usually does not work
in another. When you think about the environment, you need to ask yourself who it is you are
going to be talking with and in what context your language is going to be used. If you don’t
adapt to your environment, your language will not work, and you will loose the chance for
effective communication.

Factors Affecting Language Styles


1. Gender. According to Tannen (2009) men and women have different styles of speaking.
When women engage in conversations, they use the language of rapport-talk. This
language is designed to lead to intimacy with others, to match experiences, and to
establish relationships. Men, on the other hand, speak report-talk, a type of speech in
which the speaker’s goal is to maintain status, to demonstrate knowledge and skills, and
to keep the center stage position. In addition, Tannen believes that gender-specific
language begins in childhood and children learn it from their peers.
2. Age. Children speak differently from adults; they have different choice of words and
way of expressing their thoughts.
3. Social Status. Scholars have identified variations in language styles of people depending
on their social status. People in the business world have more brief and concise style
utilizing a more direct language. Politicians also have obviously different style of
communicating to their constituents in order to project a positive image to them.
4. Religion. Language and religion offer an innovative theory of religion as a class of
cultural representations dependent on language to unify diverse capacity of the human
mind.

Let’s Do This:
Answer the following questions concisely:
1. What is language?
2. Are language and identity related? Justify your answer.
3. Are society and culture relevant to language development and communications? Explain
your answer.

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