Language Attitudes Outside of the United States
This assignment asks you to consider how language use and attitudes relate to various dimensions of LaGuardia’s Global Learning Competency.
These include how Global issues:
- Strengthen students’ knowledge and understanding of divergent global perspectives and pluralistic views
- Raise students’ awareness of how diverse cultural perspectives based on nationality, race, class, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, and sexuality are shaped within global contexts.
- Help students recognize and understand the origins and influences of their own heritage as well as its limitations and develop a position with a systemic understanding of the interrelationships among the self, local and global communities
- Broadens students’ perspectives on ethics and power locally and globally
In Reflective Essay #1, you looked at your own language/dialect or variety and discussed attitudes that exist towards your language/dialect. In this essay, you will choose another language/dialect and research the attitudes that exist about that language/dialect.
Here are some questions to guide your research and to get you started writing:
- Provide background information about this language. For example, how many first language speakers of the language are there? What parts of the world is it spoken in? Who speaks it? Is it commonly spoken as a second language/dialect? Where and who speaks it as a second language/dialect?
- What attitudes exist about this language/dialect? What are some things different people might say about it? Give some examples.
- Is this language/dialect perceived in different ways in different areas or contexts? What are the differences and why do you think this is?
- What social factors do you think are associated with attitudes that people have towards this language/dialect? Racial? Socioeconomic class? Cultural? Education? Ethnic? Sexual or gender identity association? Physical/mental impairment? Anything else? Explain why any of these might contribute to people’s attitudes towards the language/dialect.
After answering these questions, think about the language attitudes that you wrote about in your three reflective essays and discuss the following in your conclusion:
- how people perceive others based on how they speak
- how these attitudes might be another way in which various forms of discrimination continue to occur
- what steps can you take to counter these perceptions and prejudices?
If you need help choosing a language to focus on in this essay, you may investigate one of the following languages, or you may investigate one of your own choosing:
- South African Bantu speakers as perceived by White South Africans
- South African Afrikaans speakers as perceived by Black South Africans
- Haitian Creole speakers as perceived by Dominicans
- Quebec French speakers as perceived by Parisian French
- British Cockney English speakers as perceived by upper class British
- Tibetan speakers as perceived by Han Chinese
- Korean speakers as perceived by Japanese
- Saami speakers as perceived by Finns and Norwegians
- Oromo speakers’ attitudes towards other (minority) language speakers in Eritrea
- Amaric speakers attitudes towards Tigrinya speakers in Eritrea
- Basque speakers as perceived by Spaniards
- Hutu Bantu speakers and Tutsi Bantu speakers attitudes towards each other
Draft: You must upload a draft of each assignment by the due date – You must upload the draft to the site as a post and categorize the post as “Reflective Essay #1.”
Your draft is a preliminary version – Remember that during drafting, the writer puts his ideas into complete thoughts, such as sentences and paragraphs. The writer organizes his ideas in a way that allows the reader to understand his/her/their message.
Since this is your first draft, you should have questions, make sure to add two questions at the end of the draft (questions can be general, regarding the content of your essay, or specific, just regarding one example). For example: “I think that I have described my language in detail, but do you think that the examples that I have used support my argument?” / I found really hard to think about my own language(s), and langauge attitudes, do you think I am being too superficial in my analysis?”
Final version: Submit a hard copy in class on the due date.
Your paper should be 3 pages minimum, with 12pt Times New Roman Font and 1 inch margins. You must cite two sources (not including the textbook) using APA or MLA format.
Failure to submit on time will result in reduction of grade. Late assignments: 5% will be deducted each day including days we do not meet that an assignment is late. Late assignments will NOT be accepted after 5 days.
Rubric here