Eckert 2000 jocks and burnouts

Jocks and Burnouts- Eckert

 

 

This project took place between the years 1980 and 1982 in a high school in Detroit and then one to two months in four other suburban schools in Detroit. This study analyses the cultural differences between two social groups typically found in all high schools. These are referred to as 'jocks' and 'burnouts'.

 

It is important not to get confused with the colloquial definition of 'jock'. Most people believe that this word means someone who has a lot of popularity in high school and abuses that power. However, in this case, the word 'jock' is defined as a school-oriented community of practise who is middle class. On the other hand, the word 'burnout' is defined as a locally-oriented community of practise who is working class. This project suggests that these are the two cultures young people identify themselves with in high school.

 

https://web.stanford.edu/~eckert/jb.html

 

The high school used as field work for two years was called Belten High and opened in the 1950's. Around 2000 students came from solid working class backgrounds up to high middle class backgrounds. The idea of a jock in this case is someone whose life is entirely encompassed by school. They would go to school all day, do their homework and then do extra activities at school once the normal day has ended or would volunteer to help their teacher. Nonetheless, the theory of a burnout out is quite the opposite of a jock. Burnouts would be rebellious and would skip class and smoke cigarettes round the corner of the school.

 

Additionally, the upbringing and social background of the jocks and burnouts have a strong impact on their lives. Children reproduce their parents experiences so if their parents went to school then they would be more likely to do the same. This is significant as jocks have middle class backgrounds so in their culture they would be encouraged to do well at school and go to a higher form of education. However, less people of working class have completed higher levels of education so therefore, if burnouts were to copy their parents, they would not try to improve their education.

 

The split between jocks and burnouts is immediately clear due to the layout of Belten High and the territories jocks and burnouts keep. Burnouts hang out in the industrial parts of the school while jocks stay in the cafeteria or around the sports facilities. The jocks and burnouts do not eat lunch near each other; the burnouts sit in the courtyard and the jocks admitted to going the long way round in order to avoid the courtyard because they were scared of being teased. The jocks look down on the burnouts because they smoke which is shown through the anti smoking campaigns the jocks run in the school.

 

The jocks wear brightly coloured and pastel clothes whereas burnouts avoid colours altogether and wear very dark clothes. Burnouts refuse to wear nice clothes even if they could afford them and stubbornly wear clothes which are about 5 years out of fashion. Alternatively, jocks always wear clothes that are the latest fashion and perm their hair.

 

Jocks look down on burnouts due to the language they use which is often not grammatically correct. For example, they would often use double negatives such as "I don't know nothing". They also use a  lot of drug related slang which jocks view as negative. Furthermore, jocks tend to use short greetings like "hi" whereas burnouts say "how ya doing?"

 

https://prezi.com/09rifqr_wpqz/jocks-burnouts/

 

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=RtTZ230kVPYC&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=jocks+and+burnouts+language&source=bl&ots=NWPfxOAp1u&sig=S1MBAt4pRPQmun-is5YsBVjc63o&hl=en&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwj52PKOzrrJAhVBURoKHYRxCHkQ6AEITDAI#v=onepage&q=jocks%20and%20burnouts%20language&f=false 

 

 

 

 

Is Dialect Changing?

Detrimental Dialects

The U.K seems to be such a small country compared to others across the world, but we have such diverse and contrasting dialects across our island. This is usually very helpful because, generally, different dialects denote different places around the country so we can tell where people originate from and pick up parts of their culture which vary to our own. However, are dialects changing? Would this be positive or negative occurrence or are we losing a fundamental part of our identity?

Nowadays, there is a lot more available mobility around the country and, consequently, people travel more. Therefore, more and more people can be influenced by different dialects. Potentially, your idiolect could change if you spend time in a place with a vastly divergent dialect to your own. This could even be a key conscious choice on your behalf due to the fact it may be easier to fit into to a social or work environment if you speak more similarly to others around you.

 Furthermore, in this day and age, another country's dialect is far more accessible thanks to television, the internet and social media. It appears to be part of many people's daily routines to watch television in their free time and many films and TV series are American. Ergo, a large part of our daily habits is taken up by listening to American dialect and, as a consequence, possibly picking up American dialect which we may not have heard- or used- beforehand.

For example, the slang word "jerk" is a typical American insult. However, this adjective is now known worldwide and often used by adolescents who may not even live or have lived anywhere in America. Positively, this educates people from a young age about the cultural differences between countries and assists them in feeling more at ease travelling to other countries when they are older as they would have a comfortable comprehension of quintessential colloquial language. On the other hand, is it possible to lose the dialect you originally had?

Many people believe that dialect leveling is occurring (which is where stereotypical or key elements of a dialect are being lost due to dialects mixing or the area in which it originates is modernising). Contrary to this belief, Professor Paul Meier, the founder and director of the International Dialects of English Archive, says "The great myth that TV and radio somehow weakens local accents and dialects is patently not true" and he also rejects the idea that dialect leveling is transpiring. 

Gender in Language 06/11/15

Language in Gender

Sociolinguistics- the social variables that influence language (gender, age, ethnicity, religion, occupation)

Sex- what makes a person male or female in relation to their biology

Gender- what makes a person male or female in relation to social or cultural expectations

Discussion:

List of things you think men discuss in men only social groups-

-Sport                                        -School/College/Work

-Videogames                             -Gym

-Attractiveness of girls              -Social Media

-Girlfriends

List of things you think women discuss in women only social groups-

-Periods                                      -Weight

-Children/future family              -Shopping

-Family problems                       -Social Media

-Boyfriends                                 -Diets

-Other girls                                  -School/College/Work

List of things you think men and women discuss in mixed gender social group-

-Opposite sex                              -Holidays

-Parties/Events                            -Social Media

-School/College/Work                -Music

What do men want from a conversation with other men?-

-Wingman                                    -Validation

-Platonic bond                              -Self justification

-Banter

What do men want from a conversation with women?-

-Woman's attention                      -Emotional support

-Girl problems                              -Empathy 

-Girl's opinion

What do women want from a conversation with other women?-

-Advice                                          -Assurance

-Socialise                                       -Understanding

-Company                                      -Study help

-Support

What do women want from a conversation with men?-

-Man's attention

-Boy problems

-Male's opinion

Gender Specific Insults:

Men to Men-               Women to Women-                            Men to Women-       Women to Men-

  

-P*ssy                           -B*tch                                                   -Frigid                        -F*ckboy

-Pr*ck                            -Slut                                                     -Sweat                        -Pr*ck

-D*ckhead                     -Wh*re                                                 -Babe (sarcastic)        -D*ck

-Kn*b                            -Slag                                                    -Ugly                          -D*ckhead

-Kn*bhead                     -Hoe                                                    -Fat                             -A**hole

-C*ck                            -Fat                                                       -Slut

-A**hole                       -Ugly                                                    -Wh*re

-F*ggot                         -Flat chested                                         -C*nt (not often)

-Gay                              -Anything to do with appearance

-Gaylord                        -Two-faced

-Sweat                           

-C*nt

-Whipped

-Frigid

-D*ck
-Sh*thead
-Crackhead

The men to men list was easiest to make because they are heard in most frequency, often loudly, and are generally more extreme.

Women's insults are mainly sexual, specifically the idea that it is negative for them to sleep with a lot of people. Furthermore, the insults are also based around physical appearance.
Men's insults are mainly about asserting their masculinity or dominance; also, they are about their sexuality.


Men use language in a competitive way-       Women use language to reinforce personal relationships-

-Men use more direct statements                    -More detail
-Have higher volume                                      -More open
-More interruptions                                         -Share emotion
-More insults                                                   -Higher pitch (show enthusiasm)
                                                                         -Use sociolect

Commentary on Controversial topic 09/10/15

Commentary on Controversial topic

Both blogs are discussing the topic of capital punishment (more commonly known as 'the death penalty') which is a highly controversial topic so the target audience of these blogs are people who have strong opinions of this subject or are interested in learning more. Furthermore, the audience might be people who are following the blog so regularly read the posts no matter the subject. Both bloggers are adults and have been educated to quite a high standard and I have portrayed his by the fact that each blogger uses Standard English and sophisticated language. The high quality of English would surprise the receiver as they would expect blogs to be very informal but as they are not, their opinions seem more credible. However, the bloggers are young adults and I depicted this by the way the bloggers are arguing with each other and appear to dislike the fact that their opinions are going unheard which implies an air of immaturity. Despite this, Blogger 2 can be seen as more informal than Blogger 1 as they use contractions such as "couldn't". Blogger 2 could be doing this purposefully to make their blog seem more approachable and friendly as some audience could find too formal tests to be daunting or a possible source of humiliation if they cannot understand all the words.

Blogger 1's first publishment has a title "Crazy, Cuckoo Capital Punishment

The primary purpose of the blogs is to persuade their audience to agree with their point of view. Blogger 1 uses triplets such as "far, far, far" when describing their opinion. The repetition of "far" emphasises the preposition and ensures the sentence is memorable to the reader by making it stand out which implies that the sentence is important. I have made the text producer very passionate about the subject so they could be seen as admirable to the audience and they may repsect the text producer's views more. On the other hand, Blogger 2 uses cliche phrases such as "an eye for an eye" when describing their opinion. I did this because it makes the text seem more relatable to its receiver and ensures they will be able to understand Blogger 2's point of view clearly. Furthermore, the use of terminology the reader will be familiar and comfortable with will make the audience more likely to take Blogger 2's side as they seem more like a friend.

Even though the primary purpose of the blogs is to persuade the reader, the secondary purpose is to win the argument between the two blogs. Blogger 1 even quotes Blogger 2 "would you like to be responsible" and turns the phrase round to support their point. I did this because the use of the personal pronoun "you" indicates that the argument is much more personal and even though Blogger 1 is still trying to persuade the text receiver, they are also trying to persuade Blogger 2. The personal pronoun gives the text a more aggressive tone as Blogger 1 is purposefully singling out Blogger 2 and quoting their argument in a condescending manner. This aggressiveness starts a tonal shift in the way Blogger 2 writes; instead of using facts to back up their argument, Blogger 2 talks about their personal opinion in a rather aggrieved manner. For example, Blogger 2 talks about how "Losing a loved one is an awful event" and I wrote this because the text producer has had a personal experience with someone close to them being murdered. This means that Blogger 2 wrote about this topic because of lack of closure and want of revenge to their lost one because they are still grieving.

I used alliteration in both blogs to help make their points more effective. Blogger 1 uses the alliteration of "immoral, ignorant and inhumane". The repetition of sounds draws the reader's attention to the sentence which is also greater emphasised by the fact that it is also a triplet. The alliteration of the first letters of the words means that the only emphasis is on the first syllable of the words which shortens them and makes them sound crisp and snappy. Similarly, Blogger 2 uses the alliteration of "malicious, malevolent monsters" which is also a triplet. The alliteration of "malicious" and "malevolent" means the emphasis draws out the firsts syllable and makes it seem playful. However, "monsters" does not fit the pattern of sounds so the last word is emphasises because Blogger 2 has such a strong and negative opinion about murderers than they do no believe them to be huan anymore.

Additionally,in both blogs I also use rhetorical questions. Blogger 1 uses rhetorical questions such as "is this not the definition of the death penalty?" which is short and direct. The question is specifically about the topic the text producer is taking about and the rhetorical question appears to be directed at the target audience and ensures they question their opinion. It is a subjective question and therefore the text producer as purposefully made the tone expectant that the target audience agrees so the question is subtly persuading the audience to take their side. In comparison, Blogger 2 uses rhetorical questions when talking about why "innocent people have to pay to look after evil murderers" as the text producer believes they should be using the money, that they believe is wasted, on "themselves and their family". This rhetorical question is also attempting to make the audience question their own opinions on the subject; however, the sentence is very prolonged so loses the commanding tone and therefore it is less persuasive. This implies that the text producer is less experienced than Blogger 1 and could have allowed their personal feelings to influence their work. This is suggested by the fact that Blogger 2 is replying to Blogger 1's opinion so their answer could have been written in the heat of the moment and affected by emotions such as anger.

Controversial Blog-Death Penalty 05/10/15

Crazy, Cuckoo Capital Punishment

Blogger 1:

I cannot believe that in some countries they still have the death penalty! This is not the Middle Ages anymore; we should not condone the murder of each other as that is just encouraging violence. Do they not understand how barbaric that appears to other nations? Even in a developed country like America, some states still have the death penalty; in 2012 there were 43 executions and 77 death penalties in America. These are absolutely horrifying figures! If these figures are not enough to terrify you, other countries are far, far, far worse. For example, in Iran there were at least 314 executions in 2012 and at least 79 death sentences. I would hate to live in a country where some live in fear of death. It is not right. It must be stopped.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/campaigns/abolish-the-death-penalty?id=1011005

Blogger 2:

Why would you hate to live in a country with the death penalty? Surely it would make you feel safer knowing that the criminals couldn't commit another crime if they're dead? The only criminals that are executed are the ones that have killed people and I believe they deserve to die after doing something so unforgivable as that. They are malicious, malevolent monsters. Haven't you ever heard of the phrase 'let the punishment fit the crime' or 'an eye for an eye'? If a murderer serves his time in prison and is then let out, they then have the opportunity to kill again. For example, Kenneth Allen McDuff was an American serial killer who was imprisoned for killing people and then killed more people after being let out of prison. More people could have been saved than killed if McDuff was executed. Innocent lives were wasted. Would you like to be responsible of innocent people dying if you help get rid of the death penalty?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_McDuff

Blogger 1:

I can understand your thirst for vengeance for the victims of the heart breaking crime that is murder. However, how can you be completely sure that the person you are executing is actually guilty? What happens if you seem to have all the evidence in the world that points to a person being guilty of murder but it turns out they were cleverly set up? Would you like to be responsible of an innocent person dying if you did not help get rid of the death penalty? Furthermore, it is against the law in America to execute someone if they are mentally insane. However, it is estimated that 5-10% of prisoners on death row in America have severe mental illnesses. Consequently, it should unconstitutional to kill them as they were not aware of right or wrong at the time or of the consequences their actions would have. Therefore, the death penalty is killing people who do not deserve to die and needs to be stopped. Now.

http://www.deathpenalty.org/article.php?id=53

Blogger 2:

Life is precious and needs to be protected. Innocent people don't deserve to have that gift taken away from them and the perpetrators should be punished severely. Losing a loved one is an awful event but it's even worse if it was intentional and with malice. In my opinion, the execution of the murderer gives the victim's friends and family the closure they need to grieve in peace. Also, the death penalty is less expensive than life in prison and also decreases the prison population. This means that taxpayers pay less of their own money looking after criminals. Why should innocent people have to pay to look after evil murderers when they could be using the money to look after themselves and their family?

Blogger 1:

If someone killed another person in cold blood and it was premeditated then that would be murder. However, is this not a definition of the death penalty? You set a date to kill someone and the executioner does not feel too much remorse as the person 'deserves it'. How sociopathic can a society get if they condone this? Also, if they serve life in prison then they would definitely have had enough of punishment and would not want to do something to serve time again. Furthermore, it is a common belief that people can learn from their mistakes and change for the better. Why could this not be possible for killers? For example, in 1979 Stanley Williams was sentenced to death after being convicted of four murders. He was the co-founder of a violent and powerful gang in Los Angeles called Crisps who were responsible for hundreds of murders. However, about five years later, Williams underwent a religious conversion and consequently wrote many books and created many programs which encouraged peace and fought against gang violence. He was nominated for the Nobel Literature Prize four times and the Nobel Peace Prize five times. This proves that convicts can turn away from lives of violence and become new people. Despite the fact that Mr Williams was no longer dangerous for society, he was still executed in 2005. Can you see how numerous people could view this punishment as morally wrong? There is no black and white case for capital punishment. The majority of prisoners on death row have been either physically or sexually abused in their lives. This would obviously play a big part in their lack of morals. However, if they were given therapy and were taught how to function properly in society, why could they not be given a second chance? Mr Williams gave so much good to society after he acquired new morals and if it were not for the death penalty he could have contributed so much more. Capital punishment is immoral, ignorant and inhumane. Help us stop it.

 

Initial Assessment Analysis 18/09/15

Initial Assessment Analysis

 

 

Utterance- speaking language version of a sentence

 

Participants- who's taking part in the transcript

 

Turns- for how long you speak for (every time someone else speaks it's a new turn)

 

Dialogue- two or more people speaking

 

Latching- no pauses at end of a turn

 

Idiolect- your unique way of speaking

 

Dialect- the way you speak due where you come from

 

Jargon- specifically associated with a subject- when you know what you're talking about

 

Lexis- word

 

 

GRAPE should be at least referenced in every paragraph as well as context

Point- x uses y to z                                                                                                               x= who

Evidence- quote with plenty to talk about or multiple quotes                                             y= technique
Eplanation- which specific techniques in the quote work in                                              z= effect
which ways (be tentative)  


Write concisely and avoid tautology (saying the same thing in two different ways)

Avoid contractions

Avoid 'this shows'

Avoid 'a lot'

Use more than one piece of evidence per point to show patterns of use (boosts grade)

More in depth paragraphs are better than lots of short paragraphs


Producer/speaker can imply something
You can infer something
 

Mode 08/09/15

Mode

 

Mode- the way something is written (pictures, speech, written)

 

Multimodality- texts that have more than one type of mode (e.g webpage)

 

Paralinguistics- everything in spoken apart from words (e.g laughter, gestures, tone, volume, speed)

 

 

 

Writing	Speaking
Monologue	Dialogue
Planned	Spontaneous
Durable	Ephemeral
Grammatically complex	Grammatically simple
Formal	Informal
Objective	Interpersonal
Decontextualised	Contextualised

Interpersonal- influenced by who you're talking to

Register of text- formality of text

Language is Changing Article 21/09/15

Just FYI, the English Language is Evolving

Nowadays, the English language is going through some major changes which is mainly due to the influence the younger generation has on it. Abbreviations are frequently being created to decrease the time taken to text or type, but are these actually words? Are they appropriate to use in every day conversation?

Acronyms such as "LOL" or "BFF" are replacing words used in every day speech and as a consequence standard English appears to be deteriorating. There is an increase in slang used in speech, particularly in the younger generation.

The younger generation is surrounded by social media which means it has a high influence in their lives. Furthermore, slang and abbreviations are perceived as an essential key to using and contributing to social media sites such as Instagram and Snapchat. Therefore, children are growing up surrounded by acronyms used as words so they cannot be blamed for discerning them as normal contributes to English.

Betty Birner, from the Linguistic Society of America, says  "Language is always changing, evolving, and adapting to the needs of its users. This isn't a bad thing". However, most adults admit that they can't understand parts of conversations the younger generation have between themselves. Why would the English language change if a large part of its speakers can't comprehend the new words?

Birner explains that the English language "changes because of the needs of its speakers change. New technologies, new products, and new experiences require new words to refer to them clearly and efficiently". Ergo, the mind-boggling new words are being created as a consequence of the mind-boggling miracles made from modern technology.

Despite the fact that this evolutionary jump in language is apparently natural, what about the people left behind?  The question is, should parents be worried about not being able to understand their children and should schools encourage or discourage these changes?

Many teachers are worried the effect slang could have on student's grades as many teenagers have begun to be unable to tell some formal words from informal words. Some schools have even gone to the extreme and banned slang from their premises.

The majority of the older generation appear to associate teenagers who use slang with gangs or lower social classes. However, they have a very discriminating and stereotyping view as most would be shocked to learn that slang is used all over the country and in all social classes.

Furthermore, slang is an essential part in the English language developing. This is because a lot of slang that was used in later years has become part of everyday conversation nowadays. For example, some slang from the 1920's is completely understood today. People have no problem understanding words such as "crush" or "fall guy" or "heebie-jeebies" which was slang in the 1920's .

Therefore, overall, even though the new slang emerging these days appears to be daunting, experts insist that is an entirely natural course of nature. The English language has been highly changed since the times of Shakespeare and will continue to adapt to the new cultural aspects of the world which will appear in the future.


Source: http://www.linguisticsociety.org/content/english-changing

Advertisement in Spoken Language 14/09/25

Advertisement in Spoken Language

Tetley tea- "Make time, make Tetley"                                        Talk Talk- "UK's safest broadband"

Marmite- "You either love it or you hate it"                               "Make delicious custard with Bird's"

T-shirt- "Nothing to wear"                                                           Turkey- "They're bootiful"

Smoking advert- "Filter your life"                                               Nike- "Just do it"

Coca Cola- "Friendliest drink on Earth"                                      Skittles- "Taste the rainbow"   

Burger King- "It will blow your mind away"                              T-shirt- "I woke up like this"

Dr Pepper- "Evolution of flavour"                                               Tesco- "Every little helps"

L'Oreal- "Because you're worth it"                                               Penguin- "Ppp pick up a penguin"

KFC- "It's finger licking good"                                                    McDonalds- "I'm lovin' it"

Virgin- "It's time to escape with Virgin"                                      Burger King- "Have it your way"

Broadband- "Shop till you drop with no broadband limit"          Coca cola "Share a coke with..."

Frosties "It's grrreat"                                                                    Asda- "You're better off at Asda"

Ribena "You can't get any more ribenary"                                   Costa- "Welcome coffee lovers"


 

Most of the adverts are sort and snappy such as Nike "Just do it". This makes it effective because it's easy to remember and dramatic. The short phrase ensures that all the advert is focused on one subject- the product. The phrase "Just do it" is an imperative as it is telling its audience what to do. The tone is aggressive and undermining, almost as if it is taunting the target audience and inferring that it would be cowardly not to "do it".

Numerous adverts also use contractions such as McDonalds "I'm lovin' it". The contractions make the sentence less formal and therefore more approachable as if the company seems less professional then the customers are more likely to let their guard down and relax. Furthermore the contraction "I'm" allows the sentence to flow faster which has a big impact on the advert as it allows them to get their message across efficiently with less chance of the target audience getting bored. Moreover, the contraction "I'm" put stress on the verb "lovin'" which emphasises that promise of enjoyment from McDonalds; however, if 'I am' had been used instead it would have put stress on 'am' which would have emphasised the personal opinion on enjoyment where McDonalds want to persuade people that everyone will enjoy and therefore would not want to focus on one person's opinion.

Various adverts use hyperbole like Burger King "It will blow your mind away". Obviously, the product will not literally "blow" the customer's "mind away" but the imagery is effective as it allows them to build a sense of excitement about the product. Furthermore, the hyperbole has a tone of overconfidence which some customers may view as a challenge. This is because the hyperbole implies the company is so confident about their product they are showing off about it and some customers may be intrigued to test if it is really as good as the insist it will be.

Several adverts, like L'Oreal "Because you're worth it", use synthetic personalisation. This creates a false relationship with the audience and makes them feel as if they are being addressed individually. This is effective as it makes customers feel as if the people on the advert are advising them and as if they know them personally, like a friend. The determinate "you're" picks out the target audience easily as if the advert doesn't affect you then you aren't the target audience as only they would be interested in hair products. Furthermore, the advert assures the target audience that they are "worth" their product which suggests to them that the product is of high quality and tehy would be treating themselves if they bought it.

Some adverts changes the spelling of a word to play with the sounds so they link with the picture. For example, Frosties' slogan is "It's grrreat" which can be associated with the tiger which is the products mascot. The target audience is children which is shown with the cheerful play on a sound and animal well-known to children so the advert would be memorable to them. The Bernard Mathews' turkey advert "They're bootiful" also plays with the spelling of a word to change the sound. Bernard Mathews was a famous farmer from Norfolk so the spelling of "bootiful" is to make it sound like his iconic accent. By changingthe way a word is spoken, the advert is more memorable as many people wouldn't be used to hearing the word pronounced like that, therefore making it stand out from other adverts.

Is Diversity in Spoken Language Valued or Devalued? 15/09/15

Is Diversity in Spoken Language Valued or Devalued?

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/oct/18/census-2011-england-wales-diversity-languages-map     Last accessed 15/09/15

The article in the Guardian concerning the 2011 consensus about the diversity of languages in England and Wales shows us that despite English being the language spoken most commonly, there are a large variety of other languages spoken. The article describes how there is “data on almost 100 verbally spoken languages with 4.1m people reporting a main language other than English (or Welsh if they lived in Wales)”. This shows there are a large range of people who speak diversely to Standard English which suggests diversity in spoken language is valued as there are many people who speak another language who could offer support to other people in the same position. Furthermore, the article tells us that “in London alone, just over 690,000 people considered a European language which wasn’t of British origin as their main language” and describes London as a “global city” which shows that people who speak other languages are mixing with only English speaking people; therefore, the English language is being influenced by other languages as people who speak something other than English are integrating with only English speaking people in major cities.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29206260       Last accessed 15/09/15

This BBC article describes how many Australian migrants find jobs hard to find due to language blocks. A Chinese migrant explains how “language is the first priority to mix with the locals” so he went to school to learn English. However, the article goes on to explain how a lot of the time being able to speak English still isn’t enough for migrants to find work and there is “prejudice” against people from non-English speaking backgrounds. An expert admits in the article that “often people who have got names such as Mohammed or Abdul are not even getting that opportunity of being interviewed”. This shows that in Australia diversity in spoken language is devalued and many peple from a non-English speaking background are discriminated.

https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/work-poverty-ethnicity-and-workplace-cultures        Last accessed 15/09/15

This article describes how many low paid workers are from ethnic minorities. It explains how nowadays there is more demand for workers with higher skills but workers from ethnic backgrounds have a less chance of getting the opportunity to develop higher skills as “Power imbalances between managers and low-paid workers shape daily interactions in which some workers were recognised and included, while others are marginalised”. The article describes how even when people from non-English speaking backgrounds have got jobs, they still find limitations to their opportunities. 

Liked and Disliked Words 04/09/15

Liked and Disliked Words

Word Groups:

Food:                           Adjective:                       Taboo:                     Non-standard uses:       

Asparagus (D)              Amazing (L)                    Clunge (L)               Literally (D)

Gravy (D)                     Lush (L)                          Shag (D)           (x2)Like (D)            

Honey (L)                     Peng (D)                   (x3)C*nt (D)                 Trust (D)

Sprout (D)                    Sanguine (L)                    B*llend (L)              Sweat (D)

Nugget (D)                   Naive (L)                         Slut (D)                   Mint (D)

                                    Inconvenient (L)

                                    Moist (D)

From this data I have learned that people both like and dislike words for a variety of reasons such as the connotations they may have with the word or simply because of the word's pronunciation. For example, almost all the positive adjectives are liked which infers that people prefer to think about words which are used to describe things nicely than focus on negative views. This is further emphasised with the taboo words as many of them are disliked which shows people dislike to hear insults. 

The data shows that almost everyone disliked their word if it was a food. This may be because they actually dislike the food so they associate the bad experience they had with the food with the word and therefore dislike it.

The data shows that everyone disliked a word if it was used in a non-standard way. This infers that people dislike the way slang can ruin the structure and grammar in English. Furthermore, it suggests that they dislike change and how the English language is evolving and would prefer if it was kept the way they are comfortable with.

Key: (L) = Liked

         (D) = Disliked