Language Articles

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/nov/28/step-away-from-your-phone-the-new-rules-of-conversation

This article explains how the face-to-face talk is dying out as it is easy to talk to people and avoid people using social media such as Snapchat. Sherry Turkle is an American sociologist who says we use 'snubbing' which means we can keep eye contact with another person while texting. 

Turkle says;  “you pay attention, but you let your mind wander. You focus on detail and discover the hidden dimensions of ordinary things. Talk therapy slows things down, so that they can be opened out.” 

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/nov/28/how-to-talk-to-anyone-the-experts-guide

This article explains how you should talk to certain people in your life such as your doctor, children and date. To talk to your children for example; you should use specific questions which they know what the answer would be instead of just a general question such as 'how was your day.' To talk to your date you should always listen to what they are saying as it will portray what they are feeling at that current moment. 

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2015/nov/28/the-conversation-that-changed-my-life

This article explains how conversations have changed these 8 writers lives. They explain what the conversation was about, who they were talking to and how it changed them to be the person they are today living the way that they are. 

Calm Down Dear!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URWXkPDwG0g

In this clip, David Cameron said to a women, Labour's Angela Eagle,  in the Houses of Parliament; "Calm down, dear!". Cameron has said this this was meant to be taken as a joke and used in a humour but could this just be an example of the dominance theory in gender language?  Considering that the population is 51% females and 49% males, it is clear that parliament is dominated with the male gender and this could be one of the reasons that David Cameron thought it would be acceptable to use this phrase and not think it is offensive. 

Blurred Lines Documentary- The New Battle Of The Sexes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyotccMAx04

Summary

• Most men feel able to be negative towards women and technology is a massive influence of this. 
• Forms of prejudice are often seen as humour and then explained as 'banter'. 
• Is offence language towards women socially acceptable? It relates to the context. 
• Technology enables people to write what they like. Written language is permanent and sexism is being moved from a private place to a public place. 
• Online abuse towards women in the public eye is only due to social media. 
• 'Is language different online'- Kirsty Wark 

Deborah Cameron- 'What Language Barrier'

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/oct/01/gender.books

Simon Baron-Cohan says that the topic of men and women's language is just "too insensitive".  Stereotypicaly women are more open talking about their emotions and are more sensitive whereas, men 'never listen'. This is why women are more likely to work in a call center as they communicate better compare to men. 

Baron-Cohan says that people are born with either a female brain or a male brain, with the female brain having more empathy compared to the males. It is clear that men and women are physically different but is the language they use actually different? 

1 Language and communication matter more to women than to men; women talk more than men.

2 Women are more verbally skilled than men.

3 Men's goals in using language tend to be about getting things done, whereas women's tend to be about making connections to other people. Men talk more about things and facts, whereas women talk more about people, relationships and feelings.

4 Men's way of using language is competitive, reflecting their general interest in acquiring and maintaining status; women's use of language is cooperative, reflecting their preference for equality and harmony.

5 These differences routinely lead to "miscommunication" between the sexes, with each sex misinterpreting the other's intentions. This causes problems in contexts where men and women regularly interact, and especially in heterosexual relationships.

Interactive Resource

http://xtlearn.net/S/2864?header=false&visit=false&source=

Spoken language genre of speech

Characteristics of speech

Unplanned ~

·         Many non-fluency features

·         Usually an informal register

·         Phatic expressions

·         Non-standard grammar 

Semi planned ~

·         Fewer non-fluency features

·         Usually a more formal register

·         Phatic expressions

·         More standard grammar

Planned ~

·         An absence of non-fluency features

·         Few deictic features

·         Formal register

·         Standard grammar

·         Addressing an audience

-----

We want to make contact with others – even if it's only to say ‘hello'. These are known as phatic utterances.

We want to exchange ideas and social information with friends. These are interactional exchanges.

We want to express how we feel. These are expressive utterances.

We want to provide information. These are referential utterances.

We want to get something done. These are transactional exchanges.

-----

Permanence – When you have a conversational normally it is not re4corded and therefore only stays in your memory whereas writing can be re-read and remains permanent for as long as the text is kept.

Expressing feelings – Such as facial expressions, tones of voice and body language when speaking however written language relies on expression of words, punctuation and graphological features.

Moment in time – Spoken language is immediate where as written is not (unless you are there when it is being written).

Context - Speech takes place in a particular situation with all the participants aware of who is talking to whom about what. This can lead to speakers not needing to be precise about certain details.

Interaction - Speech is usually an interactive process between two or more people – it's active. Writing, on the other hand is not dynamic in this way – the audience is more distant.

------

Planned Speeches ~   

·         Of all planned talk, planned speeches are probably as formal as it gets in the spoken mode. They are usually very carefully written so as to have maximum impact on the audience.

·         Rhetorical questions can be asked – there's no reply expected and the answer is usually obvious. The speaker can also ask a question and then follow it up with an answer, thereby driving home a point

·         Emotive language – powerful language with strong connotations – is designed to provoke an emotional response from the audience.

·         The use of listing (often in threes) adds weight to the line of argument and can often have the effect of building up to an important point.

·         Carefully chosen metaphors and similes can help to enrich the message by leaving the audience with effective images.

Antithesis- Exact opposites used for effect in certain types of language – particularly persuasive language. For example, ‘strong’ and ‘weak’, ‘dark and light’.

Spoken language and conversation

Conversation~

·         Signs that speakers are ready for someone else to talk include stressing the final word, asking a direct question, asking for assent, or even appearing to flounder for the right words. Our utterances may also often become quieter as they are drawing to a close. We use cues like these, often unwittingly, during every conversation.

·         There's normally no gap or overlap between one speaker and another. Estimates suggest that only about 5% of our conversations are overlaps

·         The Verbal cues you heard in the clip were: asking a direct question; mentioning the name of the person you want to talk next or using tag questions to prompt a response. Other verbal cues are dropping the volume of speech and elongating a final syllable

·         There are certain non-verbal cues a listener can use to encourage the speaker to let them to take a turn. These include; leaning forward or increasing body tension and nodding the head rapidly.

------

Spontaneity and expectation~

·         Most interactions begin with an opening sequence which signals to a listener that we want to talk. The more formal the situation, the more formal the opening.

·         We expect that certain utterances will be followed by others that fit our expectations. For example, we expect that a greeting will be followed by a returned greeting.

·         These ‘pairs' are the main building blocks of our conversations and are called adjacency pairs or two-part exchanges.

·         Adjacency pairs:

Have each part of the pair spoken by a different person, always have a link, always involve a second utterance following on from the first (although it may not follow on directly – there could be a short interruption).

·         The ‘chains' of adjacency pairs can be broken up or interrupted. This might happen if, for example: someone comes into a room and joins in the conversation, the flow of the conversation is temporarily redirected for a few utterances, perhaps so that clarification can be sought

------

Conversation analyst~

·         The subject of conversations is called topics. A topic is usually decided by one persona and stays that way until someone changes it. When a change of topic takes place, it's known as a topic shift and the verbal cues to make the change are called topic shifters.

·         Repairs occur when there's a need to correct a mistake. Sometimes the speaker will realise that s/he needs to make a correction

·         When you are talking to someone it is important that you show you are taking an interest in what they are saying. A way someone many do this is by giving minimal responses like hum and uh hum.

·         When we're aware that we're coming towards the end of a conversation, we usually try to bring it to a close in a way that is socially acceptable and ‘polite'.

-----

Positive and negative politeness~

·         In the work place you follow three rules to be polite: don’t impose, give options and make your receiver feel good.

·         Brown & Levinson maintained that positive politeness is shown when we: show people that we like/admire/have sympathy with them and make jokes (that we know the person will like), avoid disagreements – e.g. by choosing ‘safe' topics to talk about, or by softening our own disagreements, assert what we have in common and are in agreement

·         Brown & Levinson thought negative politeness is shown when we: are indirect to avoid intrusion, use hedges or questions, defer to someone by giving a superior form of address – e.g. ‘sir', are apologetic

·         Grice's maxims illustrate the ‘rules' or principles of successful conversation and we are conscious of when they are being flouted.

Systematic frameworks for analysis

 What is needed for AS essays:

A-LEVEL: Knowledge, understanding, application, Clarity, Description, The above skills, plus: Detail, comment, analysis, problem-solving Thinking for yourself Using facts to back up opinion Introduction to research

Exam Questions: Paper 2 AQA

http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/english/AQA-77012-SQP.PDF

http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/english/AQA-77012-COM.PDF

http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/english/AQA-77012-CEX.PDF

Bristol University: Guide To Grammar

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/index.htm

A) Handy for revision

B) Punctuation/structure-

·        Punctuation (syntax; Compound, complex, simple, subordinate clause)

·         layout (graphology)

·        discourse (how the text addresses the audience)

·         form purpose audience (FBA)

·        spoken language utterances and written language syntax

·        functions of syntax: imperative (command), interrogative (question), explanative (to exclaim), declarative (to declare something)

C) Homophone, comparatives, lexis (words), semantics, pragmatics (meanings)

D) Exam responses

E) Grammar, lexis

F) Form, Purpose, audience (FPA)

G) Handy for revision 

The 3Ds

When talking about gender spoken language the 3Ds need to be included: dominance, difference and deficit.

Dominance: 

• Jennifer Coats says our identification is represented by how we speak. She says we live in a patriarchal society, a male dominate world (mostly mild-aged) and male dominated position of power. 
• There are more CEOs named John then there are women in a position of power even though our population is 51% female. 
• There are two different types of power: influential and instrumental. Influenced power is using language to influence someone's decision and instrumental power is using imperative language making somebody do something.  
• Pamela Fishman (1983) said that tag questions are used more by females and use them to gain conversational power, they are also used to set the agenda and she says females use 'conversational shittalk' (phatic talk and fillers). 

Difference:

• Women belonging to 'different sub-cultures' who are differently socialised from childhood onwards: girls play with dolls and using loving words and language and boys play with cars and guns and use the opposite types of language. 

• Deborah Cameron (1995): verbal hygiene, language is gender. 
• Lakoff and Spencer see gendered language in terms of power; throughout western culture the masculine has been unmarked normal language, the feminine the marked for. 
• Unmarked; 'Manager' and 'Usher' 
• Marked; 'Manageress' and 'Usherette' 

• Stereotypically men use instrumental power and female use influential power. 
• We are raised this way from a child, more praise is given to a girl for being polite and respectful than boys. 
• Political correctness; eliminating suffix e.g. Headmistress to Headteacher, mark forms politically incorrect  and so language is becoming equal, society is becoming more equal.

• Deborah Tannen's view (1990) 
• men do speak differently to women.'The desire to affirm that women are equal has made some scholars reluctant to show that they are different' 
• Status V Support, Independence V Intimacy, Advice V Understanding, Information V Feeling

Deficit: 

• Cameron challenges the two different contrast language between male and female. 
• Women are socialised to speak in a certain way; passive and subordinate. 
• The way men and women speak in conversation may reveal the effect of things such as class or social economic status. 
• Lakoff is the theorist for deficit. He said that women's language is less important and they speak less than men, but there is no statistical data to support this 'It is my impression, though I do not have precise statistical evidence' and there has been many changes between the years relating to gender language. 
• Jenny Cheshire (1983) said that boys use more non-standard forms than girls such as taboo and slag language. 

Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-Stars

https://www.facebook.com/JenniferLawrence/posts/10153012783811793:0

Jennifer Lawrence posted this status on the social media platform 'Facebook.' It was published to spark debate and put her opinion across. The status explains how she thinks it is unfair that she gets paid less than her male co-stars due to the fact that she is a women. The post is directed to people who follow Jennifer Lawrence who tend to be females who watch her films between the ages of 15 and 30. 

There are both male and female language used in this status. The language used to describe men are words such as 'fierce' and 'tactical' because they negotiate with the price they should be paid. Whereas, if women were to do the same thing, they would be described as 'spilt', 'difficult' and a 'brat'. 

In Grammar There Isn’t Always One Right Answer

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/nov/03/morgan-grammar-test-right-answer-spag-english-spelling-punctuation-grammar

This article was written by Michael Rose, he explains how he feels that Key Stage 2 English spelling, grammar and punctuation tests are used to grade the children and not to test their language skills. 

Why English Is Weird

Seeing these reasons it is very clear to why people who are new to the English language can get confused as words can have a completely different meaning if they are pronounced slightly different. However, people who speak English and know it very well don't even need to think about how to pronounce the word as it just comes naturally. 

1) We know the difference between a noun and a verb which means we know how to pronounce the words differently to make the sentence make sense. 

2) The first 'produce' in the sentence is the verb in the sentence and the second is the object of the sentence, this leaves the 'farm' to be the subject of the sentence. 

3) In this sentence we are aware that we need to emphasise 're' in the first refuse as this would make the sentence understandable. 

4) We know the difference between a noun and and verb which is how we know which way to pronounce 'polish' even though they are spelt exactly the same.

5) The verb normally comes before the noun and this homophone usage follows the same pattern. 

6) 'Desert' and 'dessert' are both spelt differently, 'desert' is the verb and 'dessert' is the noun. 'Desert' is the subject of the sentence and there is more emphasis. 

7)The first 'present' relates to time and the moment, the second is relating to giving someone something and the final 'present' is a gift. 

8) 'Bass' and 'bass' are spelt the same way yet have two different ways to pronounce the word. 

9) Similar to 'bass', 'dove' are spelt the same but are pronounced differently and have different meanings. 

10) The first 'object' is the verb which then means the second 'object' is the noun of the sentence. 

Are Emojis The New Language?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/32793732/uks-fastest-growing-language-is-emoji

Emojis are one of the fastest growing languages according to this article, it shows that emojis could have been used in the past in the form of  hieroglyphics and therefore are not a completely new concept. It states that  '72% of 18 to 25-year-olds' find it easier to explain how they feel through using emojis than using actual words. 

The article also includes a video with students trying to explain easy and complex situations only using emojis and it was shown that it can be done fairly easily. 

 

Mispronunciation

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/11/pronunciation-errors-english-language

This article explains how mispronouncing words is very common, it goes through the most common mispronounced words and why they are said incorrectly. 

It states that one of the main reasons for people saying words incorrectly could be all down to how the words are spelt which relates to a previous article posted http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150605-your-language-is-sinful. There are 8 main reasons why we mispronounce words which are explained throughout the article such as 'words which used to begin with 'n'.'

English Language Is A Mess?

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150605-your-language-is-sinful

In this article it explores how the English language has become very confusing and how spelling has become so complicated to understand. It says that we only have ourselves to blame for this due to the fact we have taken words and spellings from places all around the world and putting them into our own language and this has been going on for centuries starting from the Romans.

The writer uses a poem to explain how many variations of spellings there are and how that it is complex to understand. He states that the issue starts right at the beginning of the English Language; the alphabet.  

Planet Word ~ Stephen Fry

'Language and accent shape and define our identity'~ Stephen Fry 

'There is an extraordinary variety of accents'~Stephen Fry 

When speaking to someone in a business (e.g. a call centre) our first point of contact is with someone who has a local accent as it is seemed to be friendly and trustworthy. However, when there is an issue someone with received pronunciation speaks to you as it is the language of power even if they are saying the exact same thing the personal with the regional accent could be saying. 

 

Language And Identity

• Standard English: Most prestige and usually used in written text. It has a formal register and is classed as the language of power. Expect to see standard English in professions as it signifies status. Standard English isn't expected to be used in professions such as builders and postman. It can suggest someone's class. 

• Slang: Used in informal situations. Used more around friends and less around the work place and when talking to new people. 

• Dialect: Lexical features or variations of grammar. It is words not accent for example in Bristol it will be the 'err' at the end of a word but the choice of word such as 'gert lush.'

• Taboo: Offensive lexical choices. Tends to be used in social situations with friends. Can be seen as normal when used in certain context but not in others. 

• Technology influenced words: Tweets, texts and instant messenger heavily influence peoples language choice. 

• Neologisms: Coinage-new words. New words are constantly entering peoples everyday language.

• Occupational register: Jargon which is based on a shared knowledge of the job or situation. 

• Received pronunciation: The accent which is used to teach English and is also referred to as the language of power. People which hold authority tend to have this such as bankers, MPs and newsreaders. 

• Regional accent: Pronouncing words depending on where you live or where you come from.  

Facts Of Teen Language

• Teenagers develop a broad vocabulary of 40,000 words by the age of 16.
• Linguists have found that teenagers use 800 words on a daily basis even though they know many more.
• Tony McEnery found the top 20 words include 'but' 'yeah' and 'no' by analysing teenagers blogs and looking at 100,000 words. 
• Sheffield University have found teenagers know 40,000 words and graduates know 60,000 words.
• Jean Gross has said 'Teen's have always had there own language.' 

Teen language

Fleek and Bae are examples of teen speech, if these words were used in a transcript it would be very clear that the speaker is a teen. 

In the media, words such as lazy, rude, moody and disrespectful are used to describe teens, this results in a bad representation of teenagers and it tends to lead to the older generation being annoyed and aggravated by teenagers. Moral panic is then put in place where the media creates an amplification spiral which makes the situation worse. Due to this, there is a distrust between generations creating a generation gap. 

Joanna Thornborrow

" One of the most fundamental ways we have of establishing our identity, and of shaping other people's views of who we are, is through our use of language"

~Joanna Thornborrow 2004 

AQA Mark Schemes

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/as-and-a-level/english-language-7701-7702/assessment-resources

This links you to the AQA specimen papers and mark scheme page for AS Language.

Make Up New Words

https://www.ted.com/talks/erin_mckean_go_ahead_make_up_new_words/transcript?language=en

This is a video from Ted Talks where Erin Mckean explains why we should be making up new words and not just sticking to words which already exist. She explains the six ways to create new words to "make language better at expressing what we mean." She explains that the reason we don't make up words, and why people don't like new words, can be due to grammar, when grammar actually has two different meanings. So as a matter of fact, it is a lot better if we make up words instead of 'borrowing' them from other countries. 

Brown and Levinson

These two linguists put ideas forward about politeness, they gave them the term positive and negative face needs.

Positive face needs refer to people wanting to be liked and what language they use when they want to be liked, this results in them using a positive politeness strategies. This is mainly used when you first meet someone and want to make an impression. This is usually done by: using humour, agreeing to avoid conflict (para linguistic language e.g. nodding), eye contact, asking questions and smiling. 

Negative face needs is the opposite and is mainly used when you are trying to say something difficult and therefore you are trying to be tactical about what you say. This means you tend to use negative politeness strategies such as: being indirect, being sympathetic/apologetic, questioning and hedging and avoiding humour. 

Your language choices change and adapt to what situation and context you are speaking in and these are some of the ways they change and why they do. 

Job Conversation Transcript

Job conversation transcript

A: have you got a job?

B: (laughs)no I don’t but I've applied for lots of places

A: where have you applied for?  

B: Um Argos, House of Fraser (Debenhams 

 -Overlaps- maybe due to the fact these two have known each other for a long time.

A: (did you not have any replies)    

B: No (.) well the people either ignore me or tell me that I don’t (.) have the right thing for the job (2) that didn’t make sense but yeah (laughs) 

A: Have you got a job C?

C: I don’t have a job but I’ve applied for many places (.)like B I’ve applied for (.) House of Fraser (.) my recent one I got (.) told I can’t work at Lush because I pat my thighs

- Non-standard English 

All: (Laughs)

C: That’s a bad (.) thing to have apparently (2)

   - Micro pause 

A: Oh (.) fair enough

                       The conversation follows an expected pattern which relates

 to Grice's Maxim of Conversation. The conversation 

is chaining in which it all links together and the topic

 does not change. 

C: I know its great

B: (laughs)

A: D have you got a job?

D: No I don’t have a job because (.) nowhere gets back to me so I’m still looking

A: Oh

-Conversation quality- very little being added to the conversation  

D: Mm (.) what about you? Have you got a job?

There are quite a few pauses throughout the conversation,

most of them are short pauses however some of them are

longer, and this could be due to people not knowing each 

other very well. 

A: Yeah I got a job I work at Costa (2)                          

All: (laughs)

- Paralinguistic language 

C: (we’ve had this conversation before)

D: (How many hours do you do?)

As this is a transcript, it is very difficult to comment on the 

paralinguistic features of the converastion; however it is 

imagined that due to most of the speakers knowing each other,

the body language would be very relaxed.  

A; 15 hours a week

D: Is that good or bad?

A: That’s good (.) but then it takes up all my social time so I got no friends anymore

- Non-standard grammar maybe due to the fact they are around friends and therefore not talking formally. 

C: (mm that’s sad)

B: (aw that’s sad)

A: Yeah I know

Speaker B and C have known each other for a 

long time which could be the main reason they overlap 

one another as they feel comfortable together. 

B&D: (laugh)

C: What Costa do you work at?

A: The one in Avonmeads

C: Oh yeah (the new one?)

D: (Do you get discounts on stuff?)
A: I get it free if I go into that shop (.) and then if I go into other shops (I get like 45% off)

C: (Okay I’m gonna go work at Costa)

-Ellison; the way it is spelled is the way it was said. 

The conversation is a quality conversation

due to the lexis spoken is the truth.  

A; (laughs)(but um yeah)

- Fillers/hedges/voiced pauses- used to keep the conversation going, mainly used by females.  

C: (yeah)

A: I’ve only worked there for like (2) I’ve only had two pay packets now so like two months (2)

Speaker D doesn't speak much and therefore doesn't 

have very much quantity of speech. This could be due 

to them feeling awkward around the people or just 

not wanting to participate in the conversation.

C: I need a job
B: So do I (.) I need money     - Phatic talk- small talk

C: It’s so sad

A: (this is just turning into like a)

All: (laughs)

A: (like a sad conversation)

D: Are we done?

Relevance: The conversation stays on topic

and no one diverts (side sequences) from the topic 

which began the conversation.  

A: (.) yeah

B: How do I stop it?

D: (laughs)              -Tag question- an answer is not needed just just an agreement 

C: how do you stop that?

A: We haven’t even been talking for a minute

D: that’s alright

Awkward Interviews

This is an awkward interview with Cara Delevingne and an American TV show. It is clear that this is very awkward as the paralinguistic features show this by their facial expressions and hand gestures. Also, the Americans do not understand the British humour and therefore are taking the jokes seriously making the situation slightly tense. There is a lot of small talk and not many elaborated answers suggesting Cara does not want to be there. The whole conversation is using adjacency pairs and quite a few hesitations showing the conversation is structured and there is no fluency. 

Animate Drawn Lecture Steven Pinker

Notes; 

• Indirect speech act- listener read between the lines and infer real intent; Pragmatics/implied meaning
• Language has to convey 
• Use politeness strategies e.g. the guacamole situation in the video 
• Dominance- communality- reciprocity : different situations are appropriate 
• Innuendos, even when obvious, hard to know when people understand

Spontaneous Speech Terminology Quiz

1) "A pattern of speech in which one utterance is followed by an appropriate linked response" - Adjacency pairs

2) Explain the term side sequencing- Relevance, not going off the topic of conversation. 

3) Give and example of a 'tag question' - Nice weather isn't it?

4) Three examples of non-fluency features - Fillers, Voiced pause and Hedges 

5) Explain the phrase 'phatic talk' and give examples - Small talk in a conversation e.g. 'What did you do today' and 'What are your plans for the weekend' 

6) Non-verbal aspects of speech or paralinguistic features such as fillers can help reveal a speaker's attitudes and feelings. Hedges and voiced pauses are also aspects of this. 

7) 'elp me orf this 'orse' is an example of elision spelling which means the spelling of words to represent how they are pronounced. 

8) Grice's maxims: 

Quantity - too little or too much 

Quality - truth in the conversation 

Relevance - on top/side sequence

Manner - clear communication

9) Grice was interested in suggesting what helps to create a chaining conversation.

10) When analysing spontaneous speech we don't refer to sentences but utterances. 

11) Politeness strategies we may employ if we want to be liked - tag questions, discourse markers and in a group jargon and slang. 

12) In order to analyse a transcript what three things much you establish an awareness of from the outset: Context - where the conversation took place, If the people know/knew each other and the topic of conversation. 

Language Changing Quicker Than Ever

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3063455/English-language-changing-fast-words-majority-not-understand.html

 This article shows how quickly our English language is currently changing with most parents not understanding what their children are saying. Most children nowadays rely on emoji's to express what they are trying to say and are using words that their parents have never even heard of. Once older people catch up on the new words in the language, they are not used any more and completely new words are being used, so how are the older generation supposed to catch up on the language the youth of today is using? 

Example Of Accent

Accent is potentially influenced by social class and where you grow up. In this video Terry, a Bristolian, explains how people from Bristol say phrases in different ways compared to other parts of the country. This can be seen as an exaggeration of the accent and dialect or it can be seen as an exact replica. 

David Crystal: You Say Potato

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ybrai

This video is of David Crystal talking about accent. Accent levelling is happening across the country due to people moving across the country e.g. movement for employment. 

However, it is obvious there is no one accent across the country as David Crystal does suggest there is bi-dialect ism.  

Steven Pinker: What Our Language Habits Reveal

https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_pinker_on_language_and_thought

Class Notes

• Language Change: Descriptive attitudes towards language/Prescriptive attitudes towards language
• Descriptivism/Prescriptivism
• Standard English has to be kept somehow
• Language is a window onto Human Nature 
• Language emerges from human minds interacting with one another
• Visible in unstoppable change in language- Slang & Jargon, historical change, dialect divergence, language formation
• Communication model- Sender, Message, Receiver 
• Euphemistic language used to dodge topics not wanting to speak about
• Context means everything- Social, Historical and Cultural