(56) age & idenity

Question 1

how does youth affect their use of language?
[WR]

Answer 1

• weak influence of overt norms on young speakers
• strong peer pressure
  “less prestigious varieties are often used by younger speakers” (Downes, 1998)

Question 2

how does being middle aged affect their use of lang?
[WR]

Answer 2

• more public lives
• adapt to norms & values of mainstream society
  “prestigious varieties are used more frequently by middle-aged speakers” (Downes, 1998)

Question 3

how does old age affect their use of lang?

Answer 3

• norms are weakened again

Question 4

essentialising and naturalising differences (Hall, 2003)

Answer 4

essentialising: reduces members of a social group down to their ‘essence’
naturalising: qualities are innate, not amenable to change

Question 5

WR for age related stereotyping?
why?

Answer 5

“stereotypes of older people are more -ve than that of younger people” (Kite, 2005)
—————————————
- increased tendency to medical use the elderly → dont see them for their life story
- ageing pop → young ppl might see old ppl as a burden that drains their limited resources

Question 6

examples of ageist lang?
hint: 5 factors

Answer 6

1. condescending lang (aw its okay)
2. sing-song voice
3. slowly & loudly
4. terms of endearment (sweetie, honey, love, etc)
5. inclusive 1st personal pronoun ‘we’

Question 7

how is ageist stereotyping eradicated?
[WR]

Answer 7

1. govt policies
2. media representation
3. +ve lexis & euphemisms
   —————————————
   “our society no longer accepts the use of similarly degrading terms when identifying other demographic grps” (Cicero, 2020)

Question 8

what are the key concepts in the adolescent life stage?

Answer 8

1. delegitimisation (Eckert, 2003): youth. have some rights, but are under the authority of adults
2. adolescence are negotiating their marginalised status
   
   • conformity vs divergence from adult norms & expectations to dressing, behaviour, and lang → PURPOSE: identity seeking & forming
3. slang (non-standard eng): often represents a challenge to the listener or assumption of complicity → youth often create their own slang
   
   • WHY? to enhance cultural identity + identity w e/o + exclude others + invoke feelings of fear/ admiration from the outside world

Question 9

anti-language (Halliday, 1976)
- define
- WE

Answer 9

a minority method of communicating w/in a minority speech community that excludes members of the main speech community
—————————————
hip hop slang: bad/ sick → means good
slay → means good, not to kill

Question 10

how do NCTs affect youth speak?
[WEs]

Answer 10

• student slang now cuts across cultures & regions
• MLE (multicultural london eng): youth speak of london youth → appealing due to the allure of black culture (percieved as rebellious, hard, or masculine) → white youth dont want to appear too posh
  ———————————
  noob, lol, smh, slay

Question 11

attitudes towards youth lang?

Answer 11

stigmatisation of youth speak
- impinges on sch performance
- parents & teachers react -vely → dont realise its a phase