Essay 1 Flashcards
Introduction to Nandos Language Essay.
Language us our primary means of communication, so it is essential for understanding, interpretation and construction of reality. Language cannot reflect society because it constructs the world in which we live in. Language shapes perceptions and feelings by giving them labels, in this, we can see how language can be natural or neutral. The essay will indicate the role of language and naming in the social construction of reality by application to Nando’s #RightMyName media advocacy.
Describe the Nandos campaign.
- Nandos and PERi-PERI have both been around for 30 years and they realized other people
- You are not a mistake
- Took to the public to add their names to the database
- Made the database available to the for download for free
- Went international
- Contributes to the broader dialogue
- Human Rights my name
- Right not wrong name and Human RIGHTS day
- Used hashtag
Reflective Language.
- Language describes the world in which we live in and it is used to describe the world that is the
- method used to name and describe what already exists.
- Humans see the world in the same way and share the same basic concepts.
- Language is just a means of expressing these concepts in a way that reflects to world around us.
The website designed by Nando’s was made to ensure that spell-check would reflect society by legitimizing language.
Constructionist Language.
Language doesn’t describe a pre-existing world, it constructs it by naming it. Different languages represent the world in unique ways, and speakers of one language understand and experience the world in ways particular to that language and differently from the way of speakers of a different language. All knowledge of reality is mediated by language – our experiences of the world take place when presented through language.
Only some ethnic names were “legitimate”
The theoretical foundation of constructionist language lies within the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which is the claim that language constructs the way we perceive the world. This is brought about in the words we speak and the grammatical structures we use. Language is used to fashion ideas rather than just communicate them. Language gives shape to perceptions and feelings by giving them labels as symbols of representation.
Natural Language
It is natural for humans to have the ability to speak, but there is no normal, correct set of words to describe the world. All languages are arbitrary, meaning there is no necessary connection between the sounds and symbols that make up the language and the world itself. Some languages use different symbols and signs to describe the same thing. In this, we see how different people use different inflections and biases to describe the same idea.
Nandos – The names that label us don’t sound or look like us and the letters that form our names don’t look at him.
Neutral language
Language always carries associations, connotations or values. Language demonstrates cultures values and hierarchies. The same group of people can be named in different ways which carry meanings and political positions. Cultural theorist John Fiske argues that discourse offers ways of thinking about a particular topic, set within a particular contexts.
Certain ethnic names are put into a certain category that subconsciously affect how we see the world around us. Not a mistake**
Names as an example of constructed identities
- Names are given quite arbitrarily and different names might cause us to think differently about ourselves.
- Your first name often identifies you as coming from a certain religion or culture.
- Can change your identification with a place or culture and that influences the way you see the world around you as well as your ideology.
- These different names construct us differently and are often used by others to construct our identities from their perspective. Some people change their names, which allows them to take on a new persona and allow your transition into a new group to be easier.
Language and Social Change
Awareness of the influence of language has led social groups to try change language. Historically, it can be seen that some language influences and other language doesn’t make a difference. Language determines people’s choices about how they represent themselves to others.
Language is a Changing Site of Power and Struggle
Language meanings and associations change over time. Look at historical and cultural context when analyzing language. Language meanings aren’t fixed – they can be struggled over by different social groups. Struggles over language are struggles for power and are very common. The English language has been used as a means of establishing power over indigenous populations. The African nation was forced to learn Afrikaans during apartheid, which was a means of establishing power over them. As they learnt a new language, they were stripped of their own culture and forced to believe that their languages were inferior.
