Question 3 Flashcards
What might use of simple senteces indicate?
Confidently assert opinion/ fact and position audience to agree.
Why might copula verb and complement be used?
To assert opinion as fact.
What might patterns of discourse markers indicate?
To create a sense of a logically developed argument.
What might patterns of adjectives, adverbs, verbs indicate?
Represent language varieties in a biased way.
Why might the passive voice be used?
To foreground what is happening wiuthout needing to clarify exactly who is acting.
Why might patterns of auxiliary verbs be used?
To represent levels of certainty and position the audience to accept advice.
Why might present tense be used with a progressive aspect?
To suggest that something is happening contemporaneously and is therefore worthy of attention/ concern.
Why might noun phrases be used with loaded adjectives?
To position the audience to agree with a certain perspective.
Why might relative clauses be used?
To add opinion to a factual statement.
Define Sticklerism.
A ‘finger-wagging’ approach to language, judging and criticising those around them. Sticklerism can be driven by ‘an aggreived conservatism, standing against youth, minorities and change.’ (Greene, 2012). Such complaints may, by proxy, be viewed as attempts to label speakers of particular social groups inferior.
Define Declinism.
The prescriptivist notion that the English language is in irreversible decline. Greene- in the 21st century, more people than ever are literate, meaning this prescriptivist view is unfounded.
Define loss of standards.
Milroy (1989) describes how some presciptivists publicly deplore modern-day English, bemoaning a loss of standards. This seems to regularly occur throughout history, but with no real evidence.
Give Jean Aitchison’s three metaphors.
Crumbling castle
Infectious disease
Damp spoon
Define ‘Language is political’.
Cameron- people with conservative views use grammar, ‘as the metaphorical correlate for a cluster of related political and moral terms: order, tradition, authority, hierarchy, and rules.’ Panics about grammar can be seen as the metaphorical expression of social anxieties conerning society.
Fairclough- prescriptivist views on language often represent traditional, national, and parochial views on society itself. Language complaints are often a projection of such political and ideological views.
Deine reframing.
Those who complain about language change often confuse informality wityh incorrectness. Different language is used depending on different circumstances. Whilst knowledge of Standard English is desirable, usage of any variety depeds on sociocultural context of use. Cushing (2018) suggests we should replace the concept of ‘correct grammar’ with ‘appropriateness’.
Discuss ‘Identity’.
Change is sometimes viewed as a threat to identity. People see change as a threat to their linguistic and cultural identity.
Discuss Press Coverage.
Drummond (2017)- prescriptivist views are often championed in the press. Linguists views are not given the same coverage as humourous articles about language “peeves” and pop linguistics. Dominant discourse around linguistics “normalise and champion” prescriptivism.
Define language as a tidal flow.
Crystal (1999) created the metphor of language as a tidal flow to counter the metaphors rife in the press, such as language change as a disease. Language can be represented as ever-changing and unpredictable, while still maintaining some element of uniformity/ pattern. Change is not for the better or worse, but just change.
