Language and Social Position
As I sat in my never-all-that-comfortable seat at the theater to watch "Titanic" for the second time on the big screen, a thought quite alien came over me: good usage in language. This film, based on the 1912 disaster, went to the extremes on details to make everything about it convey the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The language of the film was scripted as best to the year 1912 as was the model made of the ship itself. The film showed the language of both the upper crust ("nobility" of America) and the lower class of different nations of the world.
Concentrating on the educated, monied, upper-class, their language was so pure, concise, and definitive. The best example that I can quote from the film was a line from young Rose, when trying to get it through her thick-skulled, snobbish mother's head that there were not enough boats for everyone on board, in fact less than half of the passengers would get a spot on a lifeboat. She says to her mother, "Not enough by half!" In four words, Rose has said what would have taken me at least ten words to say in our modern language usage, something similar to "There are not enough [boats] for even half of the people!"
"Not enough by half" is a phrase I easily comprehended, but I have never heard a phrase so worded in my life (in contemporary conversations, dialogue, speeches, etc.). It reminds me more of diction in writings from the past, that authors such as Shakespeare or Benjamin Franklin may have used.
Why isn't a phrase like "Not enough by half" used today in modern American English? This phrase is clear, concise and is not difficult to say. Robert Hall would probably praise such a phrase as a fine example of good usage. It ...
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...ld've thought "groovy" and "crazy, man" would have made a comeback, huh?
Language usage should not be the criterion by which we judge one another. Language was created to communicate, and shouldn't we communicate in the easiest and most efficient manner? We should heed Robert Hall's advice and make the rules of good usage based on "the most efficient way of saying" (hand-out) govern our language usage. However, in reality, it seems that William Tanner's thoughts creep into our opinion of good usage and connect it with social etiquette, thereby creating judgments of social class and distinction based on one another's speech. We, as listeners and speakers, need to make a conscious decision to stop judgment of others based on language usage and to start to become followers of Hall (we'll call ourselves Halloons), and make our language clear, concise and efficient.
Watching Jamila Lyiscott’s Ted Talk made me ponder why articulate speech is considered articulate. To me, the proper way of speaking English is nonexistent. Society imposes proper English to appear articulate. Jamila Lyiscott’s point of speaking English in three opposing techniques demonstrates how everyone conveys English in a different way. Jamila speaks the way she would at home, school, and work. All languages are equal, especially speaking trilingually. Out of three English approaches, not one nor two are correct, but all three versions are proper manners of speaking. In my opinion, not many people in today’s society would hire someone for a job if they spoke the way Jamila did with her friends. This is simply due to how she speaks slang
The speaker respects the Titanic by using words with positive connotations; ironically, she shows her greater reverence towards the “Iceberg” (24) without positively connotative words surrounding its descriptions.
In today’s society we measure people by the way they appear to us. Within the first five seconds of meeting someone, we will come to a decision whether or not the person acts in the “proper” way society approves of. This misleads people into behaving and acting in ways they normally wouldn’t to fit into what society deems as the right way to behave. When someone decides to reject the “proper” way they become alienated from their peers/society. In almost every area of life be it work, school, or the community, people create an idea of a person based on how they appear to us. We neglect to see the person for who they really are. We are expected to behave accordingly to the box we are placed in whether it be based on our sexuality, sex, race or our cultural background, and when we refuse to accept this, we become rejected, cast off. This leads me to believe that the majority of social issues society faces, would be solved with the abolishment of tyranny: “Any harsh discipline or oppression.” (Collins English Dictionary - Complete & unabridged 10th edition)
Throughout his life, Socrates engaged in critical thinking as a means to uncover the standards of holiness, all the while teaching his apprentices the importance of continual inquiry in accordance with obeying the laws. Socrates primarily focuses on defining that which is holy in The Euthyphro – a critical discussion that acts as a springboard for his philosophical defense of the importance of lifelong curiosity that leads to public inquiry in The Apology. Socrates continues his quest for enlightenment in The Crito, wherein he attempts to explain that while inquiry is necessary, public curiosity has its lawful price, thus those who inquire must both continue to do so and accept the lawful consequences of their inquiry. Each of the above values, holiness, inquiry, and just lawful obedience, interlock under what Socrates describes in The Republic as, “the very cause of knowledge and truth, [it is also] the chief objective in the pursuit of knowledge,” (Sterling & Scott 198) – the good. The good embodies each Socratic pursuit: it acts as an umbrella for all things perceived in what Socrates names, “the intelligible sector,” (Sterling & Scott 199).
Africa has been an interesting location of conflicts. From the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea to the revolutionary conflict in Libya and Egypt, one of the greatest conflicts is the Rwandan Genocide. The Rwandan Genocide included two tribes in Rwanda: Tutsis and Hutus. Upon revenge, the Hutus massacred many Tutsis and other Hutus that supported the Tutsis. This gruesome war lasted for a 100 days. Up to this date, there have been many devastating effects on Rwanda and the global community. In addition, many people have not had many acknowledgements for the genocide but from this genocide many lessons have been learned around the world.
In many circles of the world, various groups of people distinguish themselves from one another through religion, language, culture, and sometimes gender. People also develop stereotypes about a particular group of people in order to identify them. However, most of the time, these stereotypes hold true for only some members of a group. Sometimes, these stereotypes are just plain misconceptions that do not even apply to the group it claims to. Stereotypes are placed on people because it is a way to easily identify what type of person or ethnicity an individual is. At one point in time, these stereotypes may have been true; however, in today’s modern society, most of these stereotypes are outdated and false, which leads them to turn into misconceptions. Usually, stereotypes are utilized to humiliate and degrade the person or group; they also do not provide any beneficial outcomes. Stereotypes focus on how a particular group acts because of the radical ideas and actions of the few, how a particular group looks, or how that group is physically lacking in some way. These stereotypes often lead to conflicts because the group does not appreciate the way it is being perceived. Seldom are the stereotypes placed on a group of people truthful and accurate. Some hardly even apply to the particular group people it claims to. It is true that how people are perceived has a big impact on how other individuals interact with them; however, people are not perceiving these groups correctly.
Hardy uses strong meaningful diction to convey his thoughts of the sinking of the Titanic. Words such as “vaingloriousness”, “opulent”, and “jewels in joy” illustrate Titanic for the reader so that he/she can picture the greatness of the ship. Phrases such as “Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind” describe what the Titanic looked after the sinking, loosing all of its great features. Hardy’s use of strong, describing diction depicts his view of the ship, before and after.
Throughout history, individuals have questioned the impact of language on society. Those who contend that language has a negative impact on society have cited such examples as the Parents Against Bad Books in Schools, an organization dedicated to the removal of disputable literature from schools, and argue that the restriction and censorship of literature is necessary to shield society from the detrimental impact language can carry. However, examples from essays such as “Why Write?”,”Talking to Strangers”,“Freedom to Write”, and “Writing in the Dark” prove that this notion is not valid. The idea that “language is power, life, the instrument of culture...and liberation” (Angela Carter) demonstrates the crucial
—. Language: Readings in Language and Culture. 6th ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1998. Print.
In a sociolinguist perspective “the idea of a spoken standardized language is a hypothetical construct” (Lippi-Green, 2012, pp. 57). They are the form of Britain English and American English that are used in textbooks and on broadcasting. Giles and Coupland observe that “A standard variety is the one that is most often associated with high socioeconomic status, power and media usage in a particular community” (1991, p. 38). Both native speakers and learners of English, where English is taught as a second or foreign language (hereafter ESL/EFL), speak dialect of English in everyday conversation (Kachru, 2006, pp. 10-11; Owens 2012, p.
Have you ever wondered who taught you to talk the way you do? People learn to talk and express themselves everyday of their lives. Starting from the day you were born you used language or some form of it to communicate with those around you. As a baby you usually show your displeasure with your new surroundings by crying, and if you don’t the doctor will make sure you do. Everyday we express our point of view to others in some form of language. Whether it is through verbal communication, written discourse or through body language, you can tell if a person is upset, angry, or happy. We as human beings don’t realize how much language has to do with our lives. How can you determine if one of your friends is angry with you? Is there a different tone to their voice? Do they have a stern look on their face? Of course they do, your friend feels the need to express their anger to you by these different forms of language. Where do we learn to use these different forms of language? How are our uses of these languages shaped? The three main contributing factors to how we express ourselves through language come from our schooling, our friends, and most of all from our families.
The movie Babel (2006), directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, is an interesting and impressive film. This movie shows four different episodes, which are all related to each other. This movie is about the relationship between stereotypes and communications of people, and the way the film discusses the topic to the audience is very interesting, because there are many episodes. There are four episodes in this film; first is Susan and Richard’s story, second is Yusef’s episode, third one is Amelia’s episode, and the last one is Chieko’s story.
Within the context of film industry, the film Titanic by James Cameron belongs to epic romance/ disaster genre. The film, released in 1997, was a global box office hit because the director provided equal importance to history, fiction and romance. To be specific, one can see that the film’s plot is based upon the history of RMS Titanic. On the other side, the main characters including the protagonist and the heroine (Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater/Dawson) are fictional characters. Besides, the element of romance between the main characters (Jack and Rose) is the film’s main attraction. Thesis statement: The critical analysis of the film Titanic proves that the innovative mode of storytelling (flash back and other techniques), Acting, Cinematography, Editing, Sound, Style and Directing (equal importance to fictional and historical characters), Societal Impact, and Genre (epic romance/disaster) are the most important factors behind the film’s success as a historical/fictional masterpiece (special references specific shots, scenes, characters, stylistic devices and/or themes).
The book An Intorduction of Sociolinguistics is an outstanding introductary book in the field of sociolinguistics. It encompasses a wide range of language issues. In chapter 13, Wardhaugh provides a good insight to the relationship between language and gender. He explains gender differences of language-in-use with concise examples. Wardhaugh riases questions about sexist language and guides readers to look closer at how people use language differently because of their own gender in daily life. According to the Whorfian hypothesis, which indicates that the way people use language reflects their thoughts, different genders adapt different communication strategies.
What language we use, how we use it, and why we use it are all essential in others perceptions of us. If a man’s first comment to somebody is “Hey Baby, how you doing?” with a gloating tone and boastful...