Recording-2025-03-11T01:56:23.018Z

Assessment Task

• Due Date: March 28

• Action Item: Marcus to send an announcement for formal notification of the due date to the class.

• Extra Time: Students have an additional week to complete the first assessment task.

Online Class Etiquette

• Cameras On: Encouragement to turn on cameras to facilitate discussion (if possible).

• Importance: Enhances engagement in online settings.

Readings for the Week

• Burridge and Stebbins Reading: Focus on linguistics; understanding language as a system.

• Ahern Reading: Introduction to linguistic anthropology; emphasizes language as a social practice.

• Discussion Goals:

  • Explore linguistics as a theoretical framework in the first hour.

  • Discuss linguistic anthropology and applied language concepts in the second hour.

  • Highlight overlaps between both approaches.

Online Learning Resources

• Access: Students can find the readings and other resources on the Canvas platform.

• Burridge and Stebbins Reading Issues:

  • It is provided in an ebook format that restricts printing and PDF export.

  • Workaround: A PDF version of the first chapter is available with some formatting issues but usable for annotations.

• Readings length: Approximately 80 pages in total, but only one chapter requires focus for the assessment task.

Terminology and Concepts

• Overview of Linguistic Terminology:

  • Critical concepts for understanding linguistics will be introduced in the readings.

  • Emphasis on gaining familiarity with these terms rather than exhaustive memorization.

• Linguistics and Other Disciplines: Examining connections between linguistics and other fields, particularly humanities.

Linguistic Turn

• Definition: Shift in scholarly focus to the importance of language in creating meaning and social relations.

• Examples of Fields Impacted:

  • History: Lead by thinkers like Quentin Skinner in the Cambridge School of Intellectual History.

  • Cultural Studies: Reliance on semiotics and other communication forms, emphasizing the language of signs and representations.

Concepts in Linguistics

• Key Concepts:

  • Saussure's semiotics: Structure of signs comprising signifier and signified.

  • Arbitrary relationship between signifier (words/sounds) and signified (concepts).

  • Stability of meaning derived from differences among words within a language (e.g. tree vs. cat).

• Challenges in Understanding Language: Need to grasp both theoretical aspects and practical applications of language.

Speech Act Theory

• Central Idea: Understanding how language functions performatively, not just descriptively.

• Differences in Forces: Locutionary force (literal meaning), illocutionary force (intended meaning based on context).

Example Sentences for Analysis

• Class Exercise: Discussion of example sentences integrating learned theories.

• Examples:

  • "You've left the kitchen in the right mess."

  • “I want to go home.”

  • Interactive activity: Participants share their own sentences for collective analysis.

Breakout Room Discussion

• Original plan: Small group discussions on readings.

• Issue: Technical difficulties preventing breakout rooms.

• Alternative: Taking a short break to regroup and consider discussion strategies before continuing.