Chapter Resources

Chapter 2

Animal noises

In Chapter 2 we discussed the arbitrariness of the representation of animal noises in various languages.  Here you can find a table of animal noises as represented in various languages
http://www.eleceng.adelaide.edu.au/personal/dabbott/animal.html [accessed 10th May 2022]

Colour of traffic lights

You might already know that in Japan, the ‘green’ light is not the same as in other parts of the world.

Kurt Kohlstedt (2018) Red for Stop, Grue for Go: How Language Turned Traffic Lights “Bleen” in Japan, 99% Invisible, 26th November https://99percentinvisible.org/article/stop-at-red-go-on-grue-how-language-turned-traffic-lights-bleen-in-japan/ [accessed 10th May 2022]

Sapir Whorf: words for snow

Here are some online resources to explore the concept of linguistic relativity and determinism. Compare the claims made with Pullum’s paper on the Great Eskimo Snow Hoax. Do you find the following reports credible?

A blog post by Pullum that discusses particular articles about this topic is below (Pullum, 2013). Why do you think that there is such a fascination with other languages in this way?
Jacot de Boinod, (2014) Cultural vocabularies: how many words do the Inuits have for snow? The Guardian, 29th April, http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/apr/29/what-vocabularies-tell-us-about-culture [accessed 10th May 2022]

You can hear more from Pullum here.
Geoffrey Pullum 2013) ‘Bad science reporting again: the Eskimos are back’, Language Log, 15 January http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=4419 [accessed 10th May 2022]

And here are the links to the resources where you can look at Scottish words for snow over time:
Christian Kay, Jane Roberts, Michael Samuels, Irené Wotherspoon, and Marc Alexander (eds.). 2017. The Historical Thesaurus of English, version 4.21. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. http://historicalthesaurus.arts.gla.ac.uk/.
You can also access it here:
http://scotsthesaurus.org/ [accessed 10th May 2022]

Finally, whatever you think about the whole debate around snow, you can watch this short video about Scots words for snow and the status of the Scots language in general.
BBC Scotland (2018) Which language has 400 words for snow? 10th April, https://www.bbc.com/ideas/videos/which-language-has-400-words-for-snow/p063vmwx [accessed 10th May 2022]

Finally, the climate emergency is creating environmental and linguistic issues.
Karen McVeigh (2021) This new snow has no name’: Sami reindeer herders face climate disaster, The Guardian, 17th December https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/dec/17/new-snow-no-name-sami-reindeer-herders-climate-disaster [accessed 10th May 2022]

Language and thought – the theory

This article recounts research about how the language we speak can change our experience of time. There is also discussion of metaphor and the link between time and the experience of space.
Kendra Pierre-Louis (2017) The language you speak changes your perception of time, Popular Science, 9th May, https://www.popsci.com/language-time-perception  [accessed 10th May 2022]

In this piece, Panos Athanasopoulos explains the link between language and thought and discusses some of the research that supports this view.
Panos Athanasopoulos  (2015) How the language you speak changes your view of the world, The Conversation, 25th April https://theconversation.com/how-the-language-you-speak-changes-your-view-of-the-world-40721 [accessed 10th May 2022]

The following is a short article describing some research about how blind people use colour terms. Do the findings surprise you? What does it tell us about how people understand and use language?
Jessica Love (2014) Describing a Visual World Without Vision: On blindness and language, The American Scholar http://theamericanscholar.org/describing-a-visual-world-without-vision/ [accessed 10th May 2022]

You can also listen to a podcast where Lera Boroditsky discusses the effect of language on the way people view and interact with the world.
Shankar Vedantam (2018) Lost In Translation: The Power Of Language To Shape How We View The World, Hidden Brain [podcast] 29th January, https://www.npr.org/2018/01/29/581657754/lost-in-translation-the-power-of-language-to-shape-how-we-view-the-world [accessed 10th May 2022]

Language and Thought - applied

In this review of a book, Nick Enfield discusses Whorf. Read the opening example and discussion.
Nick  Enfield (2011) An action suit, not a straightjacket: Whorf on language, Guy Deutscher on Whorf, International Cognition and Culture Institute blog, 5th February, http://cognitionandculture.net/blogs/nick-enfields-blog/an-action-suit-not-a-straightjacket-whorf-on-language-guy-deutscher-on-whorf/ [accessed 10th May 2022]

This is an article about research on media representation of cycling accidents. It argues that the way language is used to represent these accidents downplays how serious they are and tend to blame the cyclists.
Simon MacMichael (2017) Media reports on cyclist fatalities shift blame from drivers to riders, says researcher, Road CC, July 27th http://road.cc/content/news/226710-media-reports-cyclist-fatalities-shift-blame-drivers-riders-says-researcher [accessed 10th May 2022]

Clare Allen, in The Guardian, argues that the terms we use to describe mental illness matter. Can you see how this connects to Lucy’s (see Section 2.4.1 of the textbook)
concept of ‘habits of thought’?
Clare Allan (2016) Why words matter when it comes to mental health, The Guardian, 5th April https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/05/words-matter-mental-health-speak-out [accessed 10th May 2022]

Emotion words are not universal across languages. Psychologist Tim Lomas argues that it may be possible to harness positive words in other languages. He writes: “The existence of ‘untranslatable’ words pertaining to well-being implies that there are positive emotional states which have hitherto only been explicitly recognised by particular cultures” (2015: 547). He has compiled a dictionary of positive terms that you can see here. https://www.drtimlomas.com/lexicography [accessed 10th May 2022]
Do you think that having access to new words for good experiences would make you more likely to appreciate these experiences?

There has also been a trend for moving away from words with negative connotations and finding more positive replacements.
Harriet Sherwood (2021) Goodbye wicked stepmother: ‘bonus’ families adopting more positive terms, The Guardian, 17th August, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/aug/17/goodbye-wicked-stepmother-bonus-families-adopting-more-positive-terms? [accessed 10th May 2022]

Finally, you may have seen the film Arrival. It is based on a short story by Ted Chiang called ‘Story of your Life’ (2016). In the story, aliens visit the earth and a linguist is tasked to learn their language. The aliens, heptapods, have a very different language to human languages. They do not experience or represent time in the same way.

Chiang, Ted (2016) “The Story of Your Life” in Arrival pp 109-172 London: Picador

You can read a linguist’s view of the film here, in an article on Slate.
Marissa Martinelli (2016) How Realistic Is the Way Amy Adams’ Character Hacks the Alien Language In Arrival? We Asked a Linguist, Slate, 22nd November http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/11/22/a_linguist_on_arrival_s_alien_language.html [accessed 10th May 2022]

Metaphor and War

In Chapter 2 we mentioned how common war metaphors are. This piece argues that it is not an appropriate metaphor for pandemics.
Alissa Wilkinson (2020) Pandemics are not wars, Vox, 15th April https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/4/15/21193679/coronavirus-pandemic-war-metaphor-ecology-microbiome [accessed 10th May 2022]

PETA’s proposal

In December 2018, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) launched a tongue in cheek campaign. As they promote animal rights and veganism, they suggested that we revisit some of our language habits that involve animals. Some of their suggestions are in the following table:

Old idiom (do not use)	New idiom (use instead)
Bringing home the bacon	Bringing home the bagels
Killing two birds with one stone	Feeing two birds with one scone

PETA campaign (PETA, Instagram, 2018)

Their argument was that some English idioms are discriminatory against animals (PETA, 2018). They write “Our society has worked hard to eliminate racist, homophobic, and ableist language and the prejudices that usually accompany it, but we must also address the pervasive specieism” (PETA 2018). (Speciesm is the special treatment of the human species over other species).

This campaign was treated with great derision by sectors of the public (see McDowell, 2018). Read Jessica Brown’s comments on the campaign.

Given our discussion in chapter 1 about language reform (section 1.6), what do you think about these suggestions from PETA? Do you think these idioms encourage or support violence against animals? Do you think that changing the language we use about animals could change people’s behaviour in relation to the food they eat?

Jessica Brown (2018) Thanks for the vegan idioms, Peta, but there are bigger fish to fry, The Guardian, 6th December https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/06/meat-idioms-peta-vegan-alternatives [accessed 5th November 2021]
PETA (2018) ‘Bring Home the Bagels’: We Suggest Anti-Specieist Language – Many Miss the Point’ PETA 7th December 2018 https://www.peta.org/blog/bring-home-the-bagels/ [accessed 18th November 2020]

Interesting bits

In this article, David Doochin explains the invented language that divided everything into 40 categories. Can you see any similarities with the research Lucy conducted on Yucatec (see Section 2.4.1 of the textbook)? What might be the advantages of dividing the world up in this way?
David Doochin (2016) The 17th-Century Language that Divided Everything in the Universe into 40 Categories, Atlas Obscura, 28th July https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-17thcentury-language-that-divided-everything-in-the-universe-into-40-categories [accessed 10th May 2022]

The McGurk effect is an intriguing phenomenon. What we hear may also depend on what we see. In the following article, you can experience it for yourself.
Gretchen McCulloch (2014) When Your Eyes Hear Better Than Your Ears: The McGurk Effect Slate, 27th June, http://www.slate.com/blogs/lexicon_valley/2014/06/27/mcgurk_effect_you_think_you_re_hearing_da_when_you_see_ga_and_hear_ba.html [accessed 10th May 2022]

Chapter 3

Don’t Do Politics

At the start of the chapter, we refer to a British campaign encouraging people to vote, Slinky Pictures created the campaign for the UK Electoral Commission. You can watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ame0j8jbMY4 [accessed 4th July 2022]
Slinky Pictures work is archived at http://vimeo.com/slinkypictures [accessed 4th July 2022]

Duncan Walker (2004) Can cartoons animate voters? BBC News, 17 March http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3513658.stm [accessed 4th July 2022]

You might also like to read this from Everyday Feminism. It specifically discusses how shopping is a political act.
Jon Greenberg (2016) 7 Undeniable reasons why claiming you’re ‘not political’ makes no sense, https://everydayfeminism.com/2016/12/not-political-makes-no-sense/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

PC and the Culture wars

In Chapter 1 we looked at ‘political correctness’ and the culture wars. Consider these articles in relation to the politics chapter. There is content being written about these topics all the time. Try and find some recent and local discussions of the issue.

Patrice Pollack (2022) What is advertising’s role in the culture wars? The Drum, 23rd June https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2022/06/23/what-advertisings-role-the-culture-wars [accessed 4th July 2022]

Paul Waldman (2020) The culture war is everywhere, The Washington Post, 14th December https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/12/14/culture-war-is-everywhere/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

Lanre Bakare (2020) Nick Cave: ‘cancel culture is bad religion run amuck’, The Guardian, 12th August https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/12/nick-cave-political-correctness-bad-religion-run-amuck-cancel-culture?  [accessed 4th July 2022]

Daniel Trilling (2020) Why is the UK government suddenly targeting ‘critical race theory’? The Guardian 23rd October 2020 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/23/uk-critical-race-theory-trump-conservatives-structural-inequality [accessed 4th July 2022]

You may also like to listen to a series of podcasts by Jon Ronson on the origin of some current culture wars. It is called ‘Things Fell Apart’
Jon Ronson (2021) Things Fell Apart, BBC Sounds, https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m0011cpr [accessed 4th July 2022]

Political agency

There are a number of forms of political action and agency. We particularly these two from Australia.

Consider the Knitting Nanas Against Gas
http://www.knitting-nannas.com/index.php [accessed 4th July 2022]
Have a look at their website and document the activities they engage in and the political traditions they draw on.

They are based in Australia and you can read a newspaper article in the Sydney Morning Herald about them here:
Elizabeth Farrelly (2017) KNAG power: knitting nannas on the march against fracking polluters, Sydney Morning Herald, 1st September
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/knag-power-knitting-nanas-on-the-march-against-fracking-polluters-20170831-gy824u.html [accessed 4th July 2022]

This politician adopted an unusual clothing choice to draw attention to sexism in politics.
Jane Norman (2020) Liberal MP Nicolle Flint wears a bin bag to call out 'sexist rubbish' after column describes her clothing choices, ABC (Australia) News, 27th July https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12497238?__ [accessed 4th July 2022]

Finally, consider this important intervention on public transport to draw attention to the damage done by excluding students from school.
TES (2018) Students in ‘ad-hack’ exclusions protest on Tube, TES, 23rd August https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/students-ad-hack-exclusions-protest-tube [accessed 4th July 2022]

Hashtag politics and politics online

There are a number of political campaigns that have used Twitter to help spread their message and garner support.

This article charts some past successes.
James Hitchings-Hale and Imogen Calderwood (2017) 8 Massive Moments When Hashtag Activism Really Worked, Global Citizen, 23rd August https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/hashtag-activism-hashtag10-twitter-trends-dresslik/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

The claim often made is that this is very egalitarian. But is this really the case?
Jen Schradie (nd) Hashtag politics: 4 key ways digital activism is inegalitarian, The Big Think https://bigthink.com/the-present/digital-activism/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

The presence of political hashtags can also have an effect on readers.
Euegnia Ha Rim Rho (2019) Political hashtags like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter make people less likely to believe the news, The Conversation, 26th November https://theconversation.com/political-hashtags-like-metoo-and-blacklivesmatter-make-people-less-likely-to-believe-the-news-126415 [accessed 4th July 2022]

Bud Davis (2013) ‘Hashtag Politics: The Polyphonic Revolution of# Twitter’, Pepperdine Journal of Communication Research 1(1): 16-22.

Student as Customer

In a 2021 paper, Corey Fanglei Huang points out the way Universities around the world have become more corporate in their logos, marketing and discourse. Huang examined “four sets of promotional materials for student services that were displayed and distributed on the campus of a public university in Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong (HKU), in the academic year 2016–2017” (2021).

See if you can identify linguistic elements in University materials (their websites directed at potential students) that position the student as customer.
What other attributes are given to students in their relationship to the University?
What words are used to describe students in these materials?
Thinking about all of this, do you think there a difference between information and marketing?

Corey Fanglei Huang (2021): Positioning students as consumers and entrepreneurs: student service materials on a Hong Kong university campus, Critical Discourse Studies, DOI: 10.1080/17405904.2021.1945471

Silly Citizenship

There are many examples of Silly Citizenship publicly available. Look at some of the following and consider how much they engage in political action. Are the effective or are they just entertaining?

USA

The Colbert Report: Comedy Central http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: HBO http://www.hbo.com/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver

The Onion, http://www.theonion.com/

United Kingdom

Mock the Week, BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006t6vf

Australia

Crikey www.crikey.com.au

The Shovel www.theshovel.com.au

For academic research that deals with similar issues, you might like to explore

Burwell, C., and Boler, M. (2014) Rethinking Media Activism through Fan Blogging: How Stewart and Colbert Fans Make a Difference, in Ratto, M and Boler, M (eds) DIY Citizenship: Critical Making and Social Media, Massachusetts: MIT Press: 115-26.
Kahne, J., Middaugh, E., & Allen, D. (2014) Youth New Media, and the Rise of Participatory Politics, YPP Research Network Working Paper #1, March 2014. http://ypp.dmlcentral.net/sites/default/files/publications/YPP_WorkinPapers_Paper01.pdf [accessed 6th March 2018]

India

Faking News https://www.firstpost.com/tag/faking-news

Bots and Trolls

We didn’t cover this in the chapter, but an important part of social media is the automation and mass production of content.

You can learn more about how this works in the following
Darren Linvill and Patrick Warren (2019) That Uplifting Tweet You Just Shared? A Russian Troll Sent It, Rolling Stone, 25th November https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/russia-troll-2020-election-interference-twitter-916482/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

Chapter 4

Manufacture of Consent

In 1992, a documentary about Chomsky and Herman’s book, Manufacturing Consent was made by Mark Achbar and Peter Wintonick. You can watch it here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuwmWnphqII [accessed 15th September 2022]

Fake news and Media Hoaxes

Because we tend to believe what we see on the news and what is reported in the media, creating a hoax of some kind using the mass media occurs from time to time. In the past, these would be spoken about as media hoaxes. And while the period of Trump’s Presidency was when ‘fake news’ was discussed a great deal, the term is still with us. Indeed, the concern existed before and sites like Snopes.com and fullfact.org sought to help people discern fact from fiction.

See the article from Vincent James about waterproof iPhones. Would you call this fake news or a hoax?
James Vincent (2013) Fake “waterproof iPhone” ad tricks users into destroying their smartphones, The Independent, 24th September http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/fake-waterproof-iphone-ad-tricks-users-into-destroying-their-smartphones-8835952.html  [accessed 4th July 2022]

Hoaxes used to be rather good fun. You may enjoy a hoax from 1957 about spaghetti farms. At the following link, you can see the original film item.
BBC (2008) On This Day, 1 April, http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/1/newsid_2819000/2819261.stm [accessed 4th July 2022]

The difference between hoaxes and fake news is not always clear. Clare Wardle provides a useful way of thinking about it by identifying seven kinds of items that might all be called ‘fake news’ by some people. Have a look at Wardle’s taxonomy. Do you think some items are ‘faker’ than others?
Claire Wardle (2017) Fake News. It’s Complicated https://firstdraftnews.com/fake-news-complicated/ 16th February [accessed 4th July 2022].

It’s also worth remembering that fake news can be dangerous. This article from the Washington Post gives a number of examples from India where false news, a lot of it spread through Whats App, let to severe problems.
Vidhi Doshi (2017) India’s millions of new Internet users are falling for fake news — sometimes with deadly consequences, The Washington Post, 1st October, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/indias-millions-of-new-internet-users-are-falling-for-fake-news--sometimes-with-deadly-consequences/2017/10/01/f078eaee-9f7f-11e7-8ed4-a750b67c552b_story.html?utm_term=.025f72930d48 [accessed 4th July]

It is concerning that fake news tends to travel extremely fast. This is probably because it aligns with the news values we discussed in chapter 4.
Alex Hern (2018) Scientists prove that truth is no match for fiction on Twitter, The Guardian 8th March https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/08/scientists-truth-fiction-twitter-bots [accessed 4th July )

Fake news has also had an effect on public understanding of the term. It was the American Dialect Society word of the year in 2017. You can read about that here:
ADS (2018) ‘Fake News’ is 2017 American Dialect Society Word of the Year, https://www.americandialect.org/fake-news-is-2017-american-dialect-society-word-of-the-year [accessed 4th July 2022]

A group of Journalism academics at Cardiff University have set up a project called Countering Disinformation. You can see it here https://www.counteringdisinformation.com/

In the chapter we mentioned a class called ‘Calling Bullshit’ at University of Washington. The importance of education so that viewers are literate in these new codes is widely understood (but difficult and costly to implement).
Dani Madrid-Morales and Herman Wasserman (2022) Media literacy education in SA can help combat fake news, The Media Online, 4th July https://themediaonline.co.za/2022/07/media-literacy-education-in-south-africa-can-help-combat-fake-news-heres-whats-needed/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

The BBC has a fake news game. You can learn about it here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-60261186

Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories are fascinating. On a UK morning show, the hosts, Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, talked about whether the earth was flat with three gurests, The section also included an appearance by well known British scientist Professor Brian Cox.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erA3WQE9Zes
This Morning, ITV, 2 May 2018 Phillip is Absolutely Baffled by the Men Who Believe the Earth is Flat

You can take a conspiracy theory Quiz. This has been produced by the Washington Post and so focusses on American history and recent events. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2021/conspiracy-theory-quiz/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

Same story different venue

When Trump was not elected President in 2020, not all news outlets covered it in the same way. Consider the following article. What news values is it drawing on?

Ayrshire Daily News (2020) South Ayrshire Golf club owner loses 2020 presidential election, 7th November https://www.ayrshiredailynews.co.uk/news/south-ayrshire-golf-club-owner-loses-2020-presidential-election [accessed 4th July 2022]

Chapter 5

Exploitation of convention

Ryan Laughlin, who kindly provided Image 5.10, is an artist who has created other signs. You can see them here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/28017515@N03/sets/72157617259403472/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

Examine Ryan’s work and look closely at the use of conventional semiotic codes. How are these exploited in a creative and humorous way?
All images 2009 Ryan Laughlin, http://rofreg.com

A similar exploitation of convention was staged in Paris on April Fool’s day in 2016. One of us happened to be travelling through Paris on that day. The prank made trying to figure out when to get off the metro was made just that little more challenging.
Damien Sharkov (2016) Watch: Paris Metro Stations Prank Commuters With Hilarious Name Changes, Newsweek, 1st April, http://www.newsweek.com/watch-paris-metro-stations-prank-commuters-hilarious-name-changes-443164 [accessed 4th July 2022]

Would you consider this intervention top down or bottom up?

Graffiti

The following image was photographed by Evans at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Why do you think people write on monuments like the Eiffel Tower? How old do you think such graffiti has to be before it too is a ‘historical monument’?

This story describes a case where graffiti was appropriated into ‘art’.
Frances Byrnes (2016) The tragic story of Sheffield’s Park Hill bridge, The Guardian, 21stAugust,  https://www.theguardian.com/global/2016/aug/21/tragic-story-of-sheffield-park-hill-bridge [accessed 17th March 2018]
What do you think of this? Is this a form of theft?

What about this image? Would you consider it graffiti?

Courtesy Campaign

In a 2003 article, Lazar examines the Courtesy campaign in Singapore. This was a top down campaign that sought to change the behaviour of the public especially on public transport. 
Michelle Lazar (2003) ‘Semiosis, Social Change and Governance: A Critical Semiotic Analysis of a National Campaign’, Social Semiotics 13(2): 201-221.

The Singapore Courtesy Campaign that Lazar examined has now been taken up as part of the Kindness Movement. But in the following links you can see some of the images and signs that have been used, as well as learn about the current Kindness Movement.

Do you think this a good thing for government to be doing? Would you be more likely to be nice to people as a result of such a sustained campaign?

Singapore Kindness Movement http://kindness.sg/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

You can see material from the 1984 Courtesy campaign here:
Remember Singapore, (2010- ) http://remembersingapore.wordpress.com/2013/01/18/singapore-campaigns-of-the-past/[accessed 4th July 2022]

Singapore is not the only country with ‘courtesy’ signage. In 2020, London transport ran a similar campaign.
Little Black Book Online (2020) Transport For London's Colourful Campaign Spreads Kindness Across Public Transport, 25th September https://www.lbbonline.com/news/transport-for-londons-colourful-campaign-spreads-kindness-across-public-transport [accessed 22nd July 2022]

In Madrid in 2017, signs appeared asking men to sit differently on public transport.
Sam Jones (2017) Madrid tackles 'el manspreading' on public transport with new signs, The Guardian, 8th June https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/08/madrid-tackles-el-manspreading-public-transport-with-new-signs [accessed 9th February 2018]
If you saw this sign without having seen this news story, do you think you would have understood what it wants to communicate?

What does it mean?

Sometimes it’s hard to know what a sign is communicating. This may be because of the conventions it uses or where it is placed. What possible interpretations could be made of the following?

Multilingual signs

Sometimes multiple languages are used not to address specific audiences but to do something else. Consider the two images below. They were in a Japanese garden in Canada. What does the use of Japanese communicate here? Who is it for?

Not here

In Chapter 5, we discussed the way signs structure space, allowing some activities and not others. As a result, people can be excluded from a space. Who is excluded from the spaces in which the following signs were found? Why?

Memes

In Chapter 5 we discussed the Doge meme. As you will know, there are many others. You may be familiar with dogo. You can read more about it here
Jessica Boddy (2018) Dogs Are Doggos: An Internet Language Built Around Love For The Puppers, NPR, 23rd April http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2017/04/23/524514526/dogs-are-doggos-an-internet-language-built-around-love-for-the-puppers [accessed 4th July 2022]
Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne (2018) Bonus #4 - Doggo linguistics behind the scenes, Lingthusiasm. http://lingthusiasm.com/post/161357745681/bonus-4-doggo-linguistics-behind-the-scenes [accessed 4th July 2022]

You might enjoy this long conversation in memes IRL.
Alan White and Sebastian Fiebrig (2015) A Door In Germany Broke Down And The Most Memetacular Thing Happened, Buzzfeed, 13th March https://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/this-sage-of-a-broken-german-door-that-became-a-wall-of-meme?utm_term=.sjmRPBPVo#.hrvx8z8XM [accessed 4th July 2022]

Gif may also be considered memic. You can read a blog about these by Rodney Jones that references Varis and Blommaert (2016) here:
Rodney Jones (2018) Gif Wars, 5th February https://ls2lnm.wordpress.com/2018/02/05/gif-wars/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

Here you can find an article by Erhan Aslan about the surprising origin of memes.
Erhan Aslan (2018) The surprising academic origins of memes, The Conversation, 12th February https://theconversation.com/the-surprising-academic-origins-of-memes-90607 [accessed 4th July 2022]

Instagram

Just like the move of memes from online to off line, the ‘real’ world linguistic landscape can be transferred to the online linguistic landscape. This article recounts an artist who used the natural world to create a compelling linguistic landscape. Miriam Krule (2014) Shelley Jackson Is Writing a Short Story in the Snow, Slate, 14th February http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/02/13/shelley_jasckon_is_writing_a_short_story_in_the_snow_and_posting_it_on_instagram.html [accessed 4th July 2022]

Like other online platforms, Instagram has a number of uses. While it may be used for art, it may also be used for purposes of critique as in this case of ‘hipster barbie’ that draws attention to (and mocks) some of the developing conventions on Instagram. Do you recognise the conventions that are being referenced here?
CNN (2015) Hipster Barbie mocks Instagram users, 10th September http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/hipster-barbie-instagram/index.html [accessed 4th July 2022]

Other signs

Signs are a versatile media. Because of the range of semiotic codes they can draw on and because of the way their meaning depends on where they are placed, a wide range of communicative purposes can be found in signs.

They may be self-referential, being made to comment on themselves (5-15) or open to interpretation in this way (5-16).

They may be placed in a paradigmatic string, to form a sentence of signs.

Signs may be playful

Signs might also be part of silly citizenship

Umbrellas

Umbrella movement (Section 5.4)

You can see examples of the different kinds of signs and structures that Jaworksi and Lou discuss at https://becomingverb.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/hong-kongs-new-public-landscape/ [accessed 15th September 2022]

Barcelona

Barcelona – Image 5.9

You can learn more about the situation in Barcelona in the following links. Barcelona has had a large increase in tourism in recent years and locals are not happy. Increased tourism can be an advantage, but it can also make areas much less affordable for local people. All of this information and Image 5.9 were provided by Dr Sarah Pasfield-Neofitou.

Elle Hunt (2017) ‘Tourism kills neighbourhoods’: how do we save cities from the city break? The Guardian, 4th August https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/aug/04/tourism-kills-neighbourhoods-save-city-break [accessed 4th July 2022]

Lauren McMah (2016) ‘Tourist go home’: Why you’re no longer welcome in Spain, news.com.au, 1st June http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/tourist-go-home-why-youre-no-longer-welcome-in-spain/news-story/4febc459dcd721f25bc113eab6c509e5 [accessed 4th July 2022]

Ashifa Kassam (2014) Barcelona's tourism booms, swelling its coffers and littering its beaches, The Guardian, 15th June https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/jun/15/barcelona-tourism-boom-economy-residents[accessed 4th July 2022]

YouTube

In Chapter 5, we discussed a range of online spaces, the platforms available and the kinds of practices that people engaged in. One platform we didn’t discuss is YouTube. This is a complex space to theorise as while it can be considered in terms of the construction of a point of view, it is also amenable to analysis in terms discussed in Chapter 4.

The ‘problem’ with YouTube is that it can be used to do a wide range of things. The platform, and its functionality, does provide a good starting point. For example, the search function indicates that people can look for something specific (either a person or a topic). The ability to share links indicates that people can tell their friends about what they are looking at or direct them to suitable content. The listing of similar content beside and after individual clips suggests that some viewers may browse through a range of linked and interrelated material. The existence of ‘channels’ and the ability to ‘follow’ a film maker or vlogger indicate that some viewers might be loyal to particular YouTube spaces and people.

If you’ve spent any time on sites like this, you’ll know that there is a wide range of material presented to viewers. From professionally produced material and animations to outtakes from personal or real time event recordings, there is no such thing as a YouTube ‘style’. When it comes to material produced specifically for YouTube, generalisations may be made, although even here, commonalities among vlogs will depend on genre and type.

Go to YouTube and explore the content. Try and find examples of the following content:
Tutorials (e.g. how to knit, fix a leaking pipe)
Animations
Music

See if you can find commonalities among the examples you found in each genre – or across genres.

If you’re interested in how YouTube compares with television, you can read Tolson (2010). As YouTube has been described as being a form of ‘post-television’ (Lister et al., cited in Tolson, 2010: 278), it makes sense to analyse it in these terms.

Tolson, A. (2010) ‘A new authenticity? Communicative Practices on YouTube’, Critical Discourse Studies 7(4): 277-89.

99% invisible

There is a podcast that often discusses the linguistic landscape and the hidden meaning of the built environment. The following episodes in particular may be of interest.

Unpleasant Design and Hostile Urban Architecture https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/unpleasant-design-hostile-urban-architecture/
Walk This Way https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/walk-this-way/

Chapter 6

Gender neutral pronouns

There have been a range of suggestions of gender-neutral pronouns over the centuries.
As discussed in chapter 6, this space has changed rapidly in recent years with widespread acceptance of ‘they’.

This is a difficult change for some people and there is no shortage of commentary on this and related issues around the world. Here are some links to get you started, but do search out material that is close to where you are.

Lingthusiasm (2020) The grammar of singular they – interview with Kirby Conrod, Episode 43 https://soundcloud.com/lingthusiasm/43-the-grammar-of-singular-they-interview-with-kirby-conrod [accessed 4th July 2022]

Ian Sample (2019) He, she, or ... ? Gender-neutral pronouns reduce biases – study, The Guardian,  5th August, https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/aug/05/he-she-or-gender-neutral-pronouns-reduce-biases-study? [accessed 4th July 2022]

Natalie Sherman (2020) Should your email say if you're he, she or they? BBC News 19th February https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51331571.amp [accessed 4th July 2022]

Stephen Burgen (2020) Masculine, feminist or neutral? The language battle that has split Spain, The Guardian, 19th January https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/19/gender-neutral-language-battle-spain? [accessed 4th July 2022]

The Trouble with Ms

Ms is still a baffling title for many people. Read Zimmer’s and Browning’s articles and see whether you think this misunderstanding is warranted.

Ben Zimmer (2009) More Ms.-teries of "Ms." Vocabulary, 23rd October, http://www.vocabulary.com/articles/wordroutes/more-ms-teries-of-ms/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

Anna Browning (2009) Mrs? Or is that Ms, Miss?’BBC News,  20th March 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7952261.stm [accessed 4th July 2022]

Stereotypes and shopping

Listen to the following story from NPR (National Public Radio, USA) about Lego made for young women. What do you think about the gendering of toys? 
Neda Ulaby (2013) ‘Girls' Legos Are A Hit, But Why Do Girls Need Special Legos? NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2013/06/28/196605763/girls-legos-are-a-hit-but-why-do-girls-need-special-legos? [accessed 4th July 2022]

What about gendered foods?
In an interview on the podcast Freakonomics, the CEO of the company that owns the brand Doritos mentioned that they were considering developing a product for women.
http://freakonomics.com/podcast/indra-nooyi/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

For more on the ‘lady Doritos’ and the different opinions about it, here are a few of the many stories that followed the CEO’s comments:
Emine Saner (2018) ‘Lady Doritos’: a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist, The Guardian, 5th February, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2018/feb/05/lady-doritos-a-solution-to-a-problem-that-doesnt-exist [accessed 4th July 2022]
Ruth Graham (2018) You Know What, I Do Want “Lady Doritos”, Slate, 6th February  https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/02/the-backlash-to-lady-doritos-is-absurd.html [accessed 4th July 2022]

An alcohol brand has created a product just for women:
Emily Sullivan and Alisa Chang (2018) Do Ladies Need Their Own Scotch? All Things Considered, 28th February [accessed 4th July 2022] https://www.npr.org/2018/02/28/589506144/do-ladies-need-their-own-scotch

Men, feeling self-conscious about drinking Rosé wine, have started referring to it as ‘Brosé’.
Jason Wilson (2015) Brosé: wine for the angsty bro who blushes when he 'drinks pink', The Guardian, 29th July, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/29/brose-wine-for-the-angsty-bro-who-blushes-when-he-drinks-pink [accessed 4th July 2022]

Japanese brand (Pocky) has made a special version of its popular snack for male consumers.
Matthew Rodriguez (2016) Your Favorite Japanese Candy has a Special Just-For-Men Version, Mic, 13th August  https://mic.com/articles/151491/your-favorite-japanese-candy-now-has-a-special-just-for-men-version#.ycOHwtc7I [accessed 4th July 2022]

What do you think about this kind of branded marketing? Is it clever or reinforcing stereotypes?

Everyday Sexism

Many people assume that sexism is no longer an issue because society has changed so much is this regard. Siouxsie Wiles, a science communicator from New Zealand had to endure all kinds of sexism when working on covid.
NZ Herald (2020) Covid-19 scientist Siouxsie Wiles reveals appalling social media abuse, 3rd July https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-scientist-siouxsie-wiles-reveals-appalling-social-media-abuse/7GHUGNG5KRU4WVQ44D67MTYHYM/?c_id=1&objectid=12344609 [accessed 4th July 2022]
Deborah Cameron reviewed 2020 to document various kinds of sexism. Her blog contains a wealth of material.
Cameron, Deborah (2020) Not Unprecedented: 2020, 28th December https://debuk.wordpress.com/2020/12/28/not-unprecedented-2020/ [accessed 4th July 2020]

A number of campaigns have sought to highlight the way women are subjected to sexism on a daily basis. Explore the following sites. Do the experiences reported surprise you? What does it tell us about society? What kinds of resources are women using to object to this treatment? And what have been the responses to these campaigns?

#Me too
Everyday Sexism http://everydaysexism.com/
#YesAllWomen on Twitter
Slut walk http://www.slutwalktoronto.com/

When a woman, Jacinda Ardern, became the leader of a political party in New Zealand, there was quite a response.
Madeleine Holden (2017) An incomplete account of the sexism in Jacinda Ardern’s first 24 hours as Labour leader, The Spin Off, 2nd August https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/02-08-2017/all-the-sexism-in-jacinda-arderns-first-24-hours-as-labour-leader/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

The following is also a story from New Zealand about the rise of ‘traditional’ gender roles.
Michelle Duff (2022) How women are being weaponised by the 'freedom' movement, Stuff, 3rd July, https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300621092/how-women-are-being-weaponised-by-the-freedom-movement [accessed 4th July 2022]

Sexism is not always obvious. It may appear in a ‘kind’ guise. This is ‘benevolent’ sexism.
Negin Sattari, Sarah H. DiMuccio, Joy Ohm, and Jose M. Romero (2022) Dismantling “Benevolent” Sexism, Harvard Business Review, 8th June https://hbr.org/2022/06/dismantling-benevolent-sexism [accessed 4th July 2022]

Sexism also doesn’t always have an obvious human face.
Chris Baraniuk (2022) Why your voice assistant might be sexist, BBC Machine Minds, 14th June, https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220614-why-your-voice-assistant-might-be-sexist [accessed 4th July 2022]

Clare Watson (2022) The systemic factors wedging a persistent gender gap in science, Cosmos, 1st July, https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/society/gender-gap-science/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

Resisting Sexism

There are many ways of highlighting and resisting sexism. Look at the following materials and try and identify the strategies they use. Are they successful?

Alison Flood (2020) No more 'nagging wives': how Oxford Dictionaries is cleaning up sexist language, The Guardian, 6th March https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/06/no-more-nagging-wives-how-oxford-dictionaries-is-cleaning-up-sexist-language? [accessed 4th July 2022]

Chloë Ashby (2020) 'If you’re a dude, you may be tensing up': the woman making art out of mansplainers, The Guardian, 18th August, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/aug/18/nicole-tersigni-men-to-avoid-in-art-and-life-sexism-classical-art? [accessed 4th July 2022]

Jessica Bennett (2016) Workplace a bit sexist? Welcome to feminist fight club, The Guardian, 3rd September https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/sep/03/workplace-sexist-feminist-fight-club [accessed 4th July 2022]

Tom Hale (2016) Male Scientists' Biographies Written As If They Were Women, Iflsciennce, 2nd February
http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/male-scientists-biographies-written-if-they-were-women/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

Hannah Girogis (2015) Radical Brownies: is this the future of girl groups? The Guardian, 26th January
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/womens-blog/2015/jan/26/radical-brownies-future-girl-groups-social-justice [accessed 4th July 2022]

Go to Amazon.com and search for ‘Bic pens for women’. Read the reviews of this product. What are these authors doing?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/BIC-For-Her-Medium-Ballpoint/dp/B004FTGJUW [accessed 4th July 2022]

Gender Activity

Thinking about the media chapter and different angles of telling, look at these two articles.

BBC News (2021) University of Manchester advises against using 'mother' and 'father'    12th March https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-england-manchester-56372118? [accessed 10th April 2021]

NZ Herald (2021) Support for LGBTQI+ kids: Call for changes in Victorian schools, 11th April https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/support-for-lgbtqi-kids-call-for-changes-in-victorian-schools/A65EEEV7QB4NICBL2BQSZH23YU/#Echobox=1618180823 [accessed 30th April 2021]

Are the events/changes described comparable? Are the points of view expressed in or by the article the same? What linguistic choices have led to similarities and differences?

Men and from Mars?

Read the following articles with consideration of what do they presuppose about the way men and women use language and other forms of communication. You should pay close attention to the linguistic choices used to determine both semantic and pragmatic presupposition (as discussed in chapter 3). What stereotypes do these stories draw on? Do they cite any sources for the facts asserted?

Kate Wills (2016) Just not Sorry, The Independent, 7th January http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/just-not-sorry-gmails-new-app-aims-to-help-women-be-more-assertive-a6801506.html [accessed 4th July 2022]

Rachel Bridgers (nd) Dear Men, Please Learn to Shut up, Medium, April https://medium.com/fourth-wave/dear-men-please-learn-to-shut-up-4fbf75960d9 [accessed 4th July 2022]

Regina Borsellino (2021) How to Make Your Voice Heard in the Workplace (Especially as a Woman or Minority), The Muse, 24th October https://www.themuse.com/advice/voice-heard-at-work-women-minorities [accessed 4th July 2022]

Leah Harper (2016) How to get heard in meetings: deep breaths, superhero poses and owning ‘bossy’, The Guardian, 4th January.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/04/how-to-get-heard-in-meetings-deep-breaths-superhero-poses-and-owning-bossy [accessed 4th July 2022]

Diversity Women Media (nd) Speak Up and Don’t Apologize, Diversity Women Media, 27th March, https://www.diversitywoman.com/speak-up-and-dont-apologize/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

Rebecca Holman (2014) How to speak “Menglish” - the language “only men” understand, The Telegraph, 31st January http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10608094/How-to-speak-Menglish-the-language-only-men-understand.html [accessed 4th July 2022]

Chapter 7

Racism

As will be clear from this chapter, racism is pervasive around the world. Here are some examples of events that have occurred in recent years. See if you can find your own examples.

Christine Ro (2021) The pervasive problem of ‘linguistic racism’, BBC Work Life, 3rd June, https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210528-the-pervasive-problem-of-linguistic-racism?s=09 [accessed 4th July]
Sam Jones (2021) Spain’s postal service accused of racism over flesh-toned stamps, The Guardian, 28th May https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/28/spains-postal-service-accused-of-racism-over-flesh-toned-stamps? [accessed 4th July 2022]
BBC (2020) Londoners 'experiencing racism over coronavirus', 4th February https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-london-51361930 [accessed 4th July 2022]
Phil Taylor (2020) New Zealand media giant Stuff apologises for 'racist' past reporting, The Guardian, 30th November, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/30/new-zealand-media-giant-stuff-apologises-for-racist-past-reporting?  [accessed 4th July 2022]
Leyland Cecco (2020) Indigenous man and granddaughter, 12, handcuffed after trying to open bank account, The Guardian, 24th November, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/24/indigenous-canadian-human-rights-bank-arrest? [accessed 4th July 2022]

Where are you from?

If you look or sound different to the majority in your community, you will recognise this question. The following is a humorous exploration of the issue.
Where are you from Game
BBC Three (2018) Where are you From: The Game
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU_htgjlMVE [accessed 20th January 2022]

An Art Project

As much as people like to group other people, this only works if difference is erased. This is brought into clear view by Angélica Dass’s project “Humanae.”
We encourage you to look at this work and consider it in relation to society and power.
https://angelicadass.com/photography/humanae/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

Emerging identities

In the US is, ‘nerd’ as an identity category has existed for a long time.  ‘Nerd’ has typically been a category associated with European Americans.  This category has come to be associated with African Americans. Look at the following and see if you can determine why ‘nerd’ only now available as an identity category for African Americans.

Black Nerd Girls http://www.blackgirlnerds.com/[accessed 4th July 2022]

Mekeisha Madden Toby (2012) The rise of the black nerd in pop culture, CNN, 31st March,
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/31/showbiz/rise-of-black-nerds/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

Black Nerd Blogspot http://blacknerdsnetwork.blogspot.co.uk/[ accessed 4th July 2022]

Mary Bucholtz (1999) “Why be normal?”: Language and identity practices in a community of nerd girls, Language in Society, 28(02): 203-223.

Zimmerman trial

Rachel Jeantel was a witness in US trial of George Zimmerman trial. Mr Zimmerman was being tried for murder, for killing a young black man in Florida called Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman claimed he was acting in self-defence. Rachel Jeantel was talking on her mobile phone with Trayvon just prior to his death and was therefore only ‘witness’ to his death. During her testimony, a great deal of attention was given to her language use and behaviour on the stand.

Compare the following two texts. How do they differ? In what ways are they the same? Why was Ms Jeantel’s language discussed? Do you think it would have been discussed if she spoke Standard American English?
John McWhorter (2013) Rachel Jeantel Explained, Linguistically, Time, 28th June http://ideas.time.com/2013/06/28/rachel-jeantel-explained-linguistically/ [accessed 4th July 2022]
John Rickford (2013) Rachel Jeantel’s language in the Zimmerman trial, Language Log, 10th July, http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=5161[accessed 4th July 2022]

Racism and product naming

Both these examples come from Australia and involve renaming products that have long been stocked in Australian stores. What are your thoughts about the timing of these changes? Why do you think it took until 2020 for action to be taken?
ABC News (2020) Coon cheese's name to be changed over racism concerns, ABC (Australia) News, 24th July https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12489734? [accessed 4th July 2022]
ABC News (2020) Nestle renames Allen's Lollies brands Red Skins and Chicos to Red Ripper and Cheekies to avoid marginalising people, ABC (Australia) News, 16th November, https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12887278? [accessed 4th July 2022]

Social media and race

In Chapter 4 we discuss hashtags and trending. You can explore the kinds of topics that become popular topics in social media by looking at the following website. You can then further explore the controversy by looking at the hashtags on Twitter. You may find similar discussions and controversies about ethnicity on Twitter. Which hashtags become trends and which do not? Why do you think some are more popular than others?
BBC (2014) How two friends started a hashtag race row, BBC News Magazine #BBCtrending 14th February http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26179642?ocid=socialflow_twitter [accessed 15th September 2022]

Jason Osamede Okundaye experienced abuse and threats after some tweets he sent. What does the reaction tell us about conceptions of ethnicity and racism? Do you think the medium of the message was part of the problem?
Jason Osamede Okundaye (2017) I was accused of saying all white people are racist. This is what happened next... The Guardian, 6th August https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/06/i-was-accused-of-saying-of-all-white-people-racist [accessed 4th July 2022]

One advantage to social media is the ability to share information quickly. Without the speed and reach of online communication, it is likely that the following stories would have stayed a very local matter. These kinds of stories remind us that racism is still a very real issue.
BBC News (2017) We don't tip black people, note to Virginia waitress said, 9th January http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38561883 [accessed 4th July 2022]
Mo Barne (2016) Man almost dies because flight crew didn’t believe Black woman was a doctor, Rolling Out, 13th October http://rollingout.com/2016/10/13/man-almost-dies-because-flight-crew-didnt-believe-a-black-woman-is-doctor/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

Finally, this piece of satire may be amusing. It is also instructive in relation to racism and racial profiling.
Dominic McG (2018) Middle Class White student with dreadlocks held in detention centre, News Biscuit, 17th April http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2018/04/17/middle-class-white-student-with-dreadlocks-held-in-detention-centre/ [accessed 27th April 2018]

Names

A very common form of racism is the misspelling or mispronunciation of names. This short video explains why it matters.
Aualiitia, Tahlea (2020) My employer spelled my name wrong twice — this is why it matters, ABC (Australia) News, 26th June, https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12384678? [accessed 4th July 2022]

Jamila Lyiscott: 3 ways to speak English

Look at the following film. What is Jamila saying in this film? How does this connect to the theories of language and ethnicity discussed in chapter 7? How does Jamila use variation in language to convey her point? Which three varieties does she use? Why does she have these varieties? What meanings do they have? Is this crossing or something else?

Jamila Lysicott (2014) 3 Ways to Speak English’, TED Talks, 19th  June https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9fmJ5xQ_mc&app=desktop [accessed 4th July 2022]

Zac Cheney-Rice provides some extracts and some commentary on Jamila’s performance.
Zac Cheney-Rice  (2014) This Brief Talk Brilliantly Explains What Black People Hear When White People Call Them “Articulate”,  Identities.mic, 2nd July http://mic.com/articles/92657/this-brief-talk-brilliantly-explains-what-black-people-hear-when-white-people-call-them-articulate [accessed 4th July 2022]

Reverse positions

A good way of figuring out whether something is racist (or sexist or prejudiced in some way) is to imagine the words or sentiment directed at another group. This is exactly what the following video does. Do you think it makes the point effectively?

BuzzFeed (2014) If Latinos said the stuff White people say, 12th July http://www.buzzfeed.com/abefg/if-latinos-said-the-stuff-white-people-say [accessed 4th July 2022]

Language change and multiculturalism

Ethnolects are often associated with particular groups. But the presence of a diverse range of people can change the way we all use language.
The following story from Australia draws on linguistic research about the language of all Australians is changing because of linguistic diversity. It also gives some pointers on terms found in Australian English.
Abbie O’Brien (2017) How multiculturalism is changing the way we speak, SBS, 19th March https://www.sbs.com.au/news/how-multiculturalism-is-changing-the-way-we-speak [accessed 4th July]

Cultural Appropriation

Something we didn’t discuss in Chapter 7 is cultural appropriation. This term describes and critiques the practice of the majority culture taking something from minority culture. It can include the appropriation (that is, the taking) of clothing, hairstyles, language, cultural practices and music. It is seen as offensive. However, it is not always clear whether something is a case of cultural appropriation or respectful borrowing.

The following articles can help you think through what cultural appropriation is. Do bear in mind the power dimension involved. If a minority culture takes something from a majority culture, this is likely to be seen as ‘assimilation’. This is very problematic at a policy level.

This is a good account of the term and the practices it describes.
This Week (2018) Cultural appropriation, April 18th http://www.theweek.co.uk/cultural-appropriation [accessed 4th July 2022]
As cultural appropriation depends on who the majority and minority cultures are, what counts as cultural appropriation varies from place to place.

The following article discusses who gets to own a discourse that was created by black women in the USA. Is it acceptable for large corporations to take over something that was generated by people to empower them?
Clover Hope (2017) Who Gets to Own ‘Black Girl Magic’? Jezebel, 7th April https://jezebel.com/who-gets-to-own-black-girl-magic-1793924053 [accessed 4th July 2022]

This article discusses linguistic style and the appropriation of this. Given that identity is constructed and performed by individuals, rather than something that is given, where do you think lines of ‘ownership’ can be drawn? Is imitation flattery or an appropriation of power?
Kara Brown (2016) Why Meghan Trainor's Cultural Appropriation Lives in Her Voice, Jezebel, 10th June https://jezebel.com/meghan-trainors-cultural-appropriation-lives-in-her-voi-1781756781 [accessed 4th July 2022]

Sometimes ‘borrowing’ a term or an item from another culture doesn’t always work out as planned.
Anderson, Charles (2020) Beer brand and leather store unwittingly named after Māori word for 'pubic hair’, The Guardian, 7th August https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/07/beer-brand-and-leather-store-unwittingly-named-after-maori-word-for-pubic-hair? [accessed 4th July]
McKenzie, Jamie (2019) ‘They’re called Lorne sausages, ya absolute b**bags’: Scots fuming as Aldi launches new ‘Sausedge’, Edinburgh Evening News, 14th May  https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/the-yorkshire-post-magazine/food-and-drink/theyre-called-lorne-sausages-ya-absolute-bbags-scots-fuming-aldi-launches-new-sausedge-546857 [accessed 4th July]

While it’s not clear whether this was an example of cultural appropriate or not, it is a good lesson in why it’s always worth checking on the meaning of a word before going to market.
The Jouker (2018) These new Nike trainers are Bowfin, The National (Scotland), 27th August, https://www.thenational.scot/news/16601589.new-nike-trainers-bowfin/ [accessed 5th July 2022]

Chapter 8

Ageism

When are we ‘old’? As people are living longer, you might think that ageism would decrease. But at the same time, being young (or appearing to be young) still seems to be prized. When do you think someone is old? Should that have an influence on how they are regarded and represented?
Kylie Lang (2016) ‘Old boiler’. ‘Cougars’. ‘Greys’: The prejudice of ageism, The Courier Mail, June 16th http://www.couriermail.com.au/rendezview/old-boiler-cougars-greys-the-prejudice-of-ageism/news-story/3834144788672540c8f1f81e16ffe568 [accessed 15th September 2022]

Some attempts are made at improving representations of older people. Do you think the images on this website help? How would their presence in the linguistic landscape structure space and place?
https://www.springchicken.co.uk/pages/signofthetimes [accessed 15th September 2022]

This story asks about the corporate motivation of a cosmetics company doing away with the term ‘anti-aging’.
Hazel Cills (2018) Allure Doing Away With the Term 'Anti-Aging' Isn't as Radical as It Seems, Jezebel, 14th August https://jezebel.com/allure-doing-away-with-the-term-anti-aging-isnt-as-radi-1797821093 [accessed 26th April 2018]

Humour is a good way of confronting ageism. But it doesn’t always work in expected ways. Watch this spoof advertisement and decide whether you think it is ageist.
Amazon Echo for older people https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvT_gqs5ETk [accessed 15th September 2022]

Finally, a Dutch man wanted his official age to be changed. He did not succeed. Can you think of arguments in support of his case?

AP (2018) Dutch court rejects man’s request to be 20 years younger, The Guardian, 3rd December, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/03/dutch-court-rejects-emile-ratelband-request-20-years-younger? [accessed 5th July 2022]

Banning ‘youth’ language

Stories about poor language from children and young people at school are very common. You are likely to find some on your local platforms. Here are some that we have found.
What do you think of the different arguments that are made? Did you experience such ‘bans’ when you were at school?
James Hockaday (2021) School bans children from saying ‘that’s long, oh my days and like’, Metro, 1st October, https://metro.co.uk/2021/10/01/school-bans-children-from-saying-thats-long-oh-my-days-and-like-15347931/ [accessed 5th July 2022]
Robert Booth (2021) Oh my days: linguists lament slang ban in London school, The Guardian, 30th September, https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/sep/30/oh-my-days-linguists-lament-slang-ban-in-london-school [accessed 5th July 2022]

As discussed in Chapter 8, young people are certainly not ‘damaging’ language. Creativity and innovation is all a normal part of language change.
Adrienne LaFrance (2016) Teens Aren't Ruining Language, The Atlantic, 27th January, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/blatantly-budge-and-other-dead-slang/431433/ [accessed 5th July 2022]

Children and Swearing

The following story discusses an article by Jay and Jay about children and swearing. Follow the link to listen to the story.  What assumptions are made about people who do swear? Does it depend on the person’s identity or the context of talk? Who is ‘allowed’ to swear?
NPR (2014) Like Little Language Vacuum Cleaners Kids Suck of Swear Words, All Things Conisdered, 20th  April http://www.npr.org/2014/04/20/304957688/like-little-language-vacuum-cleaners-kids-suck-up-swear-words [accessed 15th September 2022]
Jay, K. L., and Jay, T. B. (2013) ‘A Child's Garden of Curses: A Gender, Historical, and Age-Related Evaluation of the Taboo Lexicon’, The American Journal of Psychology, 126(4): 459-475.

If you’d like to see some advice to parents on this issue, head to this New Zealand contribution.
NZ Herald (2022) One Day You'll Thank Me: Should you allow your kids to swear? 11th June, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/one-day-youll-thank-me-should-you-allow-your-kids-to-swear/GEFDSILJU7WMXDYFL6OXQRIN4Y/ [accessed 5th July 2022]

Digital and language Divides

The digital divide captures the idea that there is a division in society between people who have access to the world wide web and those who do not. This article discusses the digital divide in terms of age.
BBC News (2021) Digital divide: Older people in the West left 'lonely', 25th June, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-57598341 [accessed 5th July 2022]
This divide was heightened during pandemic lockdowns as this piece from the US explains.
Susan Nash (nd) The pandemic has accelerated the need to close the digital divide for older adults, Stanford Centre on Longevity, https://longevity.stanford.edu/the-pandemic-has-accelerated-the-need-to-close-the-digital-divide-for-older-adults/ [accessed 5th July 2022]
As the case of Spain shows, however, it is possible to bridge this divide.
Graham Keeley (2022) How Spain's older generation are becoming the new high achievers, Euro News, 28th June, https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/06/28/how-spains-older-generation-are-becoming-the-new-high-achievers [accessed 5th July 2022]

Wolf reports that there are terms she is not ‘allowed’ to use around her children. What do you think is going on here? Is this a generation gap or something else? Do you think the word list would have changed since 2016?
Jessica Wolf (2016) The Seven Words I Cannot Say (Around my Children), Well, 8th June https://archive.nytimes.com/well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/06/08/the-seven-words-i-cannot-say-around-my-children/ [accessed 5th July 2022]

Old Stereotypes

A report in the UK from the Centre for Ageing Better found that negative stereotypes are persistent. It also addresses intersectionality. At the link, you can watch a webinar about these stereotypes and access the report.
Centre for Ageing Better (2020) Mocking, patronising and demonising: UK’s ageist attitudes revealed in new report, 19th March, https://ageing-better.org.uk/news/mocking-patronising-and-demonising-uks-ageist-attitudes-revealed-new-report [accessed 5th July 2022]

Gendron et al (2016) paper

In the chapter, we discussed Gendron’s research You can find that research report here and see more of the results.
Gendron, T.L., Welleford, E.A., Inker, J., White, J.T. (2016) The Language of Ageism: Why We Need to Use Words Carefully. Gerontologist. 56(6):997-1006. 16.https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/geront/gnv066 [accessed 5th July 2022]

Chapter 9

What social class are you?

Do you know what social class you are? Do you think it matters? You can see which social class you would belong to in the US or in the UK in the following websites:

USA

The Pew Research Centre offers a calculator. It is based largely on income. Do you think this is a good indicator of social class?
Jesse Bennett, Richard Fry, and Rakesh Kochhar (2020) Are you in the American middle class? Find out with our income calculator, Pew Research, 23rd July https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/07/23/are-you-in-the-american-middle-class/ [accessed 5th July 2022]

UK

At this website, you can see where you fit in the new British class system by answering just a few questions, a small set of those asked in the real survey.
BBC (2013) ‘The Great British class calculator: What class are you?’ BBC News, 3rd April, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/2013/newsspec_5093/index.stm [accessed 5th July 2022]
The New Statesman also provides a short list of questions that will provide a social class ‘answer’. Can you see the influence of Savage et al.’s work in the questions asked?
Michael Goodiers and Anoosh Chakelian (2022) QUIZ: Which class are you, according to the Great British public? The New Statesman, 19th January, https://www.newstatesman.com/society/2022/01/quiz-which-class-are-you-according-to-the-great-british-public [accessed 5th July 2022].
In this article you will find other apparent indicators of social class in the UK, from doorbells to pets.
Detlev Piltz (2022) The secret signs that betray your true class, Mail Online, 1st April, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10677879/The-signs-betray-true-class-DETLEV-PILTZ-explains-sound-doorbell-reveals.html [accessed 5th July 2022]

Australia

The ABC also provides a quiz. You can read the introduction to see what they say about social class and how it is defined.
Inga Ting, Ri Liu, Nathanael Scott and Alex Palmer (2018) What your habits reveal about social class, ABC, 12th April, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-13/what-your-habits-reveal-about-your-social-class/9610658 [accessed 5th July 2022]
You can also try this one
Liz Allen (2019) Find Out If You’re ‘Middle Class’ With This Quiz, Lifehacker, 27th November https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2019/11/how-to-tell-if-youre-middle-class-in-australia/ [accessed 5th July 2022]

Social Class and Clothing

The language we use is one way of demonstrating the symbolic capital we have. Clothing is another. Consider the following reports from India about people being banned from particular shopping malls because of the clothing they are wearing. Is the discrimination here about the clothes being worn or something else? Can you think of similar examples in your own locale?
Rahsmi Singh (2017) Blame India's deepening class bias, not just malls, for dhoti bans, 21st July, Daily O http://www.dailyo.in/politics/dhoti-ban-ashish-avikunthak-kolkata-tamil-nadu/story/1/18520.html [accessed 5th July 2022]
Sandip Roy (2017) A Class War Is Brewing Outside The Gates Of Our Posh Malls And High-Rises In India, Huffington Post India, 19th July, http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2017/07/19/a-class-war-is-brewing-outside-the-gates-of-our-posh-malls-and-h_a_23036849/ [accessed 5th July 2022]

Discussions have been had in the UK about whether it is appropriate to wear pyjamas to the supermarket. This is certainly connected with class. The Burberry brand has also long been caught up in discussions about clothing and class.
Joshua Barrie (2017) Wearing pyjamas to the supermarket is absolutely fine – let's put this issue to bed, The Mirror, 7th January, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/wearing-pyjamas-supermarket-absolutely-fine-9578592 [accessed 5th July 2022]
Alicia Powell (2022) Style and social class: ‘the authenticity fetish’, Varsity, 5th July, https://www.varsity.co.uk/fashion/23901 [accessed 5th July 2022]
Daniel Rogers (2022) Burberry and the chequered politics of working-class appropriation, Dazed, 26th May, https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/56064/1/burberry-working-class-appropriation-nova-check-danniella-westbrook-chav-y2k [accessed 5th July 2022]

Playing With Social Class

The following is a compilation of comedy sketches by British comedians Armstrong and Miller. What is the source of humour here? Pay attention to the different aspects of language variation they exploit.
Armstrong and Miller (2010) ‘The Armstrong and Miller Show - WWII Pilots 1’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_b1Y-Rl_Uo [accessed 5th July 2022]

Intersectionality

The following personal account of an indigenous Australian woman gives a good example of intersectionality. What different identities are she and her family required by society to respond do?
Chelsea Bond (2017) Class is the new black: The dangers of an obsession with the 'Aboriginal middle class', 28th June, ABC News,  http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-28/opinion-class-is-the-new-black-chelsea-bond/8655544 [accessed 5th July 2022]

This is also an example of intersectionality at work. Alex Scott is a working class woman of colour who works as a sports journalism. A British politician publicly ridiculed her variety of English.
Dawn Neeson (2021) 'Digby Jones puts the dick in diction for criticising Alex Scott's working class accent', Daily Star, 3rd August, https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/snobby-digby-jones-criticising-alex-24681876 [accessed 5th July 2022]
Miranda Bryant (2021) BBC’s Alex Scott ‘proud’ of working class accent after peer’s elocution jibe, The Guardian, 31st July https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2021/jul/31/bbc-alex-scott-proud-working-class-accent-digby-jones-elocution? [accessed 5th July 2022]

Scotland

Lochs

The following film instructs people how to ‘correctly’ pronounce ‘loch’. What do you think about his claim that this is the proper way to pronounce this word?
Scottish Geeks (2013) ‘How to Pronounce Loch’ 24 April, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRiWBRS3OC8 [accessed 5th July 2022]

Glasgow: Maryhill

Jane Stuart Smith and her colleagues spoke to teenagers from Maryhill. In the following special news report, you can find out more about Maryhill. You can also hear a range of Scottish English in this report.
Evening Times (2010) ‘Inside Glasgow: Maryhill’, 1st March, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWMXdUWc8C8 [accessed 5th July 2022]

Social Class in Hong Kong

There has been a great deal of debate about what social class means in Hong Kong. Can you identify themes from chapter 9 in the following news reports? Compare the news reports with research about language regard and social class (Lai 2010).
Jennifer Ngo (2013) Dollars - not coffee - define social status, say Hongkongers, South China Morning Post, 5th September, http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1303450/dollars-not-coffee-define-social-status-say-hongkongers [accessed 5th July 2022]
Mee Ling Lai(2010). ‘Social class and language attitudes in Hong Kong’, International Multilingual Research Journal, 4(2), 83-106.

Chips

In Chapter 9 we described Freedman and Jurafksy’s research on potato chips/crisps. They argue that this is related to social class and authenticity. Why is potato chip marketing related to class? You may find it helpful to read the following articles. Are there other products that are marketed in the same way?
Sarah Jane Keller (2011) Enticing words printed on bags of potato chips have a lot to say about social class, Stanford researchers find, Stanford News, 30th November http://news.stanford.edu/news/2011/november/potato-chips-class-113011.html [accessed 5th July 2022]
Keri Matwick, and Kelis Matwick (2014) What your preferred package of potato chips says about you, The Alligator, 29th May, http://www.alligator.org/the_avenue/food/article_94840120-e6e0-11e3-abf0-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=jqm [accessed 5th July 2022]
You can find the original paper here:
Freedman, J. and Juraksy, D. (2011) Authenticity in America: Class Distinctions in Potato Chip Advertising, Gastronomica: The Journal of Critical Food Studies, 11(4): 46-54. https://web.stanford.edu/~jurafsky/freedmanjurafsky2011.pdf [accessed 5th July 2022]

Emma Brockes argues that sandwiches are also linked to social class. Read her editorial and see if you agree.
Emma Brockes (2017) What does a sandwich choice say about your class? The Guardian, 20th July https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/20/sandwich-choice-class-us-british [accessed 5th July 2022]

Finally, you might be interested in the following account of the importance attached to Ferrero Rocher chocolates by people in different parts of the world.
Liana Aghajanian (2018) How Ferrero Rocher became a status symbol for immigrant families, Thrillist, 27th April, https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/ferrero-rocher-chocolates-status-symbol-immigrants [accessed 5th July 2022]

You can also take a quiz on what food you would like to eat. The results are correlated with social class.
IDR Labs, Food Choice Test https://www.idrlabs.com/food-choice/test.php [accessed 5th July]
The test cites: Bellezza, Silvia, Berger, Jonah and Trickle-Round Signals (2020) When Low Status Is Mixed with High, Journal of Consumer Research, 47(1): 100–127.

Prescriptivism and social Class.

In earlier chapters, we discussed standard language ideology. This affects not just how people speak, but also how they write. Consider the following article. Do you think the standard language ideology is related to social class? Can you find evidence of this in the way the arguments are made in the article?

Philip H. Devoe (2017) No, Insisting on Proper English Grammar and Spelling Is Not ‘Elitist’, National Review, 1st September https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/09/proper-english-grammar-not-elitist/ [accessed 4th July 2022]

Chapter 10

Global English

The estimates of how widely English is spoken around the world vary. Some think that linguistic diversity is a cause for celebration:
Rosie Driffill (2017) From Seaspeak to Singlish: celebrating other kinds of English, The Guardian, 11th March https://www.theguardian.com/media/mind-your-language/2017/mar/11/from-seaspeak-to-singlish-celebrating-other-kinds-of-english [accessed 15th September 2022]

There has also been a backlash against English.

Jacob Milanowski (2018) Behemoth, bully, thief: how the English language is taking over the planet, The Guardian, 27th July, https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jul/27/english-language-global-dominance? [accessed 5th July 2022]

Michael Skapinker (2016). Mind your language: the fightback against global English, Financial Times, 23rd September.
https://www.ft.com/content/5ee11a7a-7f32-11e6-8e50-8ec15fb462f4 [accessed 5th July 2022]

Helena Smith (2021) The Greeks had a word for it … until now, as language is deluged by English terms, The Guardian, 31st January, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/31/the-greeks-had-a-word-for-it-until-now-as-language-is-deluged-by-english-terms? [accessed 5th July 2022]

Reuters (2018) 'Monsieur Non': French EU Envoy Walks Out in English Row, US News, 26th April, https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2018-04-26/monsieur-non-french-eu-envoy-walks-out-in-english-row [accessed 5th July 2022]

Here you’ll find more information about the languages people use online
http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm [accessed 5th July 2022]

Urban language diversity

While many nations consider themselves monolingual, multilingual societies are found around the world. This diversity has led researchers in sociolinguistics to call for attention to ‘superdiversity’. The first set of links help you explore the linguistic diversity that is found especially in urban centres. The references below can be consulted for more information about superdiversity. In short, superdiversity acknowledges that the traditional ways of identifying people (class, gender, age, ethnicity) are not inclusive or stable enough to reflect what is really happening. Scholars urge us to take notice of the particularity of human experience in order to fully understand what people are doing with language.

New York: A map of tweets by language in New York http://ny.spatial.ly/ [accessed 5th July 2022]

You can read about superdiversity in Australia here:
Shilpi Tewari and David Beynon (2018)The rise of the super-diverse ‘ethnoburbs’, The Conversation, 5th  February, https://theconversation.com/the-rise-of-the-super-diverse-ethnoburbs-90926 [accessed 5th July 2022]

You can read about superdiversity in New Zealand here:
Mai Chen (2015) Superdiversity has reached critical mass - it's New Zealand's future,  New Zealand Herald, 19th October, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11531147 [accessed 5th July 2022]

Superdiversity

Something that we have left out of the 6th edition is Superdiversity.

Because of increased migration and movement in a globalised world, nations and cities are much more diverse than they used to be; in fact, they’re ‘super-diverse’. Vertovec (2007) argues that this ‘superdiversity’ requires scholars to consider more carefully the ways that standard variables of analysis (e.g., ethnicity, class, gender) interact. These intersections are especially important in the creation of social policy. In terms of ethnicity, for example, Vertovec argues that making assumptions about an individual based on their country of origin overlooks a variety of important characteristics. Migrants will come from different social classes and different regions, have different languages, religions and different reasons for migrating in the first place. It makes little sense, for example, to treat all migrants from India in the same way; some will be students, some will be business people, some will be Hindu, others will be Christian, and they won’t all share a first language.

Recently superdiversity has been taken up in sociolinguistic research. While it is true that research making generalisations across whole populations must take superdiversity into account in some way, recent focus on communities of practice (see Section 9.6) in sociolinguistic research has already drawn attention to the way identity is emergent and constructed through interaction with others in particular circumstances. As such, it may be that superdiversity overlaps in many respects with the ways that diversity has been addressed in the field in previous years (see also Pavlenko, 2017).

Aneta Pavlenko has written about ‘superdiversity’ in relation to how the term has been taken up by scholars. Read her work and think about whether you agree. Can you think of other examples that Pavlenko might argue are similar?

Pavlenko, Aneta. "Superdiversity and why it isn’t: Reflections on terminological innovation and academic branding." Sloganizations in language education discourse 142 (2018): 168. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314208015_Superdiversity_and_why_it_isn't_Reflections_on_terminological_innovation_and_academic_branding_2019 [accessed 4th July 2022]

Other sources that may be useful:

Blommaert, J. (2013). Superdiversity, ethnography and linguistic landscapes: Chronicles of complexity, Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

Blackledge, A., Creese, A., & Takhi, J. K. (2013) Language, Superdiversity and Education, in de Saint-Georges, I and Weber, J-J (eds) Multilingualism and Multimodality. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers: 59-80.

Vertovec, S. (2007) Super-diversity and its implications, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 30(6): 1024-1054.

Language in India

The following articles and news reports set out the different pressures and polices at work in India with regard to language use and language policy. Do you think language policy should be determined by government with reference to what citizens think? Find out how many languages are spoken in India. Why do you think the focus is on Hindi and English?

You can learn a little about the issues by reading some of the following links. But, as always, language politics is very complicated. And it’s often very difficult for people who aren’t deeply familiar with the area (and the language) to fully understand without a lot of research.

Gucharan Das (2022) India's been lucky in not having a national language, The Times of India, 12th June, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/english-vinglish-hindi-shindi/articleshow/92163518.cms [accessed 5th July 2022]

K. Elango (2022) Why I learnt English and wouldn’t learn Hindi, The New Indian Express, 14th June, https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2022/jun/14/why-i-learnt-english-and-wouldnt-learn-hindi-2465240.html [accessed 5th July 2022]

Deepak Singh (2017) Years of perfecting my English accent didn’t prepare me for what America thought of it: trash, Quartz India, 22nd November, https://qz.com/india/1135783/excerpt-deepak-singhs-how-may-i-help-you-an-immigrants-journey-from-mba-to-minimum-wage/?utm_source=kwfb&kwp_0=644166&kwp_4=2298420&kwp_1=966239 [accessed 5th July 2022]

Shahsi Tharoor (2021) Indianisms: The creative use of 'Indian-English', Khaleej Times, 11th November, https://www.khaleejtimes.com/shashi-tharoors-world-of-words/indianisms-the-creative-use-of-indian-english [accessed 5th July 2022]

Shahsi Tharoor (2022) 43 English words that originate from India, Khaleej Times, 13th January, https://www.khaleejtimes.com/shashi-tharoors-world-of-words/43-english-words-that-originate-from-india [accessed 5th July 2022]

English Mania?

Watch Jay Walker’s talk and then read the comments posted by people from China. Do you think there is (still) an English mania? Is this a positive or negative thing?
Jay Walker (2009) The World’s English Mania, February, http://www.ted.com/talks/jay_walker_on_the_world_s_english_mania?language=en [accessed 5th July 2022]

Quite apart from whether people want to learn English, some companies require employees to learn it. You can listen to an interview about how one Japanese company, Rakuten, explains their requirement (and see the transcript) here:
Knowledge@Wharton show (2018) Why a Japanese E-commerce Giant Made Its Employees Learn English, 28th March, http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/do-global-firms-need-a-common-language/ [accessed 5th July 2022]

Guillaume Thierry argues that the growth of English as a second language can cause problems around comprehension and comprehensibility.
Guillaume Thierry (2018) The English language is the world’s Achilles heel, The Conversation, 3rd  April, http://theconversation.com/the-english-language-is-the-worlds-achilles-heel-93817 [accessed 5th July 2022]

Have a read of this piece about the benefits of learning English. Do you agree with this position and these reasons?
Matt Halsdorff and Christian Saunders (2022) Is it time for us all to learn English, Language Magazine, 25th May, https://www.languagemagazine.com/2022/05/25/is-it-time-for-us-all-to-learn-english/ [accessed 5th July 2022]

And consider this podcast in the light of material in Chapter 10.
Rough Translation (2021) How to Speak Bad English, NPR, 21st April https://www.npr.org/2021/04/21/989477444/how-to-speak-bad-english [accessed 5th July 2022]

Singaporean English

As with Indian English, to really understand what is going on with Singaporean English (which, like Indian English will not be singular) it’s necessary to appreciate the local context and the political contours. The chapter and following links only scratch the surface. Without full investigation, people might think that Singapore English just requires the use of ‘lah’.
Jane Zhang (2022) 'Hello lah, I'm Singapore': Inaccurate Singlish in Thai show amuses real-life S'poreans, Mothership, 11th May https://mothership.sg/2022/05/hello-lah-singlish-thai-show/ [accessed 5th July 2022]

Dexter Lin (2020) Embarrassing Singlish — An Ugly Mixture of Classism, Orientalism, and Self-Hatred, The Octant, 15th November, https://theoctant.org/edition/issue/allposts/opinion/embarrassing-singlish-an-ugly-mixture-of-classism-orientalism-and-self-hatred/ [accessed 5th July 2022]

In this post on Language Log, you can read a commentary on two articles about English in Singapore.
Mair, Victor (2020) Languages in Singapore, Language Log, 3rd March, https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=46341 [accessed 5th July 2022].

Being adept in a lesser known variety of English (globally speaking) can also be helpful for your computer security.
Andre Yeo, Jessie Lim, and David Sun (2022) Stop Scams Podcast: Set up strong passwords using Singlish and unique phrases, The Straits Times, 25th May, https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/stop-scams-podcast-set-up-strong-passwords-using-singlish-and-unique-phrases [accessed 5th July 2022]

Scots

The link below allows you to explore Scots and hear examples of what it sounds like. The link takes you to an article about time, but you can explore the site from here. Do you think this is a language related to English or not? What do you base this on? When looking at the material on numbers and time, you might like to revisit the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis we covered in chapter 2.

Scots Language Centre, ‘Numbers and Time’ http://www.scotslanguage.com/Numbers_and_Time [accessed 5th July 2022]

Unsurprisingly, Scots English words are also to be found in the OED. You can read about ‘cream puff’ and ‘trousered’ here.

Stuart MacDonald and John-Paul Clark (2022) Scots phrase 'cream puff' is to be added to Oxford English Dictionary, The Daily Record, 28th June, https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scots-phrase-cream-puff-added-27350948 [accessed 5th July 2022]

You might also find this interesting. A non-Scots English speaker was a prolific contributor to Scots Wikipedia. This caused some issues.
Stephen Harrison,(2020) What Happens to Scots Wikipedia Now? Slate, 9th September, https://slate.com/technology/2020/09/scots-wikipedia-language-american-teenager.html [accessed 5th July]

Strange ideas about Strine

‘Strine’ is a word sometimes used to refer to Australian English of a particular kind. In 2015, an argument was made that Australian English sounds the way it does because early settlers were drunk. You can read about the argument in the stories below.
What do you think of arguments like this? What kinds of language ideology are at work?

Kellie Scott (2015) Claims Aussie accent slurred because our forefathers were always drunk 'absolute rubbish' says expert, ABC News, 28th October, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-28/aussies-slur-their-words-because-our-forefathers-were-drunk/6892910 [accessed 5th July 2022]

Clem Bastow (2015)  The 'drunken Aussie accent theory' is another slur on our rich use of English, The Guardian, 20th October.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/30/the-drunken-aussie-accent-theory-is-another-slur-on-our-rich-use-of-english [accessed 5th July 2022]

Olivia Blair (2015) Australian accent is a product of early settler's heavy drinking, claims academic, The Independent, 28th October, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/australian-accent-is-a-product-of-early-settlers-heavy-drinking-claims-academic-a6711486.html [accessed 5th July 2022]

You can read about Australian English and literature here
Simon Musgrave (2022) Australian slang: Literary genre and ‘the people’s poetry’, Lens, 5th July,  https://lens.monash.edu/@politics-society/2022/07/05/1384853/australian-slang-literary-genre-and-the-peoples-poetry [accessed 5th July 2022]

Aboriginal English

You can find out a bit about another variety of English in Australia by reading this. We have also provided some further reading on the topic. You’ll recall we touched on Aboriginal English in Chapter 7.

Celeste Rodriguez Louro and Glenys Dale Collard, (2020) 10 ways Aboriginal Australians made English their own, The Conversation, 16th June, https://theconversation.com/amp/10-ways-aboriginal-australians-made-english-their-own-128219? [accessed 5th July 2022]

Diana Eades, (2013). Aboriginal ways of using English. Aboriginal Studies Press.
Diana Eades, (2014). 10. Aboriginal English. In The Languages and Linguistics of Australia (pp. 417-448). De Gruyter Mouton: 417-448
Bruce Moore (2008). Speaking our language: The story of Australian English. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Will English Always be Global?

The linguist Professor David Crystal talks about the state and future of Global English. Does the content of his talk surprise you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kvs8SxN8mc (British Council, Serbia) [accessed 5th July 2022]