ENG3U INDEPENDENT STUDY UNITCRITIQUING NEW LANGUAGE
“What’s New In It Isn’t True, And What’s True In It Isn’t New”
I
Let “new language” (or, “neologism”) mean “new words, or new/modifieddefinitions for established words”.(For convenience, let “new” mean “within the last decade” for the purposesof this task.)New language is valuable when it is necessary: to communicate worthwhile meaningsor to more completely/evocatively communicate worthwhile meanings.Meanings are worthwhile when understanding them adds value to the livesof individuals and societies.
II
Your task will be to examine two texts (of any genre and length) that usenew (or relatively new) language.One of those texts will, in your opinion, use new language that is (entirelyor mostly) valuable.The other text will, in your opinion, use new language that is (entirely ormostly) not valuable (i.e., disvaluable).You will compose a commentary (min. 4 pages, no maximum) in which you:
2
Argue for the value of the new language used in the first text.and Argue for the disvalue of the new language used in the second textand give an opinion—supported by evidence from within the text and,perhaps, from elsewhere—about why the author(s) of the second textare using disvaluable new language.(In doing both, be sure to use a recognized citation format to reference yourtexts and to indicate where in those texts any chosen quotations comefrom. See the Purdue Citations Guide post in the Google Classroom forcitation format information.)Typical reasons for using disvaluable new language include: creating, sustaining, or expanding unjust power structures, bolstering the ego of the author(s) by intimating profundity to targetaudiences, where little to no profundity exists, whitewashing unjust decisions by those in positions of power (or bythose who are not in particularly powerful positions),and encouraging and sustaining ignorance about important issues (wheregeneral awareness of those issues would likely threaten unjust powerstructures and those who commit unjust actions, whether they are inparticularly powerful positions or not).When trying to discern whether a use of new language is valuable or not, itis generally helpful to ask Who is benefitting from this? Who is beingdisadvantaged by this? Whose voices/perspectives are present? Whosevoices/perspectives are absent?.