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NAME ______________________ How to proceed 1. Save this document on your device. 2. Read all the essays 3. Pick 4 (only a maximum of 2 questions may be student generated questions) 4. Type your essay below its prompt. 5. Upload your essays it will go through TurnItIn our citation checker/plagiarism review tool 6. upload your notes as well in the same place. Remember – each essay should be typed in a 11 font, single spaced, and be minimum ½ page and maximum 1 page. Prompt 1 - Language change: natural, inevitable, and for the worse, … or not? In this course, as well as with guest speakers, we have discussed language change, and the role technology and intercultural contact play(ed) in it. In your essay, examine the following two aspects of language change, using terms from the course: · What does language change look like, i.e. what factors affect it, and how does it affect or reflect the culture of the language/speech community in which it takes place? · Is such change inevitable, and is it for the best, for the worse, or neither? (things to consider: guest lectures discussions on institutional and popular attitudes regarding language change in the Spanish-speaking world and in Germany; Native American languages and cultures in the U.S.; Borrowings and loan words; Texting. These are pointers/suggestions to get you started. You may include them in your essay, but you do not have to, nor do you have to restrict your answer to them). Prompt 2 –“Explain like I’m Five” – Linguistic and cultural misunderstandings.1 Nancy Bonvillain writes that “The likelihood of cultural misinterpretation actually increases with the greater linguistic fluency of non-native speakers (…) interpretations of communicative behavior are embedded in cultural matrices consisting of attitudes and expectations about the ways that actions and words convey values.” (Bonvillain, Language, Culture, and Communication, 349). Analyze the two parts of this quote and explain both parts using terms from the course. Provide at least two examples to support your analysis. Prompt 3 – When languages collide within multilingual individuals “‘Cause I speak three tongues. One for each: Home, school and friends. I’m a tri-lingual orator. Sometimes I’m consistent with my language now; then switch it up so I don’t bore later. Sometimes I fight back two tongues, while I use the other one in the classroom. And when I mistakenly mix them up; I feel crazy like … I’m cooking in the bathroom (…) Let there be no confusion -Let there be no hesitation (…) This is not a promotion of ignorance (…)This is a linguistic celebration, That’s why I put "tri-lingual" on my last job application ” (Jamila Lyiscott, “Three Ways To Speak English”, TEDSalon NY2014 ; you may watch her 4 min. TEDtalk if you wish) In her 2014, Jamily Lyiscott describes her experience as a speaker of three varieties of English (General American English at school; Jamaican patois at home, and AAVE with friends) in a TEDtalk. Analyze the quote above using our readings and class discussions. Include your thoughts (supported by analysis and examples) on the following: · Do you agree with her that she is “tri-lingual”? · How does she articulate the connection between her three “languages” and her (cultural) identity? · Which aspects of the quote do you agree and/or disagree with. Prompt 4 – Language and Gender Alt text – A man is having coffee at a diner while reading the newspaper. He mentions to the waitress that he “hopes that the next pope is really good”, to which she responds “Don’t worry…she will be”. For context – in Catholicism, only priests can make it all the way to pope, and only men can be priests. Is English gender-neutral? Drawing from the readings and our discussions, explain why it could ba argued that English is or isn’t gender-neutral, and how such claims connects to the comic strip above. Explain why feminist scholars in the 1970’s-1980’s (like Lakoff and Tannen) claimed that English wasn’t gender-neutral; examine any limitations to such claims; and/or give your own critical, well-supported opinion. Make one comparison to another language we have discussed through the lens of gender (you can base you answer off of videos, readings, guest lectures, or lecture; you can look at gender through the grammar of this language, and/or through conversational style(s) ). Prompt 5- Translation Challenges (even we didn’t study the craft/skill of translation & interpretation in this course, this question is often a favorite amongst students, so I am leaving it in here as an option for you to pick) One of the main challenges of translation, understood broadly as transposing meaning in one language into another language, be it in speaking or in writing, comes from the cultural differences and values inherent in different languages. For example, while people in different cultures may well share similar ideas, concepts, or values, the ways in which they express these ideas often differ drastically. For example, in English if someone were about to take a test or had to do a project for a class, you would likely say "good luck" to wish them well. It's the same in Spanish you would say "buena suerte" which just means good luck. In Japanese, on the other hand, you would say "ganbatte" or "ganbatte kudasai" which literally translates to something like 'stubbornly persevere.' What difference does it make for a translator? Write a short essay that describes and explains the challenges that every translator faces, and the skills or strategies they need to develop to overcome these challenges. Be specific, provide examples from languages you are familiar with through this course or through other courses, or your own experience, and analyze/explain your examples. Prompt 6 – cultural misunderstandings (two pictures) Both of the following images involve similar types of interactions, … gone wrong. What goes wrong in both of them, and why? Address the specifics of each picture/interaction in your essay, using terms and concepts from the course to support your analysis. This is a two part question: address each picture in one small paragraph Picture A -legend A busy NYC street with yellow cabs in background. Two men. The man dressed in a suit asks the other man in passing (with a hand wave): “Hi, Karl-Heinz, how are you?”. The 2nd man, Karl-Heinz, wearing Birkenstock sandals, shorts, and a polo-shirts, answers “I am ok, I suppose, but actually not feeling that well today – I have a bit of a headache and a sore throat, and then my uncle decided to come and visit me in November, which doesn’t suit me because I will have my car at the mechanic and he wanted to drive to Cape-Cod…Does he not know that I …(keeps speaking but illegible) Picture B Legend - 2 frame comic strip, entitled “Get around in ENGLISH; lesson 25, how to be polite” Frame#1: a man is drowning in the Thames, and yells “HELP”. A man dressed like a gentleman walking an English bulldog walks right past a life-preserver and ignores the drowning man. Frame#2: the drowning man says “Excuse-me sir, I’m terribly sorry to bother you, but I wonder if you would mind helping me a moment, as long as it’s no trouble, of course!”. The gentleman grabs the life-preserver and throw it to the drowning man Prompt 7 – Student Generated Question #1 What is M.A.R. and how is it applied? (you will need to use at least one specific/detailed example to support your answer!) Prompt 8 –Student Generated Question #2 There's no salt on the table and you need some (you will need to define your terms here, and give specific examples as well!) · In a high-culture context, how would you ask for the salt and why? · In a low-context culture, how would you ask for it, and why? · What aspects of the Lakoff maxims/Brown&Levison's Politeness Theory explain your answer? Languages & Worldviews Page | 1