Linguistic Autobiography In a narrative essay between 500 ..., Summaries of History

Download Linguistic Autobiography In a narrative essay between 500 ... and more Summaries History in PDF only on Docsity! Linguistic Autobiography In a narrative essay between 500 and 700 words, write about your language history in a “linguistic autobiography.” A “linguistic autobiography” is a first-person narrative essay in which a writer reflects on the history of his or her relationship with language. The writer must pay special attention to something that many take for granted: the words that come out of our mouths, what they reveal, how they are formed, and to what extent they create our identity. You DO NOT need to be a professional linguist to do this—you simply need to be sensitive to how, when, and why you use language. Be descriptive not prescriptive. In other words, don’t judge your language (or that of others) as inferior or superior, right or wrong, faulty or sound; instead, describe it with objectivity as a living artifact, something that you can respond to thoughtfully without judgement. This will serve as a pre-assessment. Soft deadline: Thursday 8/23 at 11:59 on GC. Hard deadline Friday 8/24 at 11:59 on GC. All submissions after that receive ½ credit. Below you will find a list of questions to help you brainstorm ideas for this personal essay. You should consider these questions as a means of helping you form your answers, but you are not required to answer all of them. This is to get you started thinking about how you use language. 1. Describe the languages, dialects, and styles used by your parents, grandparents, and siblings. Are they oral, written, gestural, or a combination of all three? 2. Where are you from? Where have you lived? With whom have you lived? Which of these social details do you think may have influenced the way you speak now? 3. What language does your family speak? How is language used in your family? When? For what occasions? 4. What other languages have you used in communication? 5. To what extent does nonverbal language play a part in your family? 6. Is there a familial conflict when you switch between languages? Explain. 7. Did you have any language pathologies as a child, such as stuttering, lisping, etc? How did you deal with these? 8. What kinds of “dialects” or types do you use in different situations? For example, how do you speak/write to your friends on Facebook or through texts? How would this stay the same or change if you are talking/writing to your grandmother? Teacher? Coach? Why do you think you make these choices about language? Do you engage in code-switching? When? With whom? For what purpose? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo3hRq2RnNI AND https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6NfRMv-4OY 9. How does your language reflect your upbringing? 10. Do you have childhood memories that revolve around language? 11. What type of language was spoken in your neighborhood? 12. What inside jokes or insider linguistic cues do you use with different audiences? In what situation do you use them? 13. Do you remember particular comments or instances where your language, either spoken or written, was commented on? What was said about your language, and how did you respond? 14. What differences do you notice between the way you speak and the way you write? 15. Do you speak mostly in sentences or fragments? 16. Do you speak non-linguistic languages such as software code or music? 17. Is your language elliptical? 18. Do you use words that are viewed as inappropriate? When do you use such diction? With whom? At what moments? What need does this fulfill? Why do you feel it necessary to fulfill this need? 19. What other languages have you studied? To what extent has this impacted your other language? 20. In what ways do you see language as a part of your identity? 21. How do you feel about your first language? When do you use it? With whom do you use it? Is important for you / your kids to retain fluency in it? Required: Make sure you include a description of a situation in which you are absolutely at ease socially, and include at least six lines of dialogue to demonstrate your language usage. Think and write about how you use language and how it manifests in your life and with your familial, social and academic relationships. OUTSTANDING AUTOBIOGRAPHIES WILL:  Thoughtfully reflect on language usage in multiple situations that consider audience as a crucial factor.  Include a specific description and example of dialogue where you felt socially comfortable; you reflect on what factors are in this dialogue and why you have made those linguistic choices.  Organize ideas and examples in logical ways that support your reflection on language usage.