Language and Social Identity - Research Proposal Example

English In academic Settings Use of Literature Language learning and dis have been contemplated in a scope of ways that proceed to offer energizing knowledge into how communication is and might be concentrated on in classrooms. The importance of language cannot be neglected as I discussed in the previous assignment that language is actually helping people in getting associated with each other as well as with the culture. The research helped me in learning the importance and origin of language as well as the importance brought by identity. Work around discourse and language in action and through different modes is noteworthy to dialect expressions. Language is comprised of gestural, visual, sound, spoken and written, expressions that shapes our response towards others. The previous research and the current research on language and discourse help me in understanding that how language shapes our identity in either gender, social, occupational or cultural aspects (Pavlenko & Norton, 2007). In the light of the research work done on the importance of language and identity and language and discourse in the previous assignment, it can be easily said that language has a great impact on people even in their academic career where they don’t have to resemble a culture, tradition or identity but have to communicate with our peers, colleagues and teachers. In this research, in the light of my previous assignment I tried to explore a relationship between the English in academic settings as well as in our daily life. Language alludes to the ability of people through which they obtain and use complex methods for correspondence, or the cognitive capability to learn and use frameworks to portray a set of rules comprising those frameworks. The term communication or interaction here alludes to the capability to pass on messages from either the sender to the receiver or the other way, through a medium. In this regard English in academic settings refers to a language that will help people from different cultures with different identities and languages to communicate with one another. Introduction Language and identity has a strong relationship and today language is actually helping in confirming one’s identity because it is not possible for people to research the roots of a particular culture and identity by visiting that area personally. Language has an ability to help individuals to display their identities but they cannot affect them at all. The relationship between language and identity can be observed in a way that people living or belonging from one region usually use similar worlds to understand each other and can help the rest of the world to idenyify them or to separate them from others with a different language. Language can help individuals to own an identity by simply learning a particular language. For example, to own a different identity, one needs to learn, speak, write and read under the power of a different language. English has acquired a very strong position in an academic setting because it helped people from different parts of the world with various identities, languages and cultures communicate and understand each other. Various researchers have referred English in academic settings as a variety of English such as a style or register that is particularly used within specific sociocultural academic environments. English in academic settings in the broadest sense could be defined as a language used in academic settings (schools, college and other institutes) to help students in learning and communicating with each other (Schleppegrell, 2004). The reason behind choosing English as an academic language in various cultures and regions is its structured, more formal and well explained set of rules that one can easily learn and understand. Review of Theory As discussed in the previous assignment, that there are about 6,000 to 7,000 languages all over the world, however, it is impossible for individuals from different parts of the world to learn all the 6,000 to 7,000 languages to communicate with each other. Research has been done on language, discourse, identity and communication and all the researchers have a very different point of view. Early studies examined intercultural and interethnic events of communication, with the purpose of revealing differences being used of cues to interpret and translate the meanings and uncovering the precise yet significant communicative conclusions coming about because of these distinctions. Gumperz (1982b), for instance, analyzed the mistaken assumption emerging from the use of particular cues by a Filipino English-speaking doctor during an interrogation with the FBI. The cues used by a Filipino doctor were common to Filipino English speakers, however, they were not understandable to the FBI agents who were the US English speakers. As a result, FBI agents misunderstood the motive of the doctor. Similar issues have been studied by different researchers during their research on language and identity in different regions. For example, Erickson and Shultz (1982), and Gumperz and Roberts (1991) also studies that language cues of British English speakers are different from the English speakers of other parts of the world and it usually results in misunderstanding and sometimes negative evaluation. As discussed in the previous assignment that language could be learned or acquired by humans in their early childhood because according to wernicke’s and Broca’s work language resulted from an increase in brain volume as humans grew. Moreover, with the passage of time, language turn to modernize and diversify through continuous reconstruction. Language is not limited to communication as stated in the previous assignment, it has a number of many other uses such as social and cultural uses. In this regard language helps us in grooming our social life by improving our interaction with different people. As the world is becoming a global village making it simple for people from different part of the world to come in contact with one another and to share their views by communicating with others, the chances of getting misunderstood by others are increased. In this regard, the importance of English in academic session has been increased because people need to have a language with which they can own a different identity as well as to improve interaction with the rest of the world. The purpose of using English as a universal language across the academic settings throughout the world is its popularity and importance as well as its structured and well explained rules. School and colleges, all over the world have the subject of English rather than any other language. English in academic setting might be seen as a major aspect of general English language capability which likewise incorporates the more social application of language both within and outside the academic environment (Davies, 2008). Learning various identities is not possible for us rather it seem more simple, sensible and realistic to learn English in academic settings to build a strong relationship with others. Generally, the linguistic components that involve the construct incorporate features of discourse, for example, dialect functions, grammar, structure, and vocabulary over the modalities of a language such as reading, listening, speaking and writing, and subject areas such as science, mathematics, linguistics, history/social studies and language arts etc. Unfortunately, many teachers do not have an understanding to English in academic settings which is directly affecting students and they usually term it as a type of general language. Unlike regular English that is the language of many people around the world, the English used for academic purposes is far formal, structured and well explained so that people from other cultural backgrounds and languages could also learn it affectively in order to minimize the risks of misunderstood by others. Academic language is just like identity. As we discussed in the previous assignment that identity is experienced in all phases of the human life, but starts from childhood, those who fail to re synthesis any childhood identification, they are likely to encounter a state of ‘identity diffusion.’ Similarly, according to researchers, English in academic setting should be incorporated in early age i-e, should be a part of school because at that time students can better learn and understand English in academic setting compared to those who start learning in High school and college (Marzano, 2004). According to the research work of Snow, Students who have learned and acquired English in early academic setting tended to use formal and authorized definitions comprising of an equivalence proclamation and some type of a superordinate (Snow, 1990). Research Methodology and Analysis The research methodology that I have used for the completion of this paper is mainly based on secondary sources which include research works and books of different authors who have gathered a matchless stream of data. The acquired data from different books and journals were then analyzed thoroughly to draw conclusions according to my level of understanding and point of view as well as in the light of the previous assignment. Thanks for the support of internet technology which supported me in gathering and analyzing data from different prospective considering the importance of language, identity and the need of a language to communicate with people from different cultures and societies. Outcomes of the Study Language has a great value in our daily life because it has the power to influence our identity as well as have the power to help us understand each other using similar words. With the passage of time, language has been improved and diverse and today with the help of language people can even change or improve their identities individually and in groups. It also improves the social life of people, allowing them to understand the norms, beliefs and values of those who are speaking similar words and are living in a same culture (Pavlenko & Norton, 2007). Due to the different languages that are used in the world, sometimes it became difficult for individuals from two different cultures to understand each other, therefore there must be a common language to minimize such risks. English in academic settings can be a perfect choice because it is a language helping individuals to communicate regardless of their cultural differences. Contribution of Study in My Learning From this study and from the previous assignment I learned that identity has become the crucial part of language and without language it is hard to understand one’s identity. There are a number of cultures around the world and under a single culture, people have their own subcultures, religions, norms, traditions and values but the thing that works as a bonding agent for all these subcultures is language. It helped me in learning that how important is the English language in academic session and how people misunderstand each other in the absence of a common language. This study helped me that people can learn another language through reading, writing and understanding the basic set of rules of a language to improve their communication and relationship with the rest of the world. References Marzano, R. (2004). Building background knowledge for academic achievement (1st ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Mauranen, A. (2012). Exploring ELF (1st ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Norton, B. (2010), ‘Language and identity’, in N. Hornberger and S. McKay (eds). Sociolinguistics and Language Education. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters, pp. 349-369. Rea, T. (2008). Informal Learning: a new model for making sense of experience: Lloyd Davies, 2008 Gower\pounds 45 (hbk), 200 pp. ISBN: 978-0-566-08857-5 Available form: www. ashgate. com.Journal Of Adventure Education \& Outdoor Learning, 8(2), 160--162. Schleppegrell, M. (2004). The language of schooling (1st ed.). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum. Snow, C. (1990). The development of definitional skill. Journal Of Child Language, 17(03), 697--710. Gumperz, J. (1982). Language and social identity (1st ed.). Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]: Cambridge University Press. Read More