1:Tell us about yourself! Who are you? What’s your major? Where are you from?

What are you most excited to learn about in the class? What interests you about language?

What languages do you speak? Why? In your fantasy world, what languages would you be able to speak?

How do you think this class will connect to your other interests in anthropology? Where do you plan to go with anthropology or with your major?

After reading Daniels’ Nine Ideas About Language, what stood out to you? What did you know? What didn’t you know?

After reading about Stereotypes of Appalachian English, reflect on your experience with Appalachian English, either as a speaker of Appalachian English or a listener.

2″“Each word tastes of the context and contexts in which it has lived its socially charged life…” – Mikhail Bakhtin, 1981

Words are not neutral. This is a given in linguistic anthropology.

If, as Bakhtin writes, words taste of the contexts in which they have existed, then how can we interpret current events?

Consider the examples John McWhorter gives in the Lexicon Valley podcast. Consider the question “is the term People of Color” appropriate to use asked by Yolanda Moses.

Based on our readings, what does it mean to use words like “Karen,” “Defund the Police,” “BIPOC,” “People of Color,” etc.? Give evidence for your opinion.

Try to apply new concepts from Ahearn’s chapter to your examples: Multifunctionality (the functions of language as referential, expressive, conative, poetic, phatic, metalinguistic); language ideologies, indexicality (icon, index, and symbol).

Can you think of additional examples of words that are not neutral, that taste of the contexts in which they’ve lived? What about terms like White, Black, African American, Afro American, white or White, Asian American, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Hispanic? (Please do not use the *n* word in this course. You can make reference to it, but we do not need to spell it or other words that are clearly not neutral).

3″Analyze a comedic sketch. You can choose your own (please make sure it is not overly offensive, i.e. sexist, racist, homophobic language). A skit from SNL or MAD TV or their equivalent will work. Provide a link to the skit so we can watch it as well.

Use concepts from the Ahearn reading to analyze why the skit is funny: modality, multimodality, gesture, heteroglossia, double-voiced discourse, footing, author, animator, principal, and conversation analysis.

If you need suggestions for comedic sketches, I suggest the following: Watch Sarah Cooper’s impersonations of President Trump. Watch Key & Peele’s skits such as “Anger Translator” impersonations of President Obama.

OR

Explain why language is much more than spoken word. Provide evidence to support your answer, pulling from examples in the Ahearn reading as well as the documentary Whistles in the Mist.

4″This week you watched the documentary The Linguists, about the effort of two linguists (not linguistic anthropologists) to document languages with very few speakers. In this week’s discussion board, I’d like you to describe some of your reactions to and questions about the film. In particular, answer the question: did “the linguists” follow ethical protocols in their data collection. Why or why not? Base you answer on your reading of Ahearn Chapter 3 as well as the AAA Code of Ethics.

Also, share with your classmates your plan for your Intercultural Conversation Project. Who do you plan to interview (keep their identity anonymous but describe who they are). What languages do they speak? What excites you about the project? What concerns you about the project? What lessons about research from this week’s reading and documentary can you apply to the Intercultural Conversation Project?

5:Remember in his Nine Ideas Daniels’ told us that children learn their native languages swiftly and efficiently. This week we will complicate that idea a bit more.

You have now watched Speaking in Tongues about multilingual education in the U.S. Using this film and the reading, answer these two questions: What should American public school language policy be? Draw from the documentary, the reading, and your own experience as a student in K-12 education. What should the language learning policy be in higher education? Should we require students to study an additional language during their college careers? Again, respond from the documentary, the reading, and your experience as a college student.

And, do you feel as if you are ever learning a new language (or a new register of a language) in some of your college courses? Why or why not?

Describe an example from Ahearn Chapter 4 that illustrates the complexity of language acquisition and socialization for children and adults. Explain the example using key terms from Ahearn Chapter 4.

6:Before reading this week’s material, did you think that language influenced thought or culture? Why or why not? What do you think now?

In 1-2 sentences, summarize your take away from the very basic but very complicated question: Does language influence thought and/or culture?

In 2-3 sentences, explain why this is your conclusion, making reference to this week’s reading by Ahearn. Give specific page numbers for evidence or references.

Now put the pieces together: You watched the documentary film Birth of a Language (about the creation of Nicaraguan Sign Language) and the Ted Talk by Lera Boroditsky “How language shapes the way we think.” Explain how each of these either affirms a specific idea from the reading or contradicts a specific idea from the reading. Give specific page numbers and (if necessary) minutes so that your classmates can follow along.

7:Post your thoughts by Tuesday. Respond to at least two of your classmates by Thursday.

In your own words, define speech community and community of practice. What distinguishes them from each other?

Now apply these terms to your own life: think of a speech community you belong to. What defines membership in this speech community? What is the size and location of the community? What is shared by members of this community? What is the type of interaction community members have?

Think of a community of practice you belong to. Is this different from your speech community? What distinguishes membership in this community of practice? For example, the textbook gives the example of “Jocks,” “Burnouts,” and “Nerds” and their vowel pronunciation, dress, and behavior at a specific high school. Identify the forms of mutual engagement, the joint enterprise, and the shared repertoire of a community of practice you belong to (page 133).

After watching Colours of the Alphabet, apply the concept of speech community or community of practice to the documentary. Describe a specific moment in the documentary that illustrates the concept of speech community and the concept of community of practice. How are different languages used in Zambia? How do different people perceive different languages (i.e. what language ideologies do you witness in the film)?

8:Post your response by Tuesday. Respond to at least two of your classmates by Thursday.

This week we read about how bilingualism and mutlingualism are practiced across the world. I’d like you to reflect on your own experiences with bilingualism/multilingualism and connect some dots.

If you have specific personal experiences you’d like to share, answer these questions: What are your experiences with code-switching, code-mixing and diglossia? What are your experiences with heteroglossia? What are your experiences with national and/or official languages? What are your experiences with dialects vs languages? (Be sure to define these terms again for your classmates)

Obviously we are living through a global pandemic that impacts people differently. After reading about Maggie and listening to “When a 10 year old translates for her parents,” what are your thoughts? How does this family’s experience relate to our reading this week?

Think back to last week’s documentary: What do we learn about multilingualism in the Zambian context from Colours of the Alphabet? How does this relate to our reading? Pick a specific scene or theme and relate it to a specific page number from our reading.