124094 VK BEd 09.2: VK Linguistics and Language Education (2022W)

In this module, we will study and analyse language in use. We will learn about how people interact and the different elements of language that persuade, (dis)empower and contribute to the discourses that construct our social realities. Students will be introduced to a variety of different theoretical perspectives and approaches (e.g., Conversation Analysis, Critical Discourse Analysis, Interactional Sociolinguistics, Feminist Stylistics) and a range of tools and methodological frameworks to enable them to effectively analyse both spontaneous spoken interaction and written (media) discourse. The questions that will be addressed may include the following:* How is spoken language organised and how can it be transcribed and analysed?* How do language choices influence the representation of social groups in the media? * Can language determine thought and our perception of reality? * What are the language strategies employed by politicians? * How is language used by advertisers to make us buy things? * What can language analysis contribute to our understanding of cultural practices and identities? * How important is situational or cultural context for meaning-making? * What are the ethical implications of collecting naturally-occurring talk?These and other questions will be examined on the basis of existing scholarship as well as student projects exploring written and spoken language use in a range of contexts, including friendly conversations between family and friends, interviews, speeches, advertisements, news reports, and a range of other written and spoken texts. Your project work will encourage you to explore data which is relevant to classroom interaction and a range of other language use and texts relevant to teaching and education more generally.