Anthropology paper

Linguistic Analysis

Part I: Language Ideology (5 points) Define the term “language ideology” as it appears in the Week 13 Slides. Identify an example of language ideology in the media and clearly explain in 200 words or more what you think the use of a certain accent, dialect, or lexicon indicates about the speaker. Feel free to paste a video link into this section of the paper. Part II: Linguistic Gatekeeping (5 points) Identify an example of an instance where language has been used to include some audiences and exclude others. Paste your example into this part of the paper. Then, in 100 words or more, point out which parts of the passage contain “jargon” or “gatekeeping” language that you find exclusive towards some audiences. Part III: Youth Language Lexicon (5 points) Create a lexicon of as many terms and phrases as you can identify in North American youth language. Your lexicon should contain at least 10-12 terms or phrases, their definitions, and their origins (if known). Part IV: Language and Cognition (5 points) After watching the TED Talk by Lera Boroditsky, make a case for whether or not you believe that the language we speak influences the way that we think. This argument should be at least 200 words in length and include three points drawn from the TED Talk and any other resources from this week that you find relevant. Please double space your paper, type in 12 point Times New Roman, include a title and headers for each of the four parts, and number your pages. All submissions must include your name, section number, and the date. See below for an example!

1 Name course instructor name Date

Linguistic Analysis

Part I: Language Ideology

The assumptions we make about people based on the way we talk are known as our

language ideology. An example of American language ideologies can be found in the 1994 Walt

Disney Animation, The Lion King. This clip from the film introduces several characters, voiced

by actors with a variety of different regional accents. The protagonists, Simba and Mufasa, speak

with mid-atlantic regional accents, a style of speech commonly marked as “professional” in the

United States. This observation can be supported by the fact that most news broadcasters are

trained to speak with a mid-atlantic regional accent.

The villain, Scar, speaks with a British accent, indexing his “foreignness” or distance

from Simba and Mufasa. Zazu, a “sidekick” character who works for Mufasa’s royal family,

speaks with a Cockney accent, which is commonly associated with the working class in Britain.

Scar’s working-class “sidekicks” are hyenas. Shenzi, who seems to be the leader of the hyena

gang, is voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, a Black actress. African American English may also be

associated with the working class in America.

Based on my observations above, I believe that the language ideologies of the people who

cast The Lion King is evident in their casting decisions. In the United States, the regional accent

of each actor indexes a social identity that is consistent with the character they voice.

Therefore, I believe that The Lion King exemplifies American language ideologies.

2 Part II: Linguistic Gatekeeping

I argue that this artist biography from the Guggenheim Museum in New York is an

example of linguistic gatekeeping. Linguistic gatekeeping happens when language only

understood by a small audience - such as “jargon,” “professional language,” or a minority dialect

- is used to control who gets to participate in communication. The highlighted terms and phrases

exemplify “jargon” that is only understood by those who have received some education, formal

or informal, in the discipline of visual arts. For this reason, despite the museum being public,

only audiences with prior knowledge of the art world can participate fully in communications

about the exhibits, as the “jargon” terms are not accompanied by definitions or synonyms that

may be understood by general audiences.

Part III: Medialect Lexicon

3 Term or Phrase Definition Origin

Lit/it’s lit Something that is good or exciting; to be intoxicated

1910 (intoxicated), 2004 (exciting); folk speech

Shade/to throw shade Passive aggressive speech; speech that discredits the

interlocutor

1980s; Black and Latino drag culture

Doggo A dog (affectionate term) 2010s; meme/medialect

Continue for at least one page (10-12 entries or more).

Part IV: Language and Cognition

In at least 200 words, state why you agree or disagree that the language we speak affects

the way we think. You should make at least 3 points in favor of your argument. An example of a

good supporting point for the argument that language does shape thought is Russian speakers’

quicker ability to differentiate between different shades of blue than English speakers, likely

because they have two different names for the color we call “blue.”