Transcript IB English Language and Literature

IB English
Language and Literature
Language and Power
Objective
Analyse how audience and
purpose affect the structure
and content of texts
Language and Power
 One of the many uses of language is to exert power over
others through the use of language.
 Power may be wielded for various reasons, such as
creating allegiance to a political stance or decision,
defining identities, or naming categories to include or
exclude.
 The use of one style of language over another in various
situations demonstrates where allegiances lie and who
holds power.
Starter:
 How does someone exert their power through
language?
 Can language ever be used to gain power?
 How do titles, groupings or terminology to identify
groups help to promote or hinder a particular group's
interests?
Find, define and apply
Use a dictionary to find and define the following words.
Once you have done this, apply your understanding of
the word into a sentence.
Bias
Epithet
euphemism
Task:
In pairs, look at the following pictures and for each one,
make notes on the power and control which comes
from the poster.
Think about the image and the use of language
Be prepared to feedback your ideas to the class.
Comment on the
use of image and
text in this poster.
Comment on the
use of image and
text in this
poster.
Comment on the use
of image and text in
this poster.
*One people, one
empire and one
leader
Comment on
the use of
image and text
in this poster.
Comment on
the use of
image and
text in this
poster.
Language of war
 Just as every industry has its jargon, every
region has its accent and every social
group has its slang, so too does war have
its unique use of language. We are talking
about the kind of language that is used to
manipulate people and make them
believe in a cause that may not even
affect them. We are talking about the
kind of language that political leaders use
in private telephone conversations. We
are talking about the use of euphemisms,
bias and epithet used in newspaper
reports on tragedy and violence.
Challenge:
The Language of War
 Your task is to consider the five different texts and think about
deconstructing their use of language and image. They are all
based on the Iraq War. Watch and read carefully, being
conscious of the linguistic devices being used. Use the following
prompts to help with your analysis:
 Who is the target audience?
 Which specific vocabulary has been used to affect the content of
the text?
 What is the purpose of the text?
 Are there any specific stylistic features on display?
 What technical devices have been used and what is the effect of
them? i.e. use of modal verbs (commanding words), repetition,
metaphor, hyperbole etc
Text 1
Links to The Language of War extracts
Home challenge
 Work in pairs to create
your own War
propaganda poster.
 This could be done via
Photoshop, Google
images etc
 Think about who your
target audience is and
the choice of language
you wish to convey
 Due Weds 11th Sept
Watch this clip
Linguistic imperialism
Discussion task:
Do you think learning English is a
benefit or a hindrance to the
education of a child?
Source:
Pakistan ruined by language myth
Read the following opinion column on how the learning of
English is having an impact on the students of Pakistan.
Once you have read the extract, make a list of points that you
found insightful or worthy for discussion.
Be prepared to share your ideas with the class.
Source:
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/jan/10/pakistanlanguage-crisis?guni=Article:in%20body%20link
A blog
 A blog is a web log that is published onto the Internet
that consists of posts usually by an individual or
occasionally a small group. A blog is very similar to a
diary entry; the only difference between them is that
a blog is published, usually available for the public to
read.
Example - http://onsportz.blogspot.hk/
Challenge:
Using the source material as your inspiration, create a
blog which gives your comments and opinion on the
impact of linguistic imperialism.
You can think of any example you choose; for example,
the impact of English teaching in China and the effects
of this on its people and culture. This should be 300-500
words.
Example - http://languagerichblog.eu/2013/04/22/englishand-linguistic-imperialism-time-to-move-on-2/