Letter to the editor

“Twtr? It's majorly bad! Leading headteacher condemns 'text speak' for eroding schoolchildren's language skills”

The amount of colloquialism and abbreviations used by younger generations on both school papers and phone texts has gone out of control!. There is an obvious correlation between incorrect grammar and punctuation, and the use of one’s phone as a form of communication. The age groups which are using these methods of communicating with one another thinking they are ‘cool’ are damaging the name of Standard English. English should be treated with high importance as it is one of, if not, the most important skill one will have as a person, as Mrs. Jordan wrote “making the difference between landing a job and having a misspelled application filed in the bin.”.

 The younger minds are being negatively influenced with social media and their ever developing use of slang and abbreviations as an eroded way of communicating, which not only limits their exposure to new vocabulary and dialect but also gear them up for failure in academic areas for school. The evidence and facts is not just prove of broken English which multilinguals would sometimes encounter, but as a form of writing which would then come from someone who is uneducated. It is definitely recommended that students, who are in the age where there is still possibility of exponential growth and learning to be done in the English language, should limit their exposure to such applications and rather continuing to read books. Not only this but the application of text speak can be prevented and controlled by also just avoiding the use of abbreviations when texting someone and starting to add more of a formal tone in their writing to therefore avoid the complete misuse of the language. Is this wrongly utilized vocabulary just a by-product of advancements in technology and communication?

Artist's impact on a community

Option #2 
Write a fictional interview between your chosen artist and a music magazine such as Rolling Stone. Have your artist discuss the intended impact of their music on their community in depth.

Interview between Rolling stone and Black eyed peas on “Where is the love?”

So, Black Eyed Peas, who exactly was the intended target audience for “Where is the love?”?

This song was targeted mainly for all Americans, of all races and states around the country; it was really to send a regional message.

Why did you choose to write these lyrics, is there a specific experience or event this is connected to?

This song was actually made to address world events which have taken place these couple of years, such events as September 11 and America’s invasion of Iraq. I think this is the kind of song people really need right now, diving into some really socially conscious, and thought provoking lyrics.

What were the social and political issues you addressed in your song?

There are a lot of social and political issues brought up in the lyrics, some of these are racism, for example “But if you only have love for your own race, then you only leave space to discriminate” war and terrorism is also a recurring topic with “Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism, but we still got terrorists here livin’, in the USA, the big CIA, the Bloods and The Crips and the KKK. “Nations droppin’ bombs, chemical gasses fllin’ lungs of little ones, with ongoin’ sufferin’ as the youth die young”. Media was expressed as having a negative influence and impact on people, like “Negative images is the main criteria, infecting the young minds faster than bacteria, kids want to act like they see in the cinemas.” And lastly, there is some political questioning in the lyrics, such as “A war is goin’ on but the reason’s undercover, the truth is kept secret, it’s swept under the rug”

 Why is the reason behind the name of the song?

The reason behind the name “Where is the love” was just to add a basic summary of the song. People questioning what happened to the world with all our current issues, being addicted to the drama, that they forget to show love and peace, seeking faith and guidance from above.

What sort of impact do you think this song had to all Americans?

The impact this song has had on this large community it’s to address current issues and wake people up and ask themselves about the truth and reality of what is happening in our world. This song was made to appeal to the many issues we face as a country, inside it and overseas, and then facing those problems with love rather than hate. Taking control of your mind to reflect and act upon them with guidance from our father above.

Do you think there is a wider community in the world this problem can be associated with?

I think this song can be more relatable and reach out to a lot of listeners worldwide, as these problems happening in the US are not just specific to our country but in a lot of places around the world.  

What would be the recurring theme in this song?

The recurring theme would probably be in the title itself….. Where is the love? This questions modern day problems and how we are dealing with them. Can love be found in such situations like these? Love is the key to resolve society and instead hate is being used and spread, mainly affecting the young ones and the next generation.

  

Language - Identity and who you are

Analytical 
Language shapes our identity but doesn’t define who we are. Take a stance on whether you agree or disagree with this statement. Write an argument that supports your position. Make reference to concepts or readings from the course as evidence.

Language shapes our identity but does not define who we are as a person. An identity is something that is achieved, a way in which others can differentiate you with and single you out, but also, something that one changes to fit the needs of the moment. It is not something that can define who you are in terms of your knowledge or value and position as a person.

There are different aspects which make up ones’ identity, master identities are stable and don’t really change (gender, ethnicity, national and regional origins) Interactional identities refer to roles that people take on in their life, personal identities being stable and unique as in ways in which someone speaks or behave to another person, or the traits that you have that make you.  Relational identities being the last one, refers to the relationship that a person has with a specific person or situation. None of the different aspects of identities can really describe or show who someone really is, as it is only that person who is able to control what information they share and do not share, or the type of body language or spoken language they choose to demonstrate as a way of communication.

Language can shape your identity in ways depending on the situation or moment you are in. Personality can change such as, for example, if I was speaking Spanish to one of my relatives, I would be quite formal and speak in a short, slow and low tone. When speaking in English to my friends, I would be more relaxed and be in a more of a laid back position. An example of a person’s identity being affected by language would be Julia Alvarez’s “Names/Nombres”, where she accepted the change and translation of her name to fit the common American ones and how her mother was also influenced and socially pressured in changing the name of “Mauricia” to something she would be better identified with, like “Maureen”.

People can base who a person is by their language, lack of dialect or general vocabulary to make a flowing sentence. This is shown in Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue with the use of stereotypes of non-English speakers, by treating them differently, not taking them seriously or pretended not to understand them. People’s ideas are often valued less or think they are above them as they believe that just because the way someone expressed her/himself was imperfect, their thoughts and intentions were also imperfect. People can base your level of knowledge and assume who you are as a person because the type of language you speak, like “broken” as Amy described it. This off course was not really true in the case of Amy’s mom; as she reads the Forbes report, listens to Wall Street Week, converses daily with her stockbroker and reads all of Shirley MacLaine’s books.

In conclusion, I don’t think that language would really define who you are, but your experiences and the people around you would. However language does definitely affect your identity as one can change in the needs of the moment, using some of the aspects of identity like interactional and personal.