Language and Thinking
This course explores social aspects of language use and abuse in modern day America. It also attempts to examine how language affects our thinking patterns and vice versa: how our thinking affects our language choices. Most students coming to this class have never thought about language use in this way. They find the topics in this course both fascinating and challenging.
We will discuss language policy, language change, taboos in language, politeness and rudeness, the language of law, the language of politics, the language of war, vagueness in the service of politics, language of media and advertizing, and many more. This class will touch on the history of English and how it has become a global language, what that means for the world and other languages and how language institutionalization affects different minority groups. Finally, students will become ‘real world’ linguistic data recorders by observing both verbal and non-verbal behaviors at home, work and in public places. The most common statement by students in this course is: I have never thought of this before. Language is everything, it is everywhere and its social aspects are truly amazing, shocking and often driven by power and gate keepers. Come to this class to learn more!
