IB English Language and Literature

Starter task

Try to ‘read’ these texts. Think about as many aspects as possible

Be prepared to share your ideas with the group

Different text types…just a few. advertisements

appealsbiographiesblogsbrochurescartoonsdiarieseditorialsessays

Feature articlesfilmslettersmanifestosmemoirsnews reportsopinion columnsparodiespastiches

photographsreportsscreenplayssong lyricsspeechestabloid articlestweetstravel writing

Introduction to the course: PowerPoint

Some responses:“I think it is writing in some language. At first I thought it was Arabic but I’ve seen that and it looks more like something from Asia.” “It is language…whatever it is trying to say, the part in red is the most important part…maybe.” “This is graffiti. It is a very long tag, or maybe a design.” The image is a form of mark-making called ‘asemic writing’ by the artist Patricia Dunn. Asemic writing resembles writing, calligraphy or alphabet but has no clear meaning. Is this language or a form of art?

Discussion task:

In table groups, discuss each of the following questions for 30secs:

What is language? What is the purpose of language? How do we communicate through

language? How is language controlled? How does it evolve? Think of some examples and be

prepared to share your ideas with the group.

What do we use language for?

To express emotion; To drown out silence; To establish a sense of belonging; To establish relationships; To enjoy the sound of language; To affect other’s emotions; To affect other’s behaviour; To convey information; To lie, to cheat, to confuse!

What is culture??

Culture broadly defines a system of meaning for a group of people and it includes language, laws, customs, myths, images, texts and daily practices.

McDonald’s around the world

Look at the following McDonald ads and complete the table given to you.

  Be prepared to share your thoughts

and difficulties in understanding 

Key things to consider:

Language surrounds us EVERYWHERE in a variety of ways – words, images, sound, actions etc

Language is symbiotic with culture and the manner in which we structure our lives. Culture is shaped by our use of language

In the spirit of TOK, try to put aside any assumptions you have about what language is, how it operates and the role it plays in your/our culture.

Population of language speakers

Language Estimated Population of speakers

Mandarin 1.1 billion

English 760 million

Hindi 490 million

Spanish 417 million

Russian 277 million

Discussion task

What reasons do you think may be responsible for the decline of ‘living languages’?

Discuss in your small groups and try to bullet point some ideas.

Did your group come up with any of the following reasons?

Speakers shifting to dominant languages such as English, French, Spanish, Mandarin and Hindi

Speakers own preference of shifting to other languages considered more ‘prestigious’ and ‘modern’

Socio-political factors, language policy, language indoctrination through education, repression and pressure to use the official and national languages

Economic pressures Migratory trends Natural disasters / epidemics

What in your opinion would explain the areas and countries on each map with the greatest concentration of living languages?

Ambiguity and its consequences

Read the following extract from the poem ‘Mokusatsu’ and in pairs, discuss what it tells you about language, meaning and communication using the questions as stimulus.

Be prepared to share your ideas with the group.

  ‘Mokusatsu’ by Heathcote Williams