Language diversity

Cultural Diversity: Language Diversity

CO: to develop thoughts about the relationship between language and thoughtLO: to develop listening skills

CO: to develop thoughts about the relationship between language and thoughtLO: to develop listening skills

Does language shape our thought?

Be ready to justify your opinion!

Could your language affect your ability to save money?What can economists learn from linguists? Behavioural economist Keith Chen introduces a fascinating pattern from his research: that languages without a concept for the future — "It rain tomorrow," instead of "It will rain tomorrow" — correlate strongly with high savings rates.

While we watch the video, take notes! After watching, you will have to write a summary!

Could your language affect your ability to save money?

Now write a summary of Keith Chen’s presentation in one short paragraph.

Homework: Friday 3rd JulyComplete the worksheet on Keith Chen’s presentation. You can listen to the video on ted.com and you can also use the transcript. Use this link:

http://goo.gl/TyZRBs




CO: to choose an experiment to test the hypothesis that language influences thoughtLO: to understand and be able to use agentive and non-agentive sentences

CO: to create an experiment to test the hypothesis that language influences thoughtLO: to understand and be able to use agentive and non-agentive sentences

Experiment : Wardrobe Malfunction

Experiment: Wardrobe Malfunction

In Study 3, participants reasoned about the wardrobe malfunction. They read about the incident, and then watched the video, or they first watched the video and then read about it. In each condition, people read either an agentive or a non-agentive account of the incident.

Fausey, C.M. (2010). Subtle linguistic cues influence perceived blame and financial liability. Pcychonomic Bulletin and Review , 17 (5), 645





Questions1. Blame. In your opinion, was someone to blame or was it just chance? Please allocate

the percentage of blame. Be sure your numbers add up to 100%!

Response options: Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson, Chance

2. Financial liability. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) tried to fine CBS $550,000 for this incident. Eventually the fine was dismissed in court. How much do you think each of the parties below should have been fined for this incident?

Response options: Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson, CBS


In groups you are going to carry out a similar research project to test the theory that agentive and non-agentive sentences can affect how people think about blame.


By the end of class, you need to have…

• Thought of a scenario involving an incident like the wardrobe malfunction

• Written the scenario on lined paper to put in your folder (every student in the group must do this)


CO: to identify the features of a formal letter of proposal (for research)LO: to be able to write in a formal register


Read the letter of proposal in 5 minutes.What is the subject of the research proposal?

Questions/Tasks:1. Fill in the boxes, giving a title to each formal aspect of the letter

e.g. ‘my address’2. Give each paragraph of the letter a title e.g. ‘conclusion’3. Underline any useful phrases for formal letter writing or

examples of polite/formal language


Homework: Thursday 9th July

You must bring the results of your investigation recorded (in a neat and organised way) on paper to show me on Thursday.

CO: to identify the features of an official reportLO: to be able to write in a formal register


1.Where would you expect to find an official report?

2.Have you read an official report before? If so, what was it reporting on?


The final stage of our investigation is to write an official report on our findings. Having carried out our investigation and collected the data, we now need to analyse it to see if we can identify if agentive and non-agentive language affect the way people apportion blame.


Which of the following words would you expect to find in an official report? Write them down.


Read the report ‘Animal Testing an answer the following questions with ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘maybe’ BUT GIVE REASONS FOR YOUR ANSWERS:

a) Does the report express an opinion?

b) Does the report tell a story?

c) Does the report summarise data?

d) Does the report use a lot of adjectives?

e) Does the report make interpretations of data?


Which words from the list actually appeared in the text? Why are the other words not characteristic of report writing?

CO: to write an official report

In your groups, you must begin to write the official report based on the findings of your investigation. It must be approximately 400 words long (the word count in the IB writing exam, section A).


In your groups, you must begin to write the official report based on the findings of your investigation. It must include…

• a title

• introduction (subject of research, purpose of research)

• Body 1 (introduce data, include charts, graphs etc.)

• Body 2 (analyse the data from the research)

• Conclusion (what does your analysis show? Can you make any recommendations based on the analysis?)


Report writing tips

• Do write in a formal register

• Do be objective

• Don’t use subjective language (descriptive adjectives)

• Don’t express your opinion

• Do analyse and interpret data

Education

Language diversity