My initial coursework idea is to investigate the language used by policemen to exert their power compared with how criminals use language towards authority.
I have initial theories that I expect to find in my investigation, for example, instrumental and influential power. I expect to see the policemen using more instrumental power as they will use this power to enforce law. Also, I will be looking for power in discourse and power behind discourse. Lastly I will investigate to see if the police force use personal power in the language they use.
The frameworks I expect to investigate are semantics and pragmatics, within these areas I expect to hear law terminology that the police and high authority figures of the law will understand. Also, I will investigate the grammar the policemen.
My methodology will involve watching police programmes from youtube and other sources and investigate the language they use to exert their power. I will look at the language used by different levels of authority within the police force. Also, whilst watching these programmes/ clips, I will note down the transcript of the language used by the policemen which will help me annotate the language used after.
However, ethical issues within my investigation are not applicable as the television programmes have already been given permission from the policemen and criminals to been shown on television.
Sunday, 28 September 2014
Sunday, 14 September 2014
How a baby might develop language
Katherine Nelson(1973) identified four categories that the first 50 words learnt by a child within the first year of their life could be grouped into . These categories are naming, actions/events,describing/ modifying and personal/ social words. The first 50 words learnt by a child are content words and not function words; content words have open word classes and function words have closed word classes.
A baby may develop naming words such as; "book" and "socks" because they are mainly everyday objects that the baby is associated with on a daily basis in a household, thus the semantics of the words are important for the child as they do come across these objects in everyday life. Also, within the first year of a child's life, their language is not very developed. The phonology of these words learnt is simplistic and each words only has one or two syllables.This suggests that these words are easier to learn for the child.
Moreover, the action words learnt in the first year of a baby's life are crucial, for example; "poo" and "cuddle" these type of action words help the baby communicate with their parents to aware them on what it needs as it isn't independant at a young age.
The social words learnt are all words that help the child communicate in a basic conversation; "yes" or "no" these also help the child to communicate with it's parents to understand what it needs or wants. Also, the social words developed immediately help with their social skills for when they grow older; " bye-bye" and "hiya" this helps the child later in life in social situations. This could also be seen as politenes, "ta" and "please"; as society is a very polite, the child needs to learn how to adress people in a formal manner to help them converse with different people as they grow older.
I think a baby might develop describing and modifying words to help it understand what their preferences are; "hot"and "nice" this helps the child decide what they like and don't like, and may help their parents to understand too. Again, these words do not have many syllables, therefore, the phonology is simplistic for the child to pronounce and learn.
A baby may develop naming words such as; "book" and "socks" because they are mainly everyday objects that the baby is associated with on a daily basis in a household, thus the semantics of the words are important for the child as they do come across these objects in everyday life. Also, within the first year of a child's life, their language is not very developed. The phonology of these words learnt is simplistic and each words only has one or two syllables.This suggests that these words are easier to learn for the child.
Moreover, the action words learnt in the first year of a baby's life are crucial, for example; "poo" and "cuddle" these type of action words help the baby communicate with their parents to aware them on what it needs as it isn't independant at a young age.
The social words learnt are all words that help the child communicate in a basic conversation; "yes" or "no" these also help the child to communicate with it's parents to understand what it needs or wants. Also, the social words developed immediately help with their social skills for when they grow older; " bye-bye" and "hiya" this helps the child later in life in social situations. This could also be seen as politenes, "ta" and "please"; as society is a very polite, the child needs to learn how to adress people in a formal manner to help them converse with different people as they grow older.
I think a baby might develop describing and modifying words to help it understand what their preferences are; "hot"and "nice" this helps the child decide what they like and don't like, and may help their parents to understand too. Again, these words do not have many syllables, therefore, the phonology is simplistic for the child to pronounce and learn.
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