Dimension About Words in The Language Lit506

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Dimension

L I T 5 0 6 D I M E N S I O N S O F L I T E R AT U R E

a b o u t Wo r d s
in the
Language
A r g e l R. D o c t o r a
M a s t e r o f Ar t s i n E n g li s h
O UT LI NE
To d a y ' s
D iscu ssio n

OF TOP I CS
A.U s e of Politically Co rr ec t Wo r d s / On o r abo ut “ Wo r d s ”
B.O n o r Abo ut the U s e of “ Slang Wo r d s ” in the lang u age
C.Activity Enhance rs o r O ut p ut E x e r ci s e s
OUT LI NE
Introduction
18th century – it was common assumption that all languages were like the Indo-European languages in

OF TOPI CS
having noun and verbs and other parts of speech. It was a clear case of reducing all language to one of its
types, of limiting human language too narrowly in space. This view neglected the spatial dimension of
language.
.
19th century – scholars examined language from historical point of view. Language as we know it is the
result of a long development stretching back far beyond historical time. This view gave rise to the well-
known attempt in Saussure Cours de Linguistique generale to redefine language in terms of its temporal
dimensions

20th century – Many linguist have started with the observable part of language, namely sentences. A
number of linguists, presumably assuming that reality is limited to what we can observe directly a set of
sentences. Notice that this approach, which aimed at being thoroughly scientific, ended up by being
thoroughly unscientific by excluding at least half of language, the meaning. Linguists attempt to analyze the
sentence in terms of these relationships only, to the neglect of the meaningful elements, which enter into
and make possible the relationships.
So far, then, it has been argued that a theory of
language must have four parameters if it is to
be adequate, that is, commensurate with its
object:

(1) it must provide a place for both the Indo-


European type and the other types of language we
know (the spatial dimension),
(2) it must provide a method for analyzing
language on both the diachronic and the
synchronic axes (the temporal dimension),
(3) it must provide a means for dealing with both
the mental and the physical in language, both the
meaning and the sign (the existential dimension),
and (4) it must provide for an analysis of how both
the word and the sentence are constructed (the
operational dimension).
Use of Politically Correct Words/On or about “Words”

LIT 506
Political language criticism teaches us about the effects words actually have – and invites us to open up
to other people through language.

“Political correctness” means to behave in a way that rejects discriminatory speech acts and the term is
mostly used as an insult. However, anyone who speaks out in favor of a political language criticism is
not talking about political correctness, but rather of a heightened awareness of the effect that we have
with our words. What’s the difference? The philosophy of language offers an interesting perspective on
what happens when we replace a certain phrase with a so-called politically correct one.

Our social relations contribute to the linguistic meaning of words. This is why political language
criticism implies neither the cruel intentions of a particular person nor the expression of conversational
partner’s sensitivity in the first place. Nor does it suggest that we should always use the word
“humankind” when we really mean “mankind”.

If we introduce a new expression that is intended to replace an existing problematic one, it can only
have a different meaning if it prompts different conclusions to be drawn. To exercise political language
criticism therefore means to put forward new practices in which unjustified derogatory conclusions are
not treated as valid. 
Political correctness; why language matters
'Whatever you say, someone will
be offended by it.’ More
and more people are sick
of the pressure to be
politically correct. But our
words matter. Why is it
important to be politically
correct?
Why political correctness wasn’t an issue earlier

The term “political correctness’ was first heard in the


70s, and ever since it has seen opposition. Surely,
those complaining have somewhat of a point. There
was a time when you did not have to worry about
whether or not you were being politically correct and
you could just say whatever you want. That is, of
course, if you belonged to the dominant and
privileged group in society, as white men have been in
Western countries for decades. Power and privilege
allowed them to say and do what they wanted,
without thinking considering impact of their words on
DIMENSIONS other people in different situations and without ever
being challenged on it. 
OF
LITERATURE
LIT 506
Why we need it now?
While obvious forms of racism,
misogyny and bigotry are virtually
eradicated in Western societies,
subtle and institutionalized forms are
still very present. Part of the
problem is that stereotypes and
prejudice persist and spread through
the messages that we hear, see and
read. 
Being politically correct is important
because the language that we use
influences how we see the world, a
concept called linguistic relativity. 
Food for thought

While an often heard argument is that political correctness is a limitation of


freedom of speech, this is actually not true. Freedom of speech is a
fundamental human right, and this should never be limited. In reality,

C r e a t i v e W r i t i n g 101 P r e s e n t a t i o n
everyone is still able to speak their mind. However, if your opinion is
uninformed or insulting to others, this no longer goes without being called
out on it. The truth is that those complaining about the pressure to be
politically correct do not want equal treatment. Instead, they want special
treatment, like they had in the past. 

And if being a ‘sensitive millennial’ means being


considerate of other people’s feelings and situation,
should we really mind being called being politically
correct?
On or About the
Use of “Slang
Words” in the
language
Slang: How Invented Words
Become Part of Our Language

LIT 506
Slang is one of the hardest aspects of
the language to understand. Every
language has slang and sometimes
nobody knows where some of the
slang words or phrases come
from. slang is defined as ‘very
informal usage in vocabulary and
idiom that is characteristically more
metaphorical, playful, elliptical, vivid,
and ephemeral than ordinary
language.’ Slang can also be described
as nonstandard words or phrases
(lexical innovations), which tend to
originate in subcultures within a
society. 
As a matter of fact, English slang started as language
used mostly by criminals in 16th and 17th century
England and developed primarily in saloons and
gambling houses. School children at this time were
taught that using slang was taboo and improper, but
children will be children and innately want to do what
is forbidden. So, slang began making its way amongst
the youth. As time went on, slang began showing up
in popular culture such as plays and books and, in the
early 1920’s, slang had gained the interest of popular
writers. During the post-World War I era, society
gained new attitudes about slang and there was now a
demand for slang in entertainment, mass media, and
fiction.
Today, slang is embedded in our
culture and people use it
everyday even though they
might not realize they are using
it. But not all US slang is
universal either. Slang often
suggests that the person
utilizing the words or phrases is
familiar with the hearer’s group
or subgroup; it can be
considered a distinguishing
factor of in-group identity.
Different slang is used amongst
different cultures, popular
interests, occupations or where DIMENSIONS OF LITERATURE
you live.
Slang expressions are created in basically
the same way as standard speech. As
stated in the now discontinued Microsoft
Encarta encyclopedia, “expressions may
take form as metaphors, similes, and other
figures of speech.”  In addition, it is noted
that “the words used as slang may be new
coinages, existing words may acquire new
meanings, narrow meanings of words may
become generalized, words may be
abbreviated, etc. However, in order for the
expression to survive, it must be widely
adopted by the group who uses it.”
Thank
Yo u

LIT 506 Dimensions of Literature


Hirtle, W. H. (1985). Linguistics and the
dimensions of language. Lingua, 67(1), 65–83.

B OOKS
https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3841(85)90013-
0
Moreno, G. H. (2013, January 7). Slang: How

A ND A RTI CL ES
Invented Words Become Part of Our Language.
BridgeEnglish Blog.
https://bridgeenglish.com/blog/2013/01/07/sl
ang-how-invented-words-become-part-of-our-
language/
Mühlebach, D. (2020). Is there such a thing as
politically correct language? Www.Unibas.Ch.
https://www.unibas.ch/en/Research/Uni-
Nova/Uni-Nova-130/Uni-Nova-130-Essay.html
Verdonschot, C. (2019, March 25). Political
correctness; why language matters.
Idealism101.
https://idealism101.com/political-correctness-
why-language-matters/

References
Exercise
Do you think that using Politically
C o r r e c t w o r d s a n d S l a n g Wo r d s c a n
be an avenue for us English teacher
to help our learners to help our
pupils/students to acquire the
learnings in our classroom? How are
you going to use it since we are in
“New Normal Education?”

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