It has been suggested that certain social factors – who you are talking to, the social context of the talk, the function and topic of the discussion – are important in accounting for language choice in many different kinds of speech community. Consider your own community. Are these factors useful in capturing broad generalisations about your own community? Are there other factors that come into play? Support you answer with specific examples.
Language maintenance and shift:
Pauwels (2005) demonstrates the importance of the role of the family in maintaining the community language in the Australian immigrant environment. Consider the strategies proposed by Pauwels to promote the maintenance of the community language. In your opinion, are these strategies effective in countering the economic, social and political factors which contribute to the shift from the community language to English?
World Englishes and linguistic imperialism:
Pidgins and creoles are often perceived negatively by people who do not speak them. They have been described as mongrel jargons and macaroni lingos, and given negative labels such as Broken English and Kitchen Kaffir. What are the possible reasons for these negative attitudes? To what degree are they justified? You may consider the origins, the linguistic features, and the roles and functions of these languages in your discussion.
Language variation and change:
According to Holmes (2013), “interaction and contact between people is crucial in providing the channels for linguistic change” (p. 225). Consider your own variety of English. What are some of the linguistic features of your variety of English which can be attributed to contact with another language? Support your answer with an explanation of when and how these languages came into contact.
Cross-cultural communication:
The fact that ESL classes (e.g., in Australia) include students from a variety of linguistic and cultural backgrounds can pose certain difficulties in communication. What are some of the potential problems that could be caused due to cultural differences in the forms of directives (how people get others to do things) and politeness used in the classroom? How might you, as a teacher of English, use these differences to achieve a positive outcome?
Sociolinguistics and education:
According to Rajagopalan (2004), “English Language Teaching is poised to undergo some dramatic changes as native varieties of English give way to World English as the most coveted passport to world citizenship” (p. 111). To what extent do you agree with this proposition? Do you see Rajagopalan’s prediction as being relevant to the context of Australia?