Speech Communities - 1429 Words

In the New Merriam-Webster Dictionary a speech community is defined as a socially distinct group that develops a dialect; a variety of language that diverges from the national language in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. Gumperz, Dorian, Fishman, Labov, Hymes, and Corder helped define a speech community. This essay will touch on the basis of multiple aspects of a speech community depending on their similarities and differences as well as how the concepts of these speech communities relate to such articles written by Heller and Jackson. Speech communities are formed by language and social behaviors. Linguistics defines a speech community through many ways. All speech communities have a set of grammatical rules, phonology, syntax,†¦show more content†¦The French and English speaking communities studied by Heller is an example of this. Monica Hellers article, Negotiation of language choice in Montreal took place in Montreal, Canada. She worked with a bilingual speech community of French and English. During her studies and observations, she has come to the realization that Montreals interaction and socialization of individuals living in Montreal has become a political act. She says that even buying a pair of socks has become a problem. She quotes, In the place of unconscious, or semi-conscious, use of language in everyday life is an extreme awareness of language, a new way of holding conversations that involves the negotiation of language choice in every interaction. That awareness of language comes from the symbolic role it has in political life, and from the social value it has acquired as an obvious characteristic of the social groups involved in sifting relationships. Not only do people have to know the different types of implicit and explicit strategies to be able to hold a conversation, but they also have to know the individuals ethnic background. Montreal has gone through many changes due to hisShow MoreRelatedSpeech Communities2972 Words   |  12 PagesSpeech Communities Language is both an individual possession and a social possession. We would expect, therefore, that certain individuals would behave linguistically like other individuals: they might be said to speak the same language or the same dialect or the same variety, i.e., to employ the same code, and in that respect to be members of the same speech community, a term probably derived from the German Sprachgemeinschaft. Indeed, much work in sociolinguistics is based on the assumption thatRead MoreA Speech On Discourse Community1174 Words   |  5 PagesHashani De Silva Professor Shepherd ENGL2089 Intermediate Composition 11/02/2014 Discourse Community Teaching has always been an occupation that amazed me. I believe it to be one of the most important jobs that anyone could ever embrace. A person choosing their career to be a teacher is essentially choosing to take on the role that is similar to DNA. Teachers are the group of people that pass on knowledge (which is what DNA does in our bodies), through education to the rest of us. Imagine the pressureRead MoreThe Franklin Road Church Youth Groups Are More Than Just a Religion1681 Words   |  7 Pagesexplaining how the Senior Youth Group is a discourse community. Franklin Road’s SYG consists of the ages 11-18. Within the group we do various things such as going to youth retreats, youth conferences, and many more; just to name a few. The group has been around for many years, all the way back to when my parents were kids. I have been a member of SYG ever since I was a baby; therefore I have enough knowledge about how this group in fact is a discourse community according to J ohn Swales six criteria. BeforeRead MoreReflection Of A Discourse Community1591 Words   |  7 Pagesknows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together.† We do not often realize how important it is for everybody to work together to achieve a goal. A community is a group of individual people gathered together to form a whole, like a school, local church, government entity, non-profit organization, sport team, etc. This whole can make reference to a discourse community. According to John Swales, discourse communities are unions where individuals have a common purposeRead MoreUse And Manipulation Of The English Language1394 Words   |  6 Pagesskills so difficult to learn, reap a great deal of power when mastered. As hyperbolic as it sounds, being able to use and manipulate the English language properly into our writing and speaking can be very influential in advocating ideas towards a community. â€Å"As a speaker, you have some influence on the extent to which others see you as having authority† (Fontaine and Smith 13). To gain authority over an audience, one must write and speak with confidence and be skilled enough to use proper English:Read MoreMy Long Process of Becoming a FCCLA State Officer735 Words   |  3 Pagesa role model to nearly 12,000 Missouri high school students. These students are not any ordinary students; they are members of an organization that is truly the ultimate leadership experience. This organization is known as the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and is a student led organization, based off of family and consumer sciences education. FCCLA has given me unbelievable opportunities! But of all of the opportunities this organization has provided me with, serving as aRead MoreMy Writing Style And Writing890 Words   |  4 Pages public speaking is something that I did not struggle with in the past, yet the structure of the class required a video speeches which was fairly new to me. All in all, I have been able to identify and modify gaps in my composition of writing and speech as a result of this course. In high school, I took both AP English Language and AP English Literature. These courses prepared me well for college composition courses, but left me in the dark regarding the personal style development in writing andRead MoreTesco - Speech823 Words   |  4 PagesTesco speech in Bakersfield Dear residents of Bakersfield. My name is Allan Marsh. I’m a big adversary of Tesco’s almost monopoly like expansion on the British market. Furthermore, I was the mastermind of a successful, and very similar, campaign like this. I led the campaign called â€Å"Herne against Tesco†. As with your case Tesco also wanted to close our local pub, and build an express store. For starters we tried to be reasonable and appeal to their logical side, by pointing out that itRead MoreThe Theory Behind Public Speaking1765 Words   |  8 PagesSpeaking Final Reflection Paper Over the course of this semester, we have learned primarily about the theory behind public speaking. We’ve learned the differences between persuasive and informative speeches, what content should be included in a speech, and how to orally cite sources and had the chance to practice delivering a few speeches. In this paper, I will reflect on the experience I had in the class, what I’ve learned, and what my public speaking skills are going to be used for. TheoreticalRead MoreThe Vineyard Community Is A Safe Environment For Children Essay1299 Words   |  6 Pages 1. The vineyard community is a safe environment for children between kindergarten through 12th grade between the hours 3 pm- to 6pm. The vineyard is a community center for children where they engage in different actives, where they do their homework, worship and enjoy time together. The vineyard provides a variety of services for the community. One thing I liked about the vineyard is how much the community cares and value the children receive from the volunteers and staff. The mission of the vineyard