Language and identity
Subtitle: discourse in the world
By: Edited by David Evans
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic, An imprint of Bloomsbury Pub. Plc
Published: 2015
Place of publication: London; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 233
ISBN-13: 9780567338167; 9780567566140; 9780567047793
Subjects: Discourse analysis; Social aspects; Sociolinguistics; History; Identity (Psychology); Language and culture; Anthropological linguistics
Description: Language not only expresses identities but also constructs them. Starting from that point, Language and Identity examines the interrelationships between language and identities. It finds that they are so closely interwoven, that words themselves are inscribed with ideological meanings. Words and language constitute meanings within discourses and discourses vary in power. The powerful ones reproduce more powerful meanings, colonize other discourses and marginalize or silence the least powerful languages and cultures. Language and culture death occur in extreme cases of marginalization. This book also demonstrates the socio-economic opportunities offered by language choice and the cultural allegiances of language, where groups have been able to create new lives for themselves by embracing new languages in new countries. Language can be a 'double-edged sword' of opportunity and marginalization. Language and Identity argues that bilingualism and in some cases multilingualism can both promote socio-economic opportunity and combat culture death and marginalization. With sound theoretical perspectives drawing upon the work of Bakhtin, Vygotsky, Gumperz, Foucault and others, this book provides readers with a rationale to redress social injustice in the world by supporting minority linguistic and cultural identities and an acknowledgement that access to language can provide opportunity.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: 2. The identities of language; title: 3. How language shapes social perception; title: Part II - Languages, discourses and identities in the world; title: 4. Quebec's shift from ethnic to civic national identity: implications for language attitudes amongst immigrants in Montreal; title: 5. Trilingualism and Uyghur identity in the people's Republic of China; title: 6. Queensland for ever & Augus un Ballybug go braugh": the expression of identity in 19th century Irish emigrant letters; title: 7. Indigenous languages, cultures and communities in the Amazon: strengthening identities Part III - Critical pedagogies; title: The language of leisure and physicality: constructing and re-constructing identity; title: Chapter 9. Drama and the identity of the language learner; title: 10. Towards a cultural paradigm of alterity in modern foreign language (MFL) learning; title: 11. English language teacher identity: A framework for teacher learning and professional development; title: 12. Conclusion.