Reference no: EM133724206

For this essay you will be asked to give a list of references (or the sources you consulted) at the end of your essay. You do not need to use in-text citation as this well become very cumbersome. You may use whichever style for your references you are most familiar with as I have no preference, just as long as you are consistent. If you've never had to list references before, then I suggest you use a readily available style for which there are lots of online tools, for example APA (American Psychological Association). However, please bear in mind that only a small portion of your grade will hinge on how perfectly you list your references. It's good to do these properly but over-emphasis detracts from the actual task at hand, which is to give an account of language and culture, not to show off your reference skills.

The second assignment will draw mostly on insights from the text and lecture on

WEEK 5: Culture, thought and human language

WEEK 6: The Social Life of Language

WEEK 7: Language through time (minimally)

You will write an essay focusing on language in a community of practice.

Preparing your essay:

Over the course of a few days, write down words and phrases that are associated with a semantic domain that you choose. This may be a hobby or pastime you enjoy (sewing/baseball/playing video games). You may also choose a domain like health or clothing, something where you have a solid vocabulary but where there may be other terms with which you are less familiar. If you are stumped for ideas, you should be able to do the semantic domain of "going to university." This would be a perfectly acceptable option.

Add to this a survey of news sources and social media to see if there are additional words to add to the ones you thought of. For example, look up news stories on higher education. Or on sports. If you limit your search to "news" you'll get more results that are suited to this assignment. Look at at least three distinct sources. Include here any additional vocabulary that you encounter. Were there any words in these sources that you missed or was your own list the same?

Make a note of where you came across these additional words and phrases - these will go in your list of references when you write up your findings.

Try to find out if the terminology in this domain has changed. If you chose clothing, for example, are there words for clothing that are no longer in use? What new ones are there. Do this for your domain, again using internet sources. Some research possibilities: look up words in an online (or physical) dictionary and focus on any notes on derivation, typically given after the definition. Also try googling "history of word/term x." If you are directed to a Wikipedia page, that's fine, but look for a footnote with a source and check that rather than relying on Wikipedia alone.

Think about Ahearn's definition of a community of practice and as you track down vocabulary, think of the contexts in which these words are encountered and used.

Writing your essay.

Now you have done all the research and preparation, it is time to write your essay.

Answer all questions. If you use the numbered questions to organize your work, remove them before you turn the final essay in.

Part A.

What are the most important words and phrases that you would want to include in the semantic domain that chose?
Has the domain or its vocabulary changed much over time? Over how much time?

PART B.

Map specific words and phrases on to communities of practice. Think here of how many words are widely understood and how many are only known by a few people who are immersed in the domain.