DIVERSITY AND LANGUAGE
ISSUES AROUND DIVERSITY AND LANGUAGE
Despite the fact that language is a universal means of communication, factors such as culture, religion and gender include and exclude some individuals who do not share the same language. Language is an extremely powerful tool, and “it is through our language that we generally describe and define ourselves to others” (Emmitt, 2010, p.50)
Every group creates its own language often in the form of jargon, which “enables us to belong to a group and exclude others from the group”. (Emmitt, p. 50). Doctors, politicians and lawyers have their own language to share meaning with each other to enhance their expertise and set them above the outsiders of the group. Specific language is not only used by professions, but also in social and cultural contexts. Skate boarders, tennis players and drug users use language to define certain actions in their activities that are specific to that community. This language can evaluate who is part of the culture or social context, and who is not.
As a parent, you may witness your child using jargon that is appropriate to their age, and has most likely been picked up from their culture (at home, family) or in their social context (school, Facebook, sporting activities). These words could be acronym we are seeing in our modern social culture such as "OMG" and "YOLO" and slang such as “nup” and “nek minute”. The issue around this diversity in language, is that children can often fall into the habit of allowing this slang to become a part of their everyday language. Acronyms such as 'YOLO' do not allow the child to actually use these words, therefore when it comes to the spelling of them, they are challenged by needing to use the whole words themselves. This is where the practice of Behaviourism can come into play for you as the parent. Through modelling language you can encourage your child to use grammatically correct language more so than slang. Positive reinforcement through scaffolding will also encourage the use of better language. Bombardment is also a tool used by speech pathologists to promote the correct use of grammatically correct language. If your child uses incorrect language, you can reinforce the correct grammar by not repeating the error such as "I goed to the park", but say "you went to the park, what did you do when you went to the park, what else did you do when you went to the park?". You are using the correct phrasing in several different ways to reinforce the correct grammar.
CULTURE AND LANGUAGE
In the context of language “culture refers to a 'way of life': the context in which we exist, think, feel and relate to others”. (Emmitt, 2010, p. 52)
Language plays a central role in cultures. Culture also provides specific guidelines for behaviour. One of the issues surrounding language and culture is that we tend to become critical of others' cultures, or subconsciously disregard their culture because we are caught up in the context of our own culture. As a parent, it is imperative that you educate your child to appreciate and respect other cultures and their language. Children need to be taught “to accept what students bring to the learning context and we should not reject their language and customs as being inferior”. (Emmitt, 2010, p. 53)
In some cultures it is considered rude to maintain eye contact during a conversation, whereas in sign language it is necessary to maintain eye contact and use facial expressions to converse effectively. In order for you, as the parent, to teach your child literacy effectively, you need to be aware of the value and use of language in different cultures. It is also important to remember that “literacies and the value placed on them determines how literacy is learned and what skills are involved.” (Emmitt, 2010, p. 56)
In some classrooms, reading and writing “are not related to how we use print for real purposes in our daily lives”. (Emmitt, 2010, p. 56) As a parent, you can encourage your child to read material that relates to your social and cultural context. Any type of literacy practice is good for your child. Modelling language and literacy use to your child encourages them to respect language and literacy, and to respect the culture and social context of that language.
It is important to remember that what you model to your child, includes your ideals on cultures and can affect the way your child views the world. Keeping an open mind and being accepting and understanding of all cultures is the best way to educate your child effectively when it comes to literacy and language.
SOCIETY AND LANGUAGE
The language used in a society context is not dissimilar to language and culture. Some studies, suggest that “children from particular backgrounds are not as successful at school as children from other backgrounds.” (Emmitt, 2010, p. 58).
Language-deficit hypothesis refers to the educational quality of a child's language based on their social status. It has been concluded that this hypothesis relies on a behaviouristic view of learning. This means that, for you as the parent, it is imperative that you take an active role in your child's literacy learning, and model through positive reinforcement, the various language skills that you would like your child to possess.
Language-difference hypothesis refers to the language deficiencies in the learning environment itself, usually being the school. This highlights the school's “inability to cater for the differences between the children it is supposed to educate.” (Emmitt, 2010, p. 61) Labov (1990), an American sociolinguist, believed that all languages “should be viewed as being equal in terms of their ability to communicate.” (p. 61) The research states that most children with a strong relationship to their family background, achieve a higher education when referring to language. In order for your child to achieve a high language stature, they need to be given “sufficient opportunity to hear and use language in a supportive environment”. (p. 62)
In order for your child to develop their language skills throughout their time at school, taking on the role of a socio-cultural based teacher is a great approach. Immersing your child into different types of language found in different environments is very beneficial to their learning. This could be as simple as spending time with families of other social stature and cultures, or even extracurricular activities being sport or artistic classes, will allow your child to have access to a range of different types of language.
Ultimately, in a language rich setting, your child will not only acquire the literacy skills needed for life, they will also adapt beliefs and values related to language itself. It is important that you make your child aware of the difference in language in the community, at school and at home and encourage them to recognize the appropriate language for each context. The Australian Curriculum encourages this at school through activities by 'breaking down the barriers of language and creating confident students'. (ACELA1428 ACARA) Through a behavouristic approach of actively 'scaffolding' your child's learning, through modelling, you can create a knowledgeable and open-minded individual in terms of language and literacy.
Despite the fact that language is a universal means of communication, factors such as culture, religion and gender include and exclude some individuals who do not share the same language. Language is an extremely powerful tool, and “it is through our language that we generally describe and define ourselves to others” (Emmitt, 2010, p.50)
Every group creates its own language often in the form of jargon, which “enables us to belong to a group and exclude others from the group”. (Emmitt, p. 50). Doctors, politicians and lawyers have their own language to share meaning with each other to enhance their expertise and set them above the outsiders of the group. Specific language is not only used by professions, but also in social and cultural contexts. Skate boarders, tennis players and drug users use language to define certain actions in their activities that are specific to that community. This language can evaluate who is part of the culture or social context, and who is not.
As a parent, you may witness your child using jargon that is appropriate to their age, and has most likely been picked up from their culture (at home, family) or in their social context (school, Facebook, sporting activities). These words could be acronym we are seeing in our modern social culture such as "OMG" and "YOLO" and slang such as “nup” and “nek minute”. The issue around this diversity in language, is that children can often fall into the habit of allowing this slang to become a part of their everyday language. Acronyms such as 'YOLO' do not allow the child to actually use these words, therefore when it comes to the spelling of them, they are challenged by needing to use the whole words themselves. This is where the practice of Behaviourism can come into play for you as the parent. Through modelling language you can encourage your child to use grammatically correct language more so than slang. Positive reinforcement through scaffolding will also encourage the use of better language. Bombardment is also a tool used by speech pathologists to promote the correct use of grammatically correct language. If your child uses incorrect language, you can reinforce the correct grammar by not repeating the error such as "I goed to the park", but say "you went to the park, what did you do when you went to the park, what else did you do when you went to the park?". You are using the correct phrasing in several different ways to reinforce the correct grammar.
CULTURE AND LANGUAGE
In the context of language “culture refers to a 'way of life': the context in which we exist, think, feel and relate to others”. (Emmitt, 2010, p. 52)
Language plays a central role in cultures. Culture also provides specific guidelines for behaviour. One of the issues surrounding language and culture is that we tend to become critical of others' cultures, or subconsciously disregard their culture because we are caught up in the context of our own culture. As a parent, it is imperative that you educate your child to appreciate and respect other cultures and their language. Children need to be taught “to accept what students bring to the learning context and we should not reject their language and customs as being inferior”. (Emmitt, 2010, p. 53)
In some cultures it is considered rude to maintain eye contact during a conversation, whereas in sign language it is necessary to maintain eye contact and use facial expressions to converse effectively. In order for you, as the parent, to teach your child literacy effectively, you need to be aware of the value and use of language in different cultures. It is also important to remember that “literacies and the value placed on them determines how literacy is learned and what skills are involved.” (Emmitt, 2010, p. 56)
In some classrooms, reading and writing “are not related to how we use print for real purposes in our daily lives”. (Emmitt, 2010, p. 56) As a parent, you can encourage your child to read material that relates to your social and cultural context. Any type of literacy practice is good for your child. Modelling language and literacy use to your child encourages them to respect language and literacy, and to respect the culture and social context of that language.
It is important to remember that what you model to your child, includes your ideals on cultures and can affect the way your child views the world. Keeping an open mind and being accepting and understanding of all cultures is the best way to educate your child effectively when it comes to literacy and language.
SOCIETY AND LANGUAGE
The language used in a society context is not dissimilar to language and culture. Some studies, suggest that “children from particular backgrounds are not as successful at school as children from other backgrounds.” (Emmitt, 2010, p. 58).
Language-deficit hypothesis refers to the educational quality of a child's language based on their social status. It has been concluded that this hypothesis relies on a behaviouristic view of learning. This means that, for you as the parent, it is imperative that you take an active role in your child's literacy learning, and model through positive reinforcement, the various language skills that you would like your child to possess.
Language-difference hypothesis refers to the language deficiencies in the learning environment itself, usually being the school. This highlights the school's “inability to cater for the differences between the children it is supposed to educate.” (Emmitt, 2010, p. 61) Labov (1990), an American sociolinguist, believed that all languages “should be viewed as being equal in terms of their ability to communicate.” (p. 61) The research states that most children with a strong relationship to their family background, achieve a higher education when referring to language. In order for your child to achieve a high language stature, they need to be given “sufficient opportunity to hear and use language in a supportive environment”. (p. 62)
In order for your child to develop their language skills throughout their time at school, taking on the role of a socio-cultural based teacher is a great approach. Immersing your child into different types of language found in different environments is very beneficial to their learning. This could be as simple as spending time with families of other social stature and cultures, or even extracurricular activities being sport or artistic classes, will allow your child to have access to a range of different types of language.
Ultimately, in a language rich setting, your child will not only acquire the literacy skills needed for life, they will also adapt beliefs and values related to language itself. It is important that you make your child aware of the difference in language in the community, at school and at home and encourage them to recognize the appropriate language for each context. The Australian Curriculum encourages this at school through activities by 'breaking down the barriers of language and creating confident students'. (ACELA1428 ACARA) Through a behavouristic approach of actively 'scaffolding' your child's learning, through modelling, you can create a knowledgeable and open-minded individual in terms of language and literacy.