This is a project that will entail a comprehensive linguistic analysis of a five-minute long, videotaped and transcribed segment of a selected television program or movie .
In this assignment you are expected to meet the following course objectives:
(a) use the terminology employed in linguistics appropriately,
(b) examine the way languages are structured and used (English and the other language),
(c) explain observations about the English language using linguistic categories and principles, (d) practice the basic skills of linguistic analysis through independent field work, and
(e) apply linguistic concepts and knowledge to the ESL classroom.
The purposes of this assignment also include (a) raising your awareness to the varieties of English that surround us, (b) sensitizing you—the ESL teacher—to the complexity of the task confronting the English Language Learner when communicating in English, and (c) developing a better understanding of cross-cultural communication.
STEPS TO FOLLOW:
PRE-WRITING PHASE:
I. Data Collection: Videotape a TV program or use a selection from a movie that depicts a situation (preferably a family situation that includes children, for variety of speech patterns) and has a cross-linguistic and cross-cultural dimension. The situation must represent variations in English use, or differences between English and other real languages (as opposed to a language made up for the movie).
II. Transcription: Transcribe approximately five minutes of the show. Make sure you include talk-overs, incomplete utterances, interruptions, laughter, etc. Include as much as possible from the actual speech performance. You may take samples from different segments of the program to illustrate unusual usage.
*Attach the transcript to your paper in an appendix. Please save the recording until the end of the course.
WRITING PHASE:
*PLEASE REFER TO THE ASSIGNMENT SAMPLE LOCATED IN CANVAS FILES TAB
*USE THE FOLLOWING 5-SECTION OUTLINE TO FORMAT YOUR PAPER
I. Introduction: (2 points) Introduce the purpose of the assignment and your selected sample.
*Background: Provide some background about your sample (title, genre, setting of the program, characters, situation, etc.).
II.Analysis and Contrasts: (20 points) Analyze your sample for differences in language between your taped sample and what you would consider Standard English (what is usually found in an academic setting). Be certain to look at least five of the following seven categories (the bolded category names should be used as subheadings within your analysis write up):
PHONOLOGY: Fast colloquial speech, nonstandard pronunciation, unusual use of prosodic devices (the patterns of stress and intonation in a language
MORPHOLOGY: Unusual word formations, nonstandard inflections
SYNTAX: Nonstandard syntactic features, fragments, word order
SEMANTICS: Idiomatic expressions, word choice, unusual words
PRAGMATICS: Maxims of conversations, politeness, speech acts Language variations (regional, dialect, social, gender, stylistic), register, slang expressions
SOCIOLINGUISTICS: Language transfer problems, codeswitching
SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
Include a total of 10-15 examples (at least 2 examples per areas listed above) from your taped and transcribed sample and analyze how they differ from standard discourse. In other words, what linguistic problems are faced by the interlocutors? What misunderstandings are caused by their linguistic and cultural differences? Use your textbook and class notes extensively.
III. Discussion and Conclusions (3 points)
Discuss your findings in light of the task facing ELLs. At a minimum, be sure to answer the following questions in your discussion:
Q1 — What can help ELLs overcome the difficulties the actors/characters faced in the conversation?
Q2 — Can TV and other media be used to help ELL students (or your teacher candidates)?
Q3 — What kind of instruction or remediation would you plan for your ELL students based on the problems/issues presented within your sample?
IV. References: Make sure you follow the 7th edition of the APA manual. References should include your textbook, the film or TV show, and any other materials that you use.
V. Appendix: Attach your complete transcript of the five minute (minimum) segment you used for this analysis
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