Language, Identity and Gender: Free Online Seminar Spring 2022, Register now!
Hosted on Zoom – Register for link
March 1 – May 3, 2022
Tuesdays
11:00am – 12:30pm Eastern Time
Human language exhibits a huge diversity within and across communities. Speakers can use subtle or major variations in language to identify themselves and to suggest their affiliation to a certain social group or community. The way people interact and communicate reflects their identity. “Language carries with it the history, culture and traditions of a people. Language is the people. We cannot even conceive of a people without a language, or a language without a people. The two are one and the same” (Sabine Ulibarrí, 1972:1, cited in Rovira 2008).
This seminar is going to explore how language contributes to the identity building process. It will shed light on the link between language and a sense of belonging to certain community, how we use language to project our personal and community identities, and how we use it to recognize the identity of others.
More Information:
Participants who attend at least 8 complete seminar sessions will receive a certificate of satisfactory completion from the Dean of The New School for Social Research. In order to obtain the certificate, participants must register and log in with the same email address each week.
Registration will remain open for the duration of the seminar. Registrants will receive a reminder email with the Zoom link each week.
The seminar sessions will be recorded and available to registrants on Vimeo the following week.
This seminar is co-sponsored by the Gender and Sexualities Studies Institute at The New School.
Seminar Leaders:
Dr. Abdulgaleel Abdullah Mohammed
Dr. Abdulgaleel Abdullah Mohammed is an Assistant Professor in Linguistics and Phonetics. He earned his B.A. in English Language and Literature from Taiz University (TU). Afterwards, he moved to India and completed his M.A. and Ph.D. in Linguistics and Phonetics from the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in Hyderabad, India. He has a Postgraduate Diploma in Translation from the EFL University as well. He also earned his CELTA Certificate in Teaching English Language to Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Cambridge in the UK.
Dr. Sameer Abdulrazzaq Mused Mohammed
Dr. Sameer Abdulrazzaw Mused Mohammed is a linguist with a Ph.D. in Phonology from the English and Foreign Languages University in Hyderabad, and a P.G. Diploma in Translation Studies from Osmania University, India. His research is focused on the interaction of phonology and morphology in Arabic dialects, modern standard Arabic, and classical Arabic.
Weekly Sessions:
- March 1, 2022: Introduction to Language
- March 8, 2022: Language and Identity
- March 15, 2022: Language and Ethnicity
- March 22, 2022: Language and Gender
- March 29, 2022: Language and Economy
- April 5, 2022: Language and Culture
- April 12, 2022: Language and Media
- April 19, 2022: Language and Religion
- April 26, 2022: Language and Politics
- May 3, 2022: Language, Migration, and the Diaspora
Reading List & Thoughts for Discussion:
Week 1: What is language? What is the importance of language? What is the power of language? What are different types of language?
Amberg, Julie and Deborah Vause, 2009. “What is language?” in American English: History, Structure, and Usage, pp. 1-10. Available here.
“The Properties of Language”. Introduction to Linguistics and Phonetics. Avadh P.G. College. Available here.
Week 2: How does language intervene in the identity building process? How do we use language to project our personal and communal ideas? How do we use language to recognize others?
Bucholtz, Mary and Kira Hall, 2004. “Language and Identity” in A Companion to Linguistic Anthropology, pp.369 – 394. Blackwell.
Week 3: How does the way people speak impact their social lives? What impact does official recognition of a language have on the speakers of that language? How does language and ethnicity play a role in education?
Reyes, Angela. 2010. “Language and Ethnicity” In Nancy H. Hornberger and Sandra Lee McKay (Eds.) Sociolinguistics and Language Education, pp. 398–426. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters. Available here.
Week 4: What are different theories of language and gender? How do different genders use language differently (format, content, style, etc.)? What the the relationships, intersections and tensions between language and gender.
McConnell-Ginet, Sally. 1988. “Language and Gender” In F. Newmeyer (Ed.), Linguistics: The Cambridge Survey (pp. 75-99). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Week 5: How do language and economics interact? How does speaking in a certain language effect someone’s economic status? How can learning a dominant language impact economic status?
Chiswick, Barry R. 2008. The Economics of Language: An Introduction and Overview. IZA Discussion Paper No. 3568. Available here.
Week 6: What is social class? What is the relationship between language and class? How can language signal class?
Guy, Gregory. 1988. “Language and Social Class” In F. Newmeyer (Ed.), Linguistics: The Cambridge Survey (pp. 37-63). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Week 7: What is the impact of media on language? How does the media impact ethnic and gender stereotypes? How does advertising use language to persuade us? What are internet linguistics?
Cotter, Colleen, and Diana ben-Aaron. 2017. “Discourse Approaches” In The Routledge Handbook of Language and Media. Available here.
Week 8: What are the historical linkages between language and religion? What is the debate around the “first human language” and what is its importance in terms of religion and identity? What is the role of religion in society? How do language, religion and national identity interact in the Middle East?
Crystal, David. 1966. “Language and Religion” In L. Sheppard (ed.), Twentieth Century Catholicism. New York: Hawthorn Books.
Week 9: What are the connections between language and politics; politics and identity? What are the linguistic features of political speech? How is language used to control thought?
Adrian, Beard. 2000. “What do they stand for?” in The Language of Politics (Chapter 2, pp. 17-34). London: Routledge.
Week 10: Consider a historical perspective on diasporas and immigrants. How do language profiles and practices effect immigrant communities? How does transnational migration impact identity?
Adserà, Alícia and Mariola Pytliková. 2016. “Language and Migration” in The Palgrave Handbook of Economics and Language. Available here.