Introduction To Sociolinguistics

So, if you really want to hurt me, talk badly about my language. Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity - I am my language. Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself.

(Anzaldúa, 1987, p.59)

Today's lecture at LT14 at 10-12 pm.

Lecturer is called Associate Professor Christopher Stroud. His lecturing style is completely different from A/P Mohana's style. Using only a few transparencies, he can teach the lecture. Transparencies are not very clear though. Most of the time he spends talking to us, not many notes to show us unlile Mohana's lecture.

Sociolinguistics is the study of how variation in language use relates to broader variation in the daily experiences of individuals and groups. We learn how language constructs cultural abstractions such as social class, gender, and power relations and how these abstractions play out in language varieties and shape their defining characteristics. The module should appeal to students who wish to explore the interaction of language and society by drawing on linguistics, sociology, anthropology, and psychology, and to understand the practical implications of language variation for language policy and language education in multilingual societies such as Singapore.

There is a compulsory text for this module called Introduction To Sociolinguistics by Suzanne Romaine.



Sat beside a Japanese Exchange Student who is doing his PHD and taking this module as his current studying module in Singapore. His name is called Kenji. Even though he can speak english, it's still a bit hard for me to communicate with him because of some language barrier.

This module lecture is pretty slack and the lecturer will not provide us with comprehensive notes which means that we have to do and make a lot of notes for ourselves to study. We also have to watch My Sassy Neighbour on TV and post our comments on forum as a group, while other groups will respond to our comments. I think there will be also 1 major project for this module soon to be announced after we get to tutorial groups and settle down. Not much students taking this module. Quota for lecture is 96. Mainly students majoring in EL or taking this module out of interest or overseas exchange students taking it which is related to their main course of study, etc. Next week's lecture Prof Chris will not be here, and we'll be viewing a video instead. Pretty slack, but cannot we cannot become slack ourselves.

After lecture has ended, went to look at all the other tutorial rooms and where are they for my other modules that I have secured for this semester. Then finally went for haircut and headed for home.