About Language Change (from Emel and Gulseren) # 4

Today, as media has influenced people’s lives in many aspects, it has also affected people’s speech. Now, we can hear some “celebrity-like” speech around us. Can you give any examples of this situation? To what extent does the media have an effect on people’s speech habits?

About Language Change (from Emel and Gulseren) # 3

Interaction with the outside world affects our speech; a lack of it affects our speech too. Can you think of any examples that show how lack of interaction causes changes in people’s speech in Turkey?

About Language Change (from Emel and Gulseren) # 2

In the powerpoint presentation, you have seen examples of overt prestige (the use rhotic accents in America) and covert prestige (vowel centralization in the speeches of the inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard island). Looking at your daily lives, what kind of prestige forms do you observe in your speech or in the speeches of people around you? And how do they use these prestige forms?

About Language Change (from Emel and Gulseren) #1

Language is dependent on its speakers and writers; therefore, it is affected by any changes made by its users. Taking this fact and the situation of today’s youth into consideration can you say that the young people are ruining Turkish? Can you give any concrete examples of such a situation?

Mesthrie Chapter 4 (from Sibel and Fulya) # 3

Think about Milroy's Social Network hypothesis, discuss the effects of
social density and multiplexity on language and social interactions with
examples from Turkey.

Mesthrie Chapter 4 (from Sibel and Fulya) # 2

According to the variationist approach, variation can be followed by change,
but this does not mean that all variation leads to change. Within the framework
of variationist approach, can you give an example of a variation which has not
turned into a change?

Mesthrie Chapter 4 (from Sibel and Fulya)

Sociolinguists view the incorporation of changes as a natural part of
language development and change; prescriptivists view these changes in terms of
the non-standard dialects that they originally came from. So, for
prescriptivists, these changes are a sign of a people losing the grammar system
of their language. For sociolinguists, this is just a natural development of
language over time. Can you think of Turkish examples from the perspective of
sociolinguists and prescriptivists?

Features of Conversation

Turn-taking rules and mitigating expressions appear to exist across cultures, but the ways that speakers realize these tools vary according to culture (and, often, according to gender as well.)Observe your interactions during the next couple of days. How do you (and/or your friends) generally do the following: a.)signal to others that you/your friend is/are finished with a turn, and that it is another person's turn to speak. b.)signal that you/your friend are/is ready to finish a phone call c.)employ pre-request expressions? For this question, it will only be necessary to talk about one of the three linsuistic devices, but choose the one that is the most interesting for you after observing the three in action.

Face

Think about your daily life. Find examples for each situation: a.)an instance when you lose face, b.)an instance when you gain face, and c.)an instance when you preserve face. How are these situations realized linguistically?

Also, do you believe that people try to preserve the faces of other people in the social setting? Why or why not? Cite specific examples from daily life to support your opinion.