DISCOURS E Where Youth and Adults Collide Sherilyn Carr ID # 00048321 LDP Assignment 3 Due 9 October, 2009
Oct 21, 2014
DISCOURSEWhere Youth
and Adults Collide
Sherilyn CarrID # 00048321
LDP Assignment 3Due 9 October, 2009
Collision of worlds / wordsYouth don’t understand older adults
“what they went through isn’t the same” (13 yr old)
“times have changed” (18 yr old)
Older adults don’t understand youth“they haven’t experienced the things you have
that have influenced your thinking” (72 yr old)
Why don’t they understand each other when surely they’re speaking the same language?
But it’s not the same language!How would you ask the following to get ready to go to
the shops? A 2 ½ year old child A teenager A 40 year old A 65 year old
How do you react in the following situations where you are delayed?
in a supermarket queue at the doctors surgery waiting for a friend waiting for your partner
We use language appropriate to the context of a social interaction
“A form of language that varies according to participants, settings, and topics” (Berko Gleason & Bernstein Ratner, 2009, p 479)
As we learn language from early childhood we develop the ability to use a variety of registers and this development continues right through to old age((Berko Gleason & Bernstein Ratner, 2009, p 437)
Adolescent RegistersPhonologically
The use of intonation to “put down” someone. A mother compliments her 14 yr old daughter and
gets this response:
(The Weekend Australian Magazine, 12-13/09/2009, p9)
Adolescent Registers continuedSyntactically
Non-standard use of discourse markers such as “like” which may be used in a variety of ways: approximative, exemplificatory, metalinguistic,
hesitational/linking(Stenstrom, Andersen & Hasund, 2002, p 117)
SemanticallyUse of coined words, slang etc to provoke and
otherize outsiders while retaining bonds with peers (Stenstrom, Andersen & Hasund, 2002, p 67-68)
Similarities in the responses
Use of pronouns“they” to divide into us and them groups“you” and “yours” to include the listener as
part of the speaker’s group
“what they went through isn’t the same” (13 yr old)
“they haven’t experienced the things you have that have influenced your thinking” (72
yr old)
Similarities in the responses continued
Views of the world around themtheir agreement that the experiences of life are
different for both age groups
“what they went through isn’t the same” (13 yr old)
“times have changed” (18 yr old)
“they haven’t experienced the things you have that have influenced your thinking” (72
yr old)
Similarities in the responses continued
Views of the world around them continuedtheir presumption of the other age group being
ignorant
Okay, they can be different – why?
“Oneself-identity is inextricably bound up with one’s
language, for it is in the communicative process
– the process of sending out messages and having them “bounced” back –
that such identities are confirmed, shaped and reshaped.”
(Brown, 2007, p 69)
Youth vs. Adult RegistersPurpose of Discourse
Youth Adults
Self Identity Express oneselfShape identity
Express oneselfIdentify already formed
Resistance Dominated by adults since birth Now have language skills to resist during the process of becoming an adult
Used in a lesser degree as usually try to avoid situations of being dominated
Group Have left child’s world & not yet accepted in adult’s world but accepted with peers who speak the same language
As an adult there are many groups available to choose to join
Otherization Frequently used in order to retain self identity & keep unwanted members out, i.e. adults
May be used depending on type of group
Is there any hope of avoiding collision?We use a variety of language registers
throughout lifeNeed to recognise the register of adolescents
as valuableAs with new student-centred method of
education (Study Guide, 2009, p 21) perhaps adults need to relinquish their domination over youth
ReferencesBerko Gleason, J. & Bernstein Ratner, N. (2009). The development
of language (7th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education
Brown, H.D. (2007). Principles of language learning and teaching (5th ed.). (pp. 57-75). White Plains: Longman
Maushart, S. (12-13/09/2009). No pain, no gain. (p 9) Brisbane: The Weekend Australian Magazine.
Stenstrom, A.-B., Andersen, G., & Hasund, I.K. (2002). Trends in teenage talk: Corpus compilation, analysis and findings. Amsterdam; Philadelphia: John Benjamins
Study Guide. (2009). Study guide for language, discourse & power. Massey University, School of Language Studies.
Appendix A
•For children living at home: Do you think that adults (between ages 50-80 yrs) understand you?Yes / No (circle one)
•For older adults: Do you think that children (between ages 12-25 yrs) understand you?Yes / No (circle one)
Give reasons why:
Give reasons why:
Two questions extracted from the questionnaire:
Appendix B – newspaper article