Your assignment is to research and report on the ecology of a language
Topic Choice
You will choose to write on a particular language/dialect. Your choice must not be one of the more wide-spread languages such as Spanish, French, Russian, Latin, Greek, Chinese, etc. Instead, you must narrow your focus to a specific dialect or variety of one of these or some other language; or you may choose a lesser-known non-European language. For example, rather than Spanish, you might choose Cuban Spanish, or Andean Spanish. Instead of French, you might look at Quebec French, or West African French. You are also welcome to choose a dialect of English. This might be a regional dialect, such as New England, Southwestern, or Appalachian; or it might be a social dialect, such as Cajun, or Boston Brahmin. (TOPIC CHOICE SELECTED: CHILEAN SPANISH)
Questions you will address
A successful paper will address questions relevant to the language variety under investigation and, where possible, suggest answers for the questions presented. Some questions that may be relevant are given below. Depending on the variety you choose, you may find that one or more of these questions are not relevant, and you may encounter other questions as you research your language variety. Addressing these questions should be the main focus of your paper. Here are the basic questions you should answer (Adapted from The Linguistic Reporter, Winter 1971, page 25):
1. What is the name of the language variety (what do its speakers call it; what do non-speakers call it; what do linguists call it)?
2. Who are its users, and how are they grouped by nation, geographical location, class, religion, or any other relevant grouping?
3. What larger language does it belong to? What are the main closely related dialects?
4. What other dialects are employed by its users?
5. Is this dialect written? If so, how and in what contexts?
6. Is its use restricted or limited in certain ways, for example religion or ritual, written literature, legal proceedings, folk tales, and so on?
7. What issues of power and authority are relevant to this dialect?
8. Is the dialect endangered? If so, what factors might be involved? If not, what might be contributing to its vitality?
Criteria by which the paper will be evaluated by classmate and graded by instructor:
Citations:All references must be from valid, scholarly sources, and properly cited. All listed references must be cited in the text. Internet sources should be scholarly works made available on the Internet, or print sources such as journal articles accessed through the Internet. HINT: If there is no authors name, it probably isnt a scholarly source; DONT CITE IT! Travel and tourist guides, brochures, commercial websites, and other non-scholarly sources will not be accepted as primary sources. You must site at least six separate sources, three of which must be print sources (WE HAVE A LIBRARY!) Two of your sources (or more) must be ethnographic/anthropological rather than specifically linguistic works that may contribute to your understanding of the cultural context of the speakers of the language. If you tell me you cant find any sources, I will tell you to either look harder, or change your language choice. DO NOT use Wikipedia as a primary source, and be judicious in your use of any Internet source. Do not repeat nonsense about a language, such as statements that it has a vocabulary of only 300 words, or is the most beautiful language in the world, or it is the most difficult language to learn, etc. If in doubt, consult with me. Suggested format: state the questions as subheadings, and then deal with them. If you only look for sources on the language itself, and ignore ethnographic writings by cultural anthropologists or sociologists, you are missing the point of this class if you dont write about the culture, but only the language, you are missing the point.
You are expected to strictly adhere to Chicago Manual of Style guidelines for margins and for IN-TEXT Author-Date citations and CITATION page. The Reference List MUST be in alphabetical order, and must adhere to Chicago Style. If any reference is pasted in from the Internet, or in a different font from the rest, or if there is any violation of the required style, you will lose all points for Formatting, listed below.
Almost everything you need to know to follow this style is at this Webpage (and you can explore the rest of the manual at this site if you need more information), Organization. Make sure to organize your paper into sections and subsections in a way that is easy to understand. In addition, give an introduction at the beginning of the paper, and have a conclusion at the end. The introduction should clearly state your research. The body of your paper should address the questions, above. In the conclusion, summarize your main points. You may also… REMAINDER OF PAPER INSTRUCTIONS ARE INCLUDED IN ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
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