2.2 Language & Interpersonal Skills
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Why does language learning matter so much?
This page takes a step back for students to consider language development, language acquisition and linguistic skills in a broader more conceptual way that links directly to their personal development, intercultural understanding and effective communication skills development in Personal and Professional Skills. As ever, an individual's relationship with language is unique and being more explicit in the processes and influences involved can lead to far more self-awareness.
Don't see the themes, topics and sub-topics in isolation
Whilst this page is found in the Intercultural Understanding part of PPS, do notice how it also explore interpersonal skills and the theme of Effective Communication.
'The way you speak reflects where you come from but it can also reflect where you want to be'.
This short film from The BBC World Service series: Deeply Human, considers the broad question of why people speak the way they do, and how this develops and changes over time. Whilst this is a summary of ideas, it raises important questions for students about where they are at with language development, acquisition and skills in their studies but also in their wider context. The questions that follow are intended to make them think and consider multiple perspectives as everyone will have a different response or take on the questions.
Discussion points
One suggestion here is to let students consider the questions individually before coming together with a partner to discuss them. Perhaps they can write them down so they can chart what they really thought at the start of the discussion and whether this changed by the end. Not only is this a good thinking process, it also ensures that everyone has a say and opinion before possibly being influenced by others.
Talking with a partner, respond to these questions and points from the brief film.
In what way does the way you speak reflects where you come from? In what way does it also reflect where you want to be?
How does the way you speak tell a story about so many different aspects of your life? Does it reflect at all how much you want to identify with one particular group of people?
Do you sometimes change the way you speak to fit the situation that you’re in or who you’re with?
Do you change the way you speak from context to context? In what way might the way people speak lead to discrimination and cause them to try to alter the way they talk?
What is your linguistic heritage? And do you value your linguistic heritage?
Transcript of short film.
https://youtu.be/XDyfEUeFTBk 'Deeply Human: Why you talk the way you do'
The quesitons above are taken from the points raised in the video.