Response 4: Wolfram, Reaser & Vaughn 2008

Operationalizing Linguistic Gratuity: From Principle to Practice

Due in Blackboard by 5pm on December 5, 2016

Answers should be brief. Consider the instructions for the three previous response assignments to work out appropriate lengths. Tip: We estimate ~15 sentences for the entire assignment.

Part A: Skim/Scan

1. As discussed in tutorials, the academic article is a genre with its own established conventions and structures. Considering what you know about the components of an academic and sociolinguistics paper, answer the following questions:
   1. List three structural components that this article shares with all research papers;
   2. List one major way that this article differs from a research paper.
2. What did you find to be the most useful/informative sentence in the abstract of this paper? Quote the sentence and briefly explain why you found it useful/informative.
3. What did you find to be the most useful/informative sentence in the Introduction of this paper? Quote the sentence and briefly explain why you found it useful/informative.

Part B: Content extension

4. As we have seen in other articles for this course, the term “vernacular” can carry specialized meanings. Focusing on the following quotation from Wolfram et al., explain what the term means this time.

   When the vernacular language norms of the community stand in opposition to those of mainstream, Standard English varieties, an immediate ideological conflict is brought to the forefront (p. 1122).

5. In a short paragraph, discuss the principle of linguistic gratuity by answering the following questions:
   1. How would you define the principle of linguistic gratuity in your own words?
   2. Give two examples of applying this principle that were discussed and/or illustrated in class.
   3. Are you aware of other applications of this principle? That is, have you seen this principle applied?
6. Explain what the authors mean in the following quotation by providing an example from your own experiences.

   Another principle of sociolinguistic engagement is the intrinsic connection between language differences and sociohistorical, sociocultural, and regional traditions (p. 1113).

7. Think of something that you, as a group of undergraduate linguistics students, could do to “give something back” to the community from which you drew data for Projects 1 and/or 2. Describe your idea by answering the following questions in one cohesive paragraph:
   1. What is the community you are thinking about?
   2. What would the event/activity be?
   3. What is the goal of this event/activity?
   4. Who benefits from the event/activity?
   5. Who provides/produces the event/activity?
   6. Is your proposal an example of a “valid and reliable description/documentation” or is it an example of “explicat[ing] the role of language in community life”?

 Return to syllabus || Updated August 30, 2016