Cultural and Linguistic Varieties in Language Use
Cultural Varieties
Language is a system of linguistic signs and rules for combination and use.
Speech is the concrete embodiment of language and is individual: each person selects a few items and uses them differently.
Register is the set of linguistic features that result from the adaptation of language use to a particular situation communicated by a speaker.
All the factors mentioned determine different varieties that can be used:
- Diastratic varieties, or language registers, reflecting differences
Essential American Literary Works: Themes and Identification Cues
1. James Fenimore Cooper: The Last of the Mohicans
Frontier and wilderness vibe; tracking, ambush, pursuit, and survival tension. Native characters and “tribe” identity (Mohicans/Delawares, etc.) set against the colonial war background (French & Indian War atmosphere).
Document Cues: Hawkeye/Natty Bumppo, Chingachgook, Uncas, and the frontier conflict between “civilization” and wilderness. Romantic adventure narration, descriptive landscape, moral polarization (honor/treachery), and an
Mastering Legal English: Stress, Sound, and Structure
1. Word Stress
Word stress refers to giving extra emphasis, loudness, or length to one syllable in a word so that it stands out more clearly than the others. English is a stress-timed language, which means correct stress is necessary for clear pronunciation and understanding. Incorrect stress can change the meaning or make the speaker sound unclear or unnatural. For example, words like “juDIcial,” “aPPEAL,” and “CONtract” (noun) have fixed stress patterns, while the same spelling “conTRACT”
Read MoreSir Gawain and the Green Knight: Key Terms & Quiz Answers
Key Terms and Literary Devices
- A set of idealized ‘rules’ that outlined
- Courtly Love
- A dialect of a language which is
- Vernacular
- Writing which uses discursive units such as
- Prose
- Writing which uses meter as its
- Poetry
- A contrast between expectations and reality
- Irony
- A literary movement in the medieval era
- Alliterative Revival
- The use of objects, things, and people
- Symbolism
- A stanza form consisting of a group
- Bob and Wheel
- The way in which a writer reveals
- Characterization
- When an author reveals a character’s personality
- Direct
Percival Everett’s James: Identity, Language, and Resistance
Identity and Self-Definition
(James – Simple Essay Outline)
Introduction: In James, Percival Everett tells the story of Jim from Huckleberry Finn in a new way. Instead of being shown as simple or passive, James is intelligent and aware of how slavery shapes his life. Thesis: Everett shows that James builds his own identity through intelligence, language, and choice, despite a society that tries to define him.
Body Paragraph 1 — Topic Sentence: James shows his true identity through his intelligence
Read MoreEveryday English Dialogues for Travel, Dining and Study
Everyday English Dialogues: Travel, Dining & Study
Prueba 1 — Travel and Shopping Dialogues
- Emily: I need a new bag for the trip. Which one do you think is nice?
- Laura: Well, the small one, because the big one is heavier.
- Emily: Yes, but which bag do you prefer?
- Laura: The small one is more expensive.
- Emily: Hmmm. I think the big one is more beautiful than the small one.
- Laura: Yeah, you are right, but it’s not very practical for a trip.
- Emily: How much are they?
- Salesperson: Well, they are $239.99.