Data analysis project: Implications for language teaching.

This assignment should be no more than 3,500 words. Your assignment should cover background theory, analysis, discussion of your analysis, and implications for language teaching. You should devote about one quarter of your assignment to each of these areas. 50% of the grade for this assignment will be allocated to your analysis and the discussion of your analysis. The other 50% will be allocated to your discussion of background theory and implications for language teaching.

Language and Identity

What are some the ways in which the use of language reflects identity? These might, for example, include the use of particular vocabulary, the use of a particular voice quality, or through the way which you express a particular point of view. Choose spoken or written data which you think reflects ways in which language reflects identity. The data much be naturally occurring, authentic (i.e. not text-book or rehearsed) examples of spoken or written language. You can use text message data, on line chat, if you wish, or social media data such Facebook or Twitter.

Use Chapter 2 of Discourse Analysis (Paltridge, 2012) as the starting point for this assignment. Also:

Block, D. (2007). Second Language Identities. London: Continuum. Chapter 2. Identities in the social sciences today

LaBelle, S. (2011) ’Language and identity’, in A. Mooney, L. Thomas, S. Wareing, J. Stilwell Peccei, S. LaBelle, B. E. Henriksen, E. Eppler, A. Irwin, P. Pichler, P. Preece and S. Soden (eds), Language, Society and Power, Third edition (pp. 173-188).  London: Routledge (in electronic reserve)

Tagg, C. (2012). Discourse of Text Messaging. London: Continuum. Chapter 8. Performing identity through text messaging. (in electronic reserve)

Paltridge, B. (2012). Discourse Analysis. Second edition. London: Bloomsbury.

Hyland, K. and B. Paltridge (eds) (2011). Bloomsbury Companion to Discourse Analysis. London: Continuum.