 Try to ‘read’ these texts. Think about as many aspects as possible Try to ‘read’ these texts  Be prepared to share your ideas with the group

 advertisements appeals biographies blogs brochures cartoons diaries editorials essays essays  Feature articles films letters manifestos memoirs news reports opinion columns parodies pastiches memoirs news reports opinion columns  photographs reports screenplays song lyrics speeches tabloid articles tweets travel writing tabloid articles

Introduction to the course: PowerPoint

Some responses: “I think it is writing in some language. At first I thought it was Arabic but I’ve seen that and it looks more like something from Asia.” “It is language…whatever it is trying to say, the part in red is the most important part…maybe.” “This is graffiti. It is a very long tag, or maybe a design.” The image is a form of mark-making called ‘asemic writing’ by the artist Patricia Dunn. Asemic writing resembles writing, calligraphy or alphabet but has no clear meaning. Is this language or a form of art?

 In table groups, discuss each of the following questions for 30secs:  What is language?  What is the purpose of language?  How do we communicate through language?  How is language controlled?  How does it evolve?  Think of some examples and be prepared to share your ideas with the group.

 To express emotion;  To drown out silence;  To establish a sense of belonging;  To establish relationships;  To enjoy the sound of language;  To affect other’s emotions;  To affect other’s behaviour;  To convey information;  To lie, to cheat, to confuse!

 Culture broadly defines a system of meaning for a group of people and it includes language, laws, customs, myths, images, texts and daily practices.

 Look at the following McDonald ads and complete the table given to you.McDonald ads complete the table given  Be prepared to share your thoughts and difficulties in understanding

 Language surrounds us EVERYWHERE in a variety of ways – words, images, sound, actions etc  Language is symbiotic with culture and the manner in which we structure our lives. Culture is shaped by our use of language  In the spirit of TOK, try to put aside any assumptions you have about what language is, how it operates and the role it plays in your/our culture.

LanguageEstimated Population of speakers Mandarin1.1 billion English760 million Hindi490 million Spanish417 million Russian277 million

 What reasons do you think may be responsible for the decline of ‘living languages’?  Discuss in your small groups and try to bullet point some ideas.

 Speakers shifting to dominant languages such as English, French, Spanish, Mandarin and Hindi  Speakers own preference of shifting to other languages considered more ‘prestigious’ and ‘modern’  Socio-political factors, language policy, language indoctrination through education, repression and pressure to use the official and national languages  Economic pressures  Migratory trends  Natural disasters / epidemics

 Read the following extract from the poem ‘Mokusatsu’ and in pairs, discuss what it tells you about language, meaning and communication using the questions as stimulus.  Be prepared to share your ideas with the group.  ‘Mokusatsu’ by Heathcote Williams ‘Mokusatsu’ by Heathcote Williams