University of the Sunshine Coast

Language as a Tool
to Enhance Life skills
LNG110 – Languages and Linguistics Assessment Task 3 – Essay “The
USC Graduate Attributes are the qualities and skills that our university
values and endeavors to support the development of our students.
These qualities and skills have been specifically chosen to give our
graduates the strategic edge in the workplace as well as enhancing
their capacities to be leaders in the community leveraging their ethical
and sustainability focused understanding”. Select three graduate
qualities and explain how language learning and learning about
languages can assist a student to develop these qualities.

Beth Kracke
Student number: 1088858
Word count: 1118
Referencing Style: Harvard
Beth Kracke 1088858 Task 3

Language as a Tool to Enhance Life Skills

Students at the University of the Sunshine Coast are encouraged to build upon attributes
considered beneficial to future employment and other future endeavours, including
attributes considered an asset to the pursuit of positions in leadership roles. This essay
will show that the study of languages offers substantial advantages to the enhancement of
these graduate skills which in turn benefits students future potential. Through the
cultivation of language skills students may improve their communication skills, develop the
ability to think critically and with the refinement of language skills, increase confidence and
personal empowerment. Through the study and enhancement of language skills,
graduates maximise potential to succeed in an increasingly competitive world.

The University of the Sunshine Coasts graduate attributes list is constructed with the
intention of nurturing attributes within students which will be assets in future endeavours
with communication skills being one of the important skills listed. Communication is
defined as information that is passes from one person to another (Miller 1951, p.6). The
effectiveness of language as a form of communication depends on the ability of
participants to transfer and interpret information (Miller 1951, p.132). The transference of
information is affected by the choices made by the participants and the study of language
may enhance a student’s ability to interpret information and understanding these language
choices (Halliday 2003, p.180). Additionally, the study of language may enhance a
student’s ability to interpret and share information by increasing their ability to register
nuances of Diatypic variation, described by Halliday (2003, p.299) as ‘the existence of
different fields, and modes and tenors of discourse’. An example of this might be the way
in which we vary our vocabulary and posture change according to context (Halliday 2003,
p.299). Our way of communicating may be quite formal in writing, at a business function or
delivering a speech in public but will relax considerably when communicating with friends
and family with whom we feel comfortable (Halliday 2003, p.299). Examining the ways in
which we communicate may enhancing a student’s awareness of the nuances of the
choices made during the act of communication. This in turn may increase their ability to
communicate effectively in a variety of situations and their ability to gather meaning from
the information shared with them. These newly formed skills will allow graduates to
communicate more effectively resulting in improved potential in future endeavours.

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One of the graduate attributes that is reiterated repeatedly in a variety of courses and
course materials at the University of the Sunshine Coast is the necessity of ‘critical
thought’. While critical thought itself is difficult to define there are several skills considered
to be necessarily applied to critical thought such as the ability to infer, analyse, interpret,
evaluate and explain as well as the ability to self-regulate (Falcione 1992, p. 5). From an
education perspective Emmitt et.al explain that teachers perceive their role as that of
preparing students to become citizens with the potential to create a more equitable and
just society through the use of critical, analytical and informed thought and believe that
both the education and the future action are achieved through the use of language
(Emmitt et.al 2015, p.xvi). Through the analysis of the speech of others we decide if the
person speaking is coming from either a negative or a positive perspective, whether they
are friend or foe and we behave in the manner corresponding to our judgements (Halliday
2003, p.215). We are able to evaluate the intentions, whether to dissuade or encourage, of
others via the construction of language, a valuable tool in the age of mass media (Halliday
2003, p.215). One of the manners in which language can be seen to be used to influence
is through the speech work of politicians (Biria & Mohammadi 2012, p.1292). The
inaugural speech of the newly elected is an example of this, in that is specifically written
and delivered in a manner to inspire a sense of unity and ownership within the target
audience (Biria & Mohammadi 2012, p.1291). While this example is specific to politics it is
a regular occurrence in social and professional interactions in which one person will use
language to shape the perceptions of their target audience (Halliday 2003, p.215). With
this is mind, Biria and Mohammadi suggest that the ability to decode language and see
below the surface of discursive practice is an essential element of understanding societal
construction (Biria & Mohammadi 2012, p.1292) Through the use of critical thought
students become less reliant on the opinions and influence of others and more aware of
what lays beneath the surface language constructed by society. This gives graduates
greater autonomy and the possibilty to shape the direction of their future potential.

Among the graduate attributes list is the word ‘empowered’ however the meaning of this
word may alter depending on context. In this article, it will be used in reference to the
power of individuals to exercise control over their own lives (Osborne 1994, p.56). To start
it must be recognised that there is an innate power in the vocabulary we use (Halliday
2003, p.215) as shown in the previous paragraphs. Knowledge is considered to coexist
with the process of empowerment, and knowledge and understanding are imparted

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through language (Putz et.al 2006, p.14). Additionally, it is generally acknowledged that
history is written by the victors and this history shapes our perceptions of the past,
moulding our present (Halliday 2003, p.217). Despite this, through careful consideration of
the language used and critical evaluation of the content, the listener, if so inclined has the
ability to choose not to acquiesce to the suggestions or coercions of others, be they by the
media, influential people or within personal relationships (Putz et.al 2006, p.16). While it
may seem that empowerment would come from within, increased confidence created
through education, resulting in a student becoming increasingly comfortable with language
and its usage in various scenarios may be utilized to enhance a graduate’s potential and
sense of personal empowerment.

With the possibilities for the future stretching ahead of graduates, the University of the
Sunshine Coast has created a framework to enhance their student’s employability and
general life success in the form of the ‘graduate attributes’. The study of languages and
linguistics by students may enhance these graduate attributes by increasing their potential
to communicate effectively in varying scenarios, by improving their ability to think both
critically and creatively and by increasing their personal feelings of empowerment,
especially when aligned with other effective communication skills. These skills may be
applied in various ways and across a multitude of situations creating the potential for
students not just to succeed but to excel in all areas of their future lives.

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References

Biria, R & Mohammadi, A 2012, ‘The socio-pragmatic functions of inaugural speech: A

critical discourse analysis approach’, Journal of Pragmatics, vol. 44, pp. 1291-1292,
viewed 25 October 2018,
https://ac-els-cdn-com.ezproxy.usc.edu.au/S0378216612001397/1-s2.0-
S0378216612001397-main.pdf?_tid=5b6d0e76-53bb-424b-80b7-aa78db48b251&ac

Emmitt, M, Zbaracki, M, Komesaroff, L & Pollock J 2015, ‘Language and Learning: An

Introduction for Teaching’, 6th Edition, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, Australia, p.
xvi, viewed 25 October 2018,
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/usc/reader.action?docID=4191367&query

Falcione, P 1992, ‘Critical thinking. What is it and why does it count?’, Insight Assessment,
California, USA, p.5), viewed 25 October 2018,
http://www.student.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/1922502/Critical-Thinking-
What-it-is-and-why-it-counts.pdf

Halliday, M. A. K 2003, ‘On Language and Linguistics’ Continuum, London, UK,

EBSCOhost, eBook Collection, pp.180-299, viewed 25 September 2018,
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.usc.edu.au:2048/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtf
XzIyNjc4NV9fQU41?sid=bcf5e460-d903-4933-847b-0279a

Miller, G 1951, ‘Language and Communication’, McGraw-Hill Publications in Psychology,

New York, USA, pp.6-132, viewed 28 September 2018,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/11135-000

Osborne, S 1994, ‘The language of empowerment’, The International Journal of Public

Sector Management, vol. 7, no. 3, p. 56, viewed 25 October 2018,
https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.usc.edu.au/docview/234327998/fulltext/15B84EEDA06D41EEPQ/1?accounti
d=28745

Putz M, Fishman J & Neffvan van Aertselaer, J 2006, ‘Along the Routes to Power:
Explorations of Empowerment Through Language’, Walter de Gryuter GmbH & Co. Berlin,
Germany, pp. 14-16, viewed 25 October 2018,
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.usc.edu.au:2048/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtf
XzU1NzQzMV9fQU41?sid=7d5f3804-a7d5-45c3-af3e-eca7

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