Saint Mary’s Angels College of Pampanga

San Pedro, Sta. Ana Pampanga

Course Syllabus
Course Title: Language ,Culture and Society
Number of Units: 3 units
Class days and Class Time: Saturday 11:00-2:00 Room:
Course Description: Explores the inextricable link between and among language, culture, and society and its implications to the development of English as a glocal language and the
ways by which it is learned and taught.
Course Objectives:
At the end of the course, the students are expected to:
1. Explain how language, whose primary function is to serve as an instrument of communication, serves secondarily to help establish aspects of the social identity of its speakers.
2. List aspects of social identity that correlate with linguistic identity—national, ethnic, class, geographical, sexual, educational—and give specific examples of how these
aspects of social identity are supported or reinforced by language use
3. Explain the status of geographical variations in a language—dialects, as well as the social equivalent of such variation.
4. Gather data from their own speech and that of their families and peers, of how individual speakers switch among varieties
5. Give specific examples of how a large portion of the world’s population live and function with more than one language in their everyday lives.
6. List some of the societal issues that arise when more than one language is widely spoken in a country.
7. Learn about the role of governments in establishing language policies— such as bilingual education and language immersion—and in protecting endangered languages.
8. Explain the difference between approaching human linguistic behavior as an object of scientific study (linguistics), and approaching it with the view that some ways of
speaking are “good” and some are “bad” and attempting to impose a “better” variety on a speech community (prescriptivism)
9. Articulate the fact that all languages develop to serve the needs of their speakers, who are members of particular societies and practitioners of particular cultures, and that
languages can therefore not be compared in terms of their inherent superiority or inferiority.
10. Define and give specific examples of: a) standard languages, b) pidgins, c) creoles.

Grading System:
Final Examinations -40%
 Prelims
 Midterms
 Finals
Recitation -10%
Quizzes -20%
Projects -20%(Performances)
Attendance -10%
_______________
100%
 Saint Mary’s Angels College of Pampanga
San Pedro, Sta. Ana Pampanga
Week No. Topics Learning Competencies Learning Activities References
Week 1 Course Orientation
Week 2 The Social Functions of  Explain how language, whose primary Lecture/Discussion
Language function is to serve as an instrument of Research
Language and communication, serves secondarily to help Reporting
Geographical ,Ethnic and establish aspects of the social identity of its
National Identity speakers.
 List aspects of social identity that correlate
with linguistic identity—national, ethnic,
class, geographical, sexual, educational—and
give specific examples of how these aspects of
social identity are supported or reinforced by
language use.
Week 3 Dialects , Socialists,  Explain the status of geographical variations Lecture/Discussion
Registers in a language—dialects, as well as the social Research
equivalent of such variation. Reporting
 Gather data from their own speech and that of
their families and peers, of how individual
speakers switch among varieties, and report
on these examples to the class.
Week 4 Multilingualism.  Give specific examples of how a large portion Lecture/Discussion
of the world’s population live and function Research
with more than one language in their everyday Reporting
lives.
Week5 Language policy and  List some of the societal issues that arise when Lecture/Discussion
planning. more than one language is widely spoken in a Research
country. Reporting
 Learn about the role of governments in
establishing language policies— such as
bilingual education and language immersion
—and in protecting endangered languages
Week6 Prelim Exams
Week 7 Prescriptivism and the  Explain the difference between approaching Lecture/Discussion
equality of languages. human linguistic behavior as an object of Research
scientific study (linguistics), and approaching Reporting
it with the view that some ways of speaking
 Saint Mary’s Angels College of Pampanga
San Pedro, Sta. Ana Pampanga
are “good” and some are “bad” and attempting
to impose a “better” variety on a speech
community (prescriptivism).
 Articulate the fact that all languages develop
to serve the needs of their speakers, who are
members of particular societies and
practitioners of particular cultures, and that
languages can therefore not be compared in
terms of their inherent superiority or
inferiority.
Week 8 Written and spoken  State what the characteristic structural Lecture/Discussion
language. differences between written language and Research
spoken language are. Reporting
 They will learn that, from the standpoint of
linguistic science, spoken language is primary
and written language derivative.
Week 9 Spelling and spelling  Consider the relation between speech and
reform spelling and the origins of spelling conventions.
 Describe the advantages of a good spelling
system as well as the consequences of an
inadequate one (e.g. modern English) and
evaluate proposals for reform, with their
potential advantages and disadvantages
Week 10 Language change and  Examine evidence of language change by Lecture/Discussion
reconstruction comparing samples of languages at different Research
stages in their histories, such as texts in Latin Reporting
compared to Spanish, or Old English, Middle
English, and Modern English.
 They will learn that the reason languages
diverge from a common ancestor is the
constantly ongoing process of linguistic change.
 They will be able to list some of the reasons for
language change. They learn that linguists can
reconstruct the ancestors of related, attested
languages, even though no records of the
ancestor language may survive.

Week 11 Midterm
Week 12 The languages of the world.
Week 13 Language families.
Week 14 First-language learning
Week 15 Language as an object of
scientific study.
Week 16 Language and other
communication systems:
animal, machine.
17 Languages and world
communication. Artificial
and world languages
18 Final Exam
Saint Mary’s Angels College of Pampanga
San Pedro, Sta. Ana Pampanga
Lecture/Discussion
Research
Reporting
Students will be able to answer such questions as: Lecture/Discussion
How many languages are there in the world? How Research
many speakers do these languages have? Where
are they spoken? Reporting
 Students learn how linguists have Lecture/Discussion
determined that certain groups of languages are Research
all descended from a common ancestor.
Reporting
 Name the major families and the genetic
affiliations of the world’s major languages
Students survey some of the ongoing research on Lecture/Discussion
the process of children’s learning of their first Research
languages
Reporting
Learn of the existence of the science of Lecture/Discussion
linguistics. Research
List some of the goals and methods of this
Reporting
science.
Demonstrate the ability to differentiate between
notions and statements representing a layman’s
view of language and others that approach
language as an object of scientific study.
 They will list, in writing, specific features that
make these systems qualitatively the same as
or different from human language.
 Consider the role of language and the
challenge posed by the great diversity of
languages in an increasingly globalized world
society.
 List and describe some attempts to address
this situation with the creation of international
artificial languages and the possible use of
existing languages as international languages
Saint Mary’s Angels College of Pampanga
San Pedro, Sta. Ana Pampanga

Submitted by:
Jannet C. Lansangan