Language represents a critical part of any society and cultural underpinnings of a people. It means that even as it is inculcated in different people, the person still holds the power to determine how he or she can or cannot use the language acquired through culture and other methods. In many instances, choice theory will control language choice meaning that a person chooses their behavior and their options are often geared towards attempting to fulfill the five basic needs identified by Dr. William Glasser (Marashi & Erami, 2018). Once one gains and understanding of their basic needs and other components such as the quality world, perceived world, the total behavior system and the comparing place, the he or she gains the ability to maintain lasting and healthy relationships with important people in their lives resulting in a happier and more satisfied life. When looking at language through the choice theory, it is necessary to understand that the individual can only control personal behavior and that he or she only has the power to provide information to someone else (Marashi & Erami, 2018). Choice theory is recognizable in various conversations that people have and often determines language choice. It means that the concepts presented by Dr. Glasser unconsciously control how two or more people converse with one another. These conversations often act as indicators and determinants of the relationships present between those communicating. Presented below, is a dialogue indication language choice as determined by choice theory. The conversation occurs between an employer and their employee concerning workplace behavior.
(Michael, the organization’s manager calls into his office Gean to explain a complaint he has received from three other employees who are Gean’s direct colleagues)
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Gean (already allowed to sit): good morning sir, you called for me?
Michael: yes, Gean how are you doing this morning?
Gean: I am going great, just looking forward to a great day at work
Michael: that is wonderful. I have called you in here today to discuss a complaint I have received from your colleagues.
Gean: Okay sir
Michael: some of your colleagues accuse you of never helping out on team assignments but taking credit of the completed work every time there are tasks assigned to you in teams
Gean: what? That is absurd, I always play my part in every team project and ensure to deliver as expected.
Michael: the complaints are not just from one individual and for them to bring these complaints to me, they needed to substantiate them.
Gean: I know sir, but I still insist that I always play my role in team tasks.
Michael: you know I have evidence of these accusations because I asked for it
Gean (in disbelief): what type of evidence
Michael: I asked your colleagues to provide substantial evidence of you in team tasks and I have a couple of video recordings of you during some of these tasks
Gean: can I have a look
(Michael presents Gean with one of the videos and she watches on in shock and embarrassment)
Michael: as you can see, they are not just baseless accusations but what actually happens when you are in teams
Gean: but sir, it is not entirely what happens, my colleagues are out to get me because they do not like me
Michael: no Gean you need to takes responsibility of your actions which are clearly evident in what you colleagues have brought forward to me
Gean: I understand sir but these accusations are only to tarnish my name because I am a good team player
Michael (now getting angry): you need to take responsibility of your actions and until you are ready to do so, I cannot have this conversation with you. Please leave my office
(Gean tries to explain herself but Michael can have none of it, so she leaves)
As is evident from the conversation, Gean’s language towards Michael is determined by their environment and the relationship that exists between the two. The language use is official and they are employer and employee and therefore keep it professional. They both communicate respectively with one another as they understanding that they are not on similar levels as determined by their environment and relationship. As is evident, Gean continually uses the term ‘sir’ to refer to her boss because her culture and organizational culture expects her to behave and communicate in this manner. Michael exercises a certain level of authority because culture expects him to behave so when in a position of authority. It is clear that how they communicate and the words they use are socially constructed and one would expect similar interactions in similar instances. In the conversation, Gean seems unrepentant of the accusations leveled against her; bring her out as someone who never takes responsibility for her actions. It shows to her boss that she does not see any mistakes she has made, which one can identify from the evidence provided, and she is not repentant. It is probable that her actions will result in adverse repercussions for her which is often the case for individuals who are not apologetic for mistakes they have made. One can conclude that Gean has not learned to take responsibility of her actions and will often blame other people or throw the blame somewhere else for her to escape the consequences.
Gender and Language
Gender presents a somewhat controversial issue for any society especially now that educational and technological advancements influence people’s view and understanding of the concept. Every society has the male and female genders who behave and interact in extremely different ways. Both these genders are recognized as developed in an individual from an early age which often includes the development of the language used and how they communicate within the gender and with the other gender. Deborah Tannen in her difference theory identifies that there are differences in cross-cultural communication and because gender represents a culture; there exists differences in how these two genders communicate. The theory views communication between the two genders from contrasting sides often based on the constructed characteristics of males and females ( Coates, 2015) . The theory shows that men view the world from a competition perspective and thus will communicate to gain status while women view the world as a network of connections and thus use language to provide and gain support ( Coates, 2015) . Women communicate to be understood and shown sympathy while men need a solution to their problems. Communication in men is geared towards provision of information while for women it is a way of expressing their feelings. Men communicate authoritatively through commands while women will use proposals or request when passing on a message. Women will compromise during conversations to avoid conflicts while men will use confrontation in resolving their issues. Communication in men is built on independence while in women it is on intimacy ( Coates, 2015) . The dialogue below helps demonstrate these characteristics of gender and language.
(Pete and Lily have been married for five years and have two baby boys. They are both working and often help one another in caring for their children and household chores. Pete comes home to find Lily asleep of the couch with the house in a mess and dinner not prepared at eight in the night)
Pete; Hi honey, how was your day
Lily; really hectic, I couldn’t move a muscle when I got home. I closed my eyes for one minute to rest and I ended up napping
Pete; but honey I though you understood that we need to follow a certain schedule to ensure that everything runs smoothly as we prepare for the next day especially if it is a workday for us and school day for the children
Lily; I am sorry; I was just too tired to get any chores done. I didn’t expect to sleep that long
Pete; you need to understand that when we share these chores, we need to ensure they are done to avoid unnecessary inconveniences
Lily; I said I was sorry Pete, what more do you want me to do
Pete; I wanted to be sure that this will never happen again because it is already late and nothing is done
Lily (teared up); you don’t even know how my day has been and why I am so tired to even get smallest chores done
Pete; I know the day may have been hectic but you still need to play your part when you get home, just like I always do
Lily; okay Pete I cannot have this conversation with you anymore. I am too tired to argue
Pete; you always walk away from serous conversations that require you to take responsibility for your actions
Lily (now crying); what more do you want from me, isn’t it enough that I apologized
Pete; yes you did but I don’t think it was sincere
Lily; Pete just stop it okay, I am going to start up on the chores anyway; I see no sense in your argument
Pete; it is not my argument, I need you to get the message I am trying to pass forward
Lily; and what is that
Pete; you need to be more responsible and cater to your responsibilities just as I do mine
Lily (as she storms out into the kitchen); I can do this anymore
One can identify the characteristics of cross-cultural communication from the conversation between Pete and Lily. Their form of communication is constructed by their association with their specific genders which is a social construct. From early ages, these two identify with the male or female genders and they learn how these genders communicate, converse and the words they use. Even as husband and wife, their communication is still differentiated by their genders. One can easily identify that Pete is trying to affirm his status as the man of the how in the somewhat authoritative way he speaks to his wife. He does not give the opportunity for her to explain how hectic her day has been thus making her too tired to complete any chores once she gets home. It is also clear that all Lily is looking for through her communication is some sort of support from her husband. She needs him to support her even when he comes home and finds this not in perfect order and understand that there was a reason behind it. She is indirectly seeking for sympathy from her husband. It is why she starts crying at a given point during the conversation. However, all Pete is doing is providing advice to his wife on how she needs to take responsibility of her actions and be responsible enough to accomplish what is expected of her. All these characteristics and many more trickle down to the male and female genders despite the fact that Pete and Lily are married.
Language and Power
Both language and power are social constructs inculcated in people from young ages. Children will observe how an individual conducts him or herself with a certain level of power and they will learn to associate this power with the individual or the position that he or she holds. It is no different for the use of language in relation to power. People often observe how individuals who hold certain powers in society are addressed or address others and they will attach this form of communication and language use to the position represented by the individual. As Pierre Bourdieu identifies in his Theory of Class Distinction, the way in which an individual presents his or her social space to the world will depict his status and will be the differentiating factor from individuals in a lower group ( Harker, Mahar & Wilkes, 2016) . He believes that children identify such social classifications and class distinctions and will internalize them. It is what will hen guide these children in identifying their social positions, identification of behaviors they believe are suitable for them and those they identify as not suitable for them. Such social constructs are significant determinants in how people interact with those in authority and how they respond to one another. Some will want to show that they have power over the rest and thus exercise this power in how they speak and the words they use. Other will be in clear authority but will use intellectual language that does not demean the rest. Nonetheless the aspect of power will be present in the language used. The following is a dialogue between a doctor and a patient.
Doctor; how are you feeling today
Patient; not so good doc
Doctor; why is that
Patient; the pain keeps on increasing despite taking the medication you had prescribed last time
Doctor; okay I see. Have you been taking them as prescribed or is there a time you missed
Patient; I always ensure to take the medication on time to at least help me get well
Doctor; you know that failure to adhere to the prescription could lead to dire consequences right?
Patient; yes I understand that which is why I have been taking them faithfully as you had instructed
Doctor; do you engage in light exercises as I had instructed
Patient; yes doc, I take short walks around the neighborhood every evening and do some chores around the house
Doctor; how about your diet, does it include more proteins as I advised?
Patient; yes I ensure to include the right amount of protein intake as you had recommended
Doctor; okay it seems that you are adhering to my instructions. Maybe the medication will be the problem
Patient; okay
Doctor; I will change for you the medication and you will take it for the next two weeks then we will see the changes if there will be any
Patient; okay, no problem
Doctor (noting down something); please pass by the pharmacy for them to give you these medicines and ensure to adhere to the prescriptions
Patient; of course doc, I will
From the conversation, one can identify the clearly demarcated authority between the doctor and his patient. Being a doctor is a profession treated with a high degree of respect. It focuses on the individual’s well-being and the patient is often well aware that the doctor knows best. He or she is the professional and has the required knowledge and skills to execute their duty. It means that even as the patient goes to the doctor, he or she is sure that their health will be restored and thus trust the doctor. All these thoughts and believes concerning the profession are socially constructed as society places a significantly high value on doctors. It means that people will trust doctors with their lives and more often than not they live up to this expectation. It means that even the language and communication that accompanies being a doctor is different from other professions. It is socially constructed to include respect, trust and commitment from the patient and the rest of society. It is evident in the language use by the doctor in the dialogue above as he uses words like advised, instructed and much more. Such words indicate that the utterer is one in authority to the one receiving the message. Even in normal societal settings a doctor often commands certain authority in how he or she speaks and the responses elicited from those engaging in the conversation. Nonetheless, what stands clear is that language and power are social constructs that are inculcated in the individual from an early age and they remain and represent critical parts of his or her life.
Language and Education
It is no doubt that language represents a critical aspect of education. To a certain extent, there would be no education without learning as one is almost entirely dependent on the other. People and especially educators use language to pass a message to students thus enabling the education process. Even then, it is likely that such a process will be characterized by barriers that will interfere with the process of education ( Lin, 2008) . As Krashen identifies students may be subjected to high pressure learning situations which results in stress for them. Further, these students will eventually shut down during the learning process and fail to move ahead. Krashen believes that the presence anxiety and stress in the classroom will negatively affect the abilities of students learning language to speak and understand language ( Lin, 2008) . As is clear, language plays a key role in education and any barrier, no matter how minimal will result in negative consequences for the student during their education process. It means that educators need to exercise caution in the type of language they use towards students and that they should be watchful for stressful environments that will impact the educational process of the students. Certain words an educator uses will determine the perception of students concerning what is being articulated. Similarly, certain concepts and their difficulty or ease will influence the perception of what the educator is teaching and thus result in an effective educational interaction or one that is ineffective. There needs to be significant caution in the use of language for education to ensure that every student is satisfied with what is being taught.
The following dialogue occurs between a student and teacher.
Teacher; I have noticed that lately you are not as active in class and before
Student stares away from the teacher
Teacher; is there something bothering you that affects your participation
Student (in hesitation); no I am okay
Teacher; I do not believe you are okay because you are one of the most active students and lately that is not the case
Student; (stares again at the table)
Teacher; I need to understand what is bothering you for me to help
Student; okay
Teacher; it would be wise if you shared your problem for use to identify possible solutions
Student (seeming fearful); lately I have not been understanding the concepts you teach in class. I find the language you use and the concepts complex
Teacher; okay, is it for all concepts in the last few weeks or some
Student; just a few of the concepts that I believe you articulate in a language I do not understand easily
Teacher; what do you feel would work for you
Student; I would do much better if you simplified your language and explained the concepts in an easier way
Teacher; okay I will adjust how I teach the concepts in a manner that is easily understandable and applicable
Student; I will highly appreciate it
Teacher; no problem, however ensure that you read prior to the class to help you get acquainted with the language use so that you can easily keep up when I teach
Student; okay no problem, I will. Thank you
The dialogue is an indication of how students will perceive the content they learn in class in different ways and the difference is often developed by the language use by the educator. Students will not grasp concept with the same vigor and at the same level meaning that there are those who will lag behind. Just as is demonstrated in the dialogue, one of the students voices out their frustrations in their educational experience which is due to the language used by the teacher. The use of language for education is present in society from early stages of life and children will gradually learn and improve on their language acquisition skills as they advance through life. Even as Krashen shows there will be barrier that will affect the entire educational process and in some instances these barriers may be represented by language. It is necessary for educators to understand that language acquisition and mastery is not the same in every individual and there are those who will grasp concepts at a slower rate due to language. It is therefore necessary that they pay attention to such cases just like the teacher in the case presented above did. By addressing every student individually, the educator can identify the origin of the stress the student faces and help make their learning experience better. In the end, such a move is not only beneficial for the student but also for the educator and the entire class. Students will be happy to learn and be taught using simple language.
References
Coates, J. (2015). Women, men and language: A sociolinguistic account of gender differences in language . Routledge.
Harker, R., Mahar, C., & Wilkes, C. (Eds.). (2016). An introduction to the work of Pierre Bourdieu: The practice of theory . Springer.
Lin, G. H. C. (2008). Pedagogies Proving Krashen's Theory of Affective Filter. Online Submission .
Marashi, H., & Erami, N. (2018). Using choice theory-based instruction to foster vocabulary learning. The Language Learning Journal , 1-11.
