Linguistics. Are you scared? If so, you are not alone in the world. The majority of people who ask what I do in life give me very strange looks when I say that I am interested in and teach courses in Linguistics. A few are brave enough to ask, "What's that?" Most just proceed to a more approachable topic.
Several weeks ago, I submitted an application to teach at a lifelong learning institute sponsored by our local university (under 50 years of age need not apply). The first draft of the course description read like a watered-down version of a university introductory course in Linguistics (the science of language) that I taught for some years. It was stiff and contained unusual (some would say 'nerdy') words like 'syntax', 'morphology', 'phonology', and 'pragmatics'. With an unusual flash of intuition, I realized that very few normal people out in the world would enroll in this course.
So I changed my approach. Almost everyone in the world has the capability to communicate using language. The delivery method of language varies, but language still has to be formulated in the brain.
Here are some questions that I imagine most people will want to know about language:
- How did language begin?
- Are we the only living beings that use language?
- How are we able to find two different meanings in a sentence like "She texted her boyfriend with an iPhone."
- Should we reject all new words that come into a language?
- Why do I have trouble making some sounds in other languages?
- Is slang to be avoided at all costs?
- Why do people speak with an accent different from mine?
- Are certain areas in the brain essential for language?
- "Can you pass the salt?" A question or a request?
- Can adults acquire a second language, or is it all downhill after age 14?
Which is these questions interested you most? (You can just respond with the number). I'm still in the planning stages for the new course, now called "Exploring Language", so your opinion is very valuable.
