Using English literature to discuss linguistic variation in foreign language classes
Keywords:
Literature, Sociolinguistics, Linguistic variationAbstract
This case study aims to present a project carried out with Grade 10 students from a bilingual school. During English classes, the students were able to come into contact with the book “The Hate U Give”, by author Angie Thomas. The book deals with social issues, and language plays a prominent role in some moments of the book. Throughout the reading, the students were able to analyze the linguistic behavior of the main character of the book, Starr, in the two main settings in which she was part of: (i) her neighborhood, in the suburbs; and (ii) her private school. Fishman (2000) argues that specific contexts of communication create “domains of use”, causing speakers to use certain linguistic varieties in order to be able to participate in any interactions that occur there. For Starr, this would mean adapting her variety of English to a more standard version whenever she was at her school. These moments were recorded by the students and, after research on linguistic prejudice (see Bagno, 2007) and how speakers can establish communication with each other (see Soares, 2003), a short article was written. This project helped the students understand how an individual's linguistic identity is formed.
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