Legal Studies Program 301 - Language And Alienation

Institution:

Macalester College

Subject:

Description:

We are living in the midst of an "irony epidemic," where two of the most frequently used expressions in currentAmerican English are "like" (as in "Do you, like, wanna leave ") and "whatever" (as in "And I'm like, whateBoth of these are literally advertisements that words are not the real thing (at best, they are "like" it), and thatthey don't matter (since "whatever" you say is equally a matter of indifference). This course takes as its point odeparture the description of sarcasm and irony in spoken American English, and proceeds to an investigation of how the peculiar message of sarcasm ("I don't mean this") is conveyed in other languages, and in the mediaSarcasm is only one linguistic expression-possibly the very simplest-of what is known as "the divided operforming self": others include affectation, the prevalent banter known as "just kidding," gobbledygookposturing or grandstanding, euphemism, doublespeak, simple politeness, and ritual language, some of which have been extensively described in one or more languages, some of which are scientifically unstudied. (Banter, for example is particularly widespread among academics, both students and teachers, and nothing whatsoever has been written about how it works, and why it is so common.) In fact, it is more than likely that some "divided self" discourse genres have not even been named, although they are thoroughly familiar. Not surprisingly, the study of cheap talk connects intimately with aspects of pop culture. More surprising, however, is the idea that the cheapness of talk is not only a currently recognized property of our language, but that it might serve to define the very essence of human language in general and offer insights into the origins and nature of our ability to speak at all. Prerequisite: one course in linguistics. Next offered Fall 2008. (4 credits)

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.macalester.edu

Phone Number:

(651) 696-6000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

The Course Profile information is provided and updated by third parties including the respective institutions. While the institutions are able to update their information at any time, the information is not independently validated, and no party associated with this website can accept responsibility for its accuracy.