On page 38, Agar discusses Emile Durkheim’s views on society. I found this section very interesting. Durkheim suggests that society is something that one is born into. Society sets limits on what one can do. I agree with this idea, because through our daily activities and social lives, we are required to act in a certain way. There are boundaries set up for us. Agar states, “When people cross the boundaries, go beyond the fences that social facts define, then they’re crazy or criminal or maybe both. They’re no longer members of the group. They’re locked into an institution until they are rehabilitated or, to put it another way, until they are brought back inside the fence.” I would like to know what happens when we go across the boundaries that society sets with language? What are the consequences? I understand that the way we speak and the language we use defines us as individuals, as well as part of a group. So then what happens when we use a different language to communicate? Are we kicked out of the group or viewed in a different way?
Comments (1)
In England I would be corrected daily for my word choice more than accent, with the Brits often citing the fact that it was their language first; a definite attempt to exclude me from their group. A majority of my time abroad was spent with other American students from the University of Wisconsin and because of my obvious linguistic exclusion from the Brits, I adapted my language to more like my friends from Wisconsin. I can safely say I came back after three months speaking more like a midwestern than a Brit, which makes it very obvious to me that social groups have everything to do with language, not just setting. From time to time you can even hear me refer to a water fountain as a bubbler.... which still makes no sense to me.
Posted by Vincent Donofrio | March 25, 2008 10:09 PM
Posted on March 25, 2008 22:09