Reflecting on Your Language Use
Reflect on yourself as a language user — how your reading, writing, and speaking shift across audiences, purposes, and contexts, and where you want to develop further
What a learner can do afterwards
- metalinguistic awareness development
- register and audience awareness research
The lesson
You already know more than one way to talk and write. You might text a friend fast: 'omg wait what.' You might write a school report with full sentences and no shortcuts. Both are you, just fitting different situations.
Maya texts her friend 'Sup, u coming?' but writes 'Are you planning to attend the event on Friday?' in a note to her teacher. Same question, different words, because a friend and a teacher are different audiences.
Two things usually drive the change. The audience is who is listening or reading. The purpose is what you're trying to do: explain, persuade, joke, or ask. When either one changes, your words usually change too.
In a class debate, Jamal speaks slowly and gives reasons: 'I disagree, because the evidence shows...' At home, talking to his little sister, he just says: 'Nope, my turn.' Same person, two different audiences.
Notice your own switches for a day. Every time you talk or write, ask yourself: who is this for, and what am I trying to do? That question is the first step toward choosing your words on purpose.
You already speak and write in many ways, and naming your audience and purpose helps you choose your words on purpose.
Watch it
Where it sits
This opens up
Nothing builds on it yet.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.