{"id":51129,"date":"2020-02-19T00:00:46","date_gmt":"2020-02-19T08:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=51129"},"modified":"2020-02-18T22:01:55","modified_gmt":"2020-02-19T06:01:55","slug":"why-emojis-and-hashtags-should-be-part-of-language-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/why-emojis-and-hashtags-should-be-part-of-language-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Why emojis and #hashtags should be part of language learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nLearning a language after one\u2019s early childhood home language is often referred to as second language learning (despite the fact people may in fact\u00a0be learning their third or fourth languages<\/a>). In Canada, an officially bilingual country, both English and French are widely taught in\u00a0superdiverse urban centres<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Increasingly, a popular avenue for adult language learners is mobile language learning via free or cheap downloaded apps. A number of apps for mobile language learning claim top-market share:\u00a0Duolingo<\/a>\u00a0claims to teach\u00a0200 million language learners<\/a>\u00a0worldwide; Busuu,\u00a090 million learners<\/a>;\u00a0Babbel and Memrise<\/a>\u00a0are also major players.<\/p>\n

I analyzed these four apps for their approach to and treatment of language and language learning. I found that\u00a0they relied problematically on past models of what language is and what language does<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How the apps teach grammar<\/strong><\/h4>\n

None of these four top-selling apps are capitalizing on how language is changing in online communication where features such as emojis or hashtags \u2014 conventions used in texting and tweeting \u2014 are fundamentally altering how people communicate.<\/p>\n

Rather, these apps tended to teach by testing, drilling vocabulary and simple phrases. Thus, \u201cI read a book\u201d is presented for memorization and contrasted with \u201cshe reads a book,\u201d with little if any grammatical explanation.<\/p>\n

Grammar is the backbone of a language; it\u2019s the structure that words fit into so they make sense for users of the language. Online grammars have diverged from standard \u201csentence\u201d grammars, which typified printed texts, in myriad ways.<\/p>\n

Language structures meaning<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Grammatical study involves chiefly two levels of language structure: elements added to a word (morphology), and the organization of words in a sentence (syntax).<\/p>\n

Languages that are organized predominantly according to the order of words in a sentence, such as English, are described as analytic. Languages that put more information on word formation, such as Russian, are described as synthetic.<\/p>\n

Some languages are extremely synthetic or polysynthetic, using what\u2019s called \u201cagglutination\u201d to create long, long sentence-type words that would in an analytic language require many words in a sentence. Agglutination builds meaning by gluing word parts together. An excellent example is the Ojibwe\u00a0(or Anishinaabe) language<\/a>\u00a0(Anishinaabemowin).<\/p>\n

For example, in\u00a0The Mishomis Book: The Voice of the Ojibway<\/em><\/a>, spiritual leader and teacher\u00a0Edward Benton-Banai<\/a>\u00a0breaks down the word Anishinaabe rooted in the people\u2019s creation story:\u00a0ani<\/em>\u00a0(from whence)\u00a0nishina<\/em>\u00a0(lowered)\u00a0abe<\/em>\u00a0(the male of the species).<\/p>\n

Ojibwe scholar and\u00a0historian Alan Corbiere<\/a>, who developed the\u00a0Anishinaabemowin Revival Program<\/a>, explains that adding the final morpheme \u201c-mo<\/em>\u201d to the word Anishinaabe refers to vocalization and speaking the language.<\/p>\n

Adding \u201c-win<\/em>\u201d to Anishinaabemo, Corbiere explains, renders the verb back to a noun meaning Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) language. Saying the single word Anishinaabemo in English requires an entire phrase (\u201cspeaking the Ojibwe language\u201d)!<\/p>\n

This grammatical lesson is particularly interesting because digital word-like conventions, such as\u00a0#OscarsSoWhite<\/a>, follow the rules of agglutination. These rules are different from the grammatical patterning of print-era English, which would require something like: \u201cThe Oscars are biased towards whites.\u201d<\/p>\n

Digital shifts<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Word-like forms such as #topic or @onlinehandle are instantly understood as typical communication in their respective digital genres. Moreover, these digital forms are crossing over from online platforms into paper media: see #MeToo headlines in the\u00a0New York Times<\/em><\/a>, the\u00a0Telegraph<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Globe and Mail<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Circulating #hashtags carry coherent packages of information, such as\u00a0#nolitetebastardescarborundorum<\/a>. This\u00a0feminist rallying cry<\/a>\u00a0hashtag agglutinates (nonsense) words that reference a fake Latin phrase that came to pop culture prominence with the popularity of Margaret Atwood\u2019s\u00a0The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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To the person who just ordered 100 of these buttons from my etsy shop, I don\u2019t know you but I LOVE your energy. \u2764\ufe0f #rad<\/a> #nolitetebastardescarborundorum<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/74rRhumtKL<\/a><\/p>\n

— Amy Davis Roth (@SurlyAmy) April 27, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n