5 Wrap-Up
Discussion
At the beginning of this chapter, you placed yourself on a scale similar to the one below.
Read the descriptions below the dots on the line.
Place (Gilles), (Kerry), and (Claire) on the scale.
Place (Roshan) on the scale.
Discuss if Roshan’s speech matches the others.
Are there any similarities? Are there any differences? Share your opinion about possible reasons for speech patterns.
Discuss any patterns you notice in how Canadians usually speak or write.
Reflection
In this chapter, we
- noticed how Roshan, his family, friends, and acquaintances changed their tone and word choices to be formal or informal
- compared how and why people of different ages, genders, or status talk and write to each other
- identified reasons strangers and/or familiar people talk or write to each other
- looked for patterns of formality and directness or indirectness.
The writing and speaking activities gave us ways to adjust our use of English. The Language Logs opened a way to listen and to try out new vocabulary in our community.
- Read over and review your Language Logs.
- Think of some people in your community who you communicate with in English. Keeping your own experiences in mind, think about and discuss these questions:
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- How is your style similar to or different from the style of other people you communicate with?
- Has all your spoken or written communication been successful? If so, what do you think has helped your communication be successful? If not, what do you think caused misunderstanding?
- How do you think differences in levels of directness makes people feel when they communicate?
- How do you think different levels of directness affect how people think about (perceive) others? How do you think different levels of formality make people feel when they communicate?
- How can adjusting our formality and directness help us communicate and understand each other?
- Think about your own communication style. How do you want people to think or feel about (perceive) you when you write and speak? What could you adjust to make your future conversations or messages more successful?