LANGUAGE AND DIVERSITY
ROBERT HELAN
FACUTLY OF SOCIAL STUDIES
MASARYK UNIVERSITY

AGENDA
1.WHAT IS DIVERSITY?
2.WHAT IS RACE?
3.WHAT IS ETHNICITY?
4.RACE VS. ETHNICITY
5.WHAT IS STEREOTYPING?
6.WHAT IS DISCRIMINATION?
7.WHAT IS RACISM?
8.ETHNICITY AND LANGUAGE VARIATION
9.REGIONAL VARIATION, SOCIOLECT OR ETHNOLECT?

1.A WHAT IS DIVERSITY?
´VARIETY:
´APPEARANCE (HEIGHT, WEIGHT, HAIR COLOUR)
´INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES
´PHYSICAL ABILITIES
´LEARNING ABILITIES
´PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUNDS
´PERSONAL INTERESTS

1.B WHAT IS DIVERSITY?
´LANGUAGE EDUCATION AND DIVERSITY:
´FIRST LANGUAGE BACKGROUND
´ETHNIC OR NATIONAL BACKGROUND

2.A WHAT IS RACE?
´I. A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE CONNECTED BECAUSE THEY SHARE THE SAME GENE POOL.
´
´II. A CATEGORIZATION SYSTEM FOR HUMAN BEIINGS THAT CATEGORIZED PEOPLE ACCORDING TO UNIVERSALLY
SHARED PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL FEATURES:
CAUCASIAN
MONGOLOID
NEGRO

2.B WHAT IS RACE?
´III. A SCIENTIFIC CATEGORIZATION OF HUMAN BEINGS ACCORDING TO BLOOD TYPE AND SPECIFIC GENETIC
MARKERS.
´
´IV. A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN REPRODUCTIVELY ISOLATED, AND AS A RESULT, SHARE A VERY
DISTINCT SET OF GENETIC CHARACTERISTICS.
´
´V. A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO SHARE A COMMON HISTORY, LANGUAGE AND CULTURE.

3.A WHAT IS ETHNICITY?
´I. A PERSON’S ALLEGIANCE TO A PARTICULAR GROUP OF PEOPLE WITH WHOM HE OR SHE HAS A HISTORICAL
CONNECTION.
A PERSON’S ETHNICITY CAN CHANGE OVER TIME.
´
´II. OBJECTIVE COMPONENTS: PHYSICAL FEATURES, GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
   SUBJECTIVE COMPONENTS: SHARED BELIEFS, SHARED VALUES

3.B WHAT IS ETHNICITY?
´III. A PERSON’S CONNECTION, BOTH OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE, TO THE PAST.
´
´ETHNICITY doesn’t equal MINORITY GROUP
´
´ETHNICITY doesn’t equal NATION OR COUNTRY

4. RACE VS. ETHNICITY
´A PERSON’S ALLEGIANCE TO A PARTICULAR ETHNICITY, IN HIS OR HER MIND, CAN CHANGE OVER TIME.
´
´

5.A WHAT IS STEREOTYPING?
´ORIGINATED AS A TERM TO DESCRIBE WHAT EVERY HUMAN BEING DOES WHEN HE OR SHE ENCOUNTERS OTHER HUMAN
BEINGS.
´
´SERVES AS A WAY OF ORGANIZING AND CATEGORIZING OUR DAILY EXPERIENCES.
´
´ETHNIC STEREOTYPING HELPS US FEEL COMFORTABLE INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT ETHNIC
GROUPS.
´
´IT ALLOWS US TO PREDICT HOW PEOPLE WILL BEHAVE IN SPECIFIC SITUATIONS.

5.B WHAT IS STEREOTYPING?
      PROBLEMS WITH STEREOTYPING
´I. MAKING NEGATIVE JUDGMENTS ABOUT DIFFERENCES.
´
´II. MAKING JUDGMENTS WITHOUT SUFFICIENT INFORMATION.
´
´III. IGNORING HOW INDIVIDUALS MAY DIFFER FROM THE STEREOTYPE.
´
´

5.C WHAT IS STEREOTYPING?
      AVOID NEGATIVE STEREOTYPING
´AVOID MAKING NEGATIVE JUDGMENTS.
´
´MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION.
´
´DON’T IGNORE THAT INDIVIDUALS DIFFER FROM THE GROUPS TO WHICH THEY BELONG.

6. WHAT IS DISCRIMINATION?
´MAKING A DECISION, FOR OR AGAINST SOMEONE, BASED UPON THE CATEGORY OR GROUP TO WHICH THAT PERSON
BELONGS.
´
´ETHNIC DISCRIMINATION:
MAKING A DECISIO, FOR OR AGAINST SOMEONE, BASED UPON THE ETHNIC GROUP TO WHICH THAT PERSON BELONGS.
´
´IN MANY COUNTRIES, LAWS ARE IN PLACE TO PREVENT DISCRIMINATION BASED UPON ETHNICITY,AGE, GENDER,
GENDER IDENTIFICATION, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, ETC.

7. WHAT IS RACISM?
´A BELIEF THAT CERTAIN RACES ARE MORE SUPERIOR OR INFERIOR THAN OTHERS IN TERMS OF ABILITY,
INTELLECT, ETC.
´
´INVOLVES ACTING UPON THAT BELIEF.

8.A ETHNICITY AND LANGUAGE VARIATION
´WE CAN MAKE CONSCIOUS LANGUAGE USE CHOICES BASED UPON THE ETHNIC GROUP WITH WHICH WE IDENTIFY.
´
´PEOPLE MIGHT SELECT A LANGUAGE TO USE IN A PARTICULAR SITUATION BECAUSE THEY WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED
WITH THE ETHNIC GROUP THAT USES THAT LANGUAGE.
´
´

8.B ETHNICITY AND LANGUAGE VARIATION
´ETHNOLECT:
A SPECIFIC LANGUAGE, OR LANGUAGE VARIATION, THAT IS CONSCIOUSLY ASSOCIATED WITH A PARTICULAR ETHNIC
GROUP.
´
´PEOPLE CHOOSE OR DEVELOP AN ETHNOLECT AS A SIGN OF IDENTITY WITH A PARTICULAR ETHNIC GROUP.
´
´

9.A REGIONAL VARIATION, SOCIOLECT OR ETHNOLECT?
´REGIONAL LANGUAGE VARIATION (= DIALECT)
´
´SOCIOECONOMIC LANGUAGE VARIATION (= SOCIOLECT)
´
´ETHNIC LANGUAGE VARIATION (= ETHNOLECT)

9.B REGIONAL VARIATION, SOCIOLECT OR ETHNOLECT?
´JAMAICAN CREOLE
´
´HAITIAN CREOLE
´
´AFRICAN AMERICAN VERNACULAR ENGLISH (AAVE)
´
´CANADIAN FRENCH

SUMMARY
´