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Lawrie Hunter Kochi University of Technology lawriehunter

Language as a disguise for information. Lawrie Hunter Kochi University of Technology http://lawriehunter.com. No need to take notes (:^0) All materials can be downloaded from Hunter ’ s websites http://lawriehunter/ http://www.core.kochi-tech.ac.jp/hunter/ http://slideshare.net/rolenzo/.

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Lawrie Hunter Kochi University of Technology lawriehunter

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  1. Language as a disguise for information Lawrie Hunter Kochi University of Technology http://lawriehunter.com

  2. No need to take notes (:^0)All materials can be downloadedfrom Hunter’s websiteshttp://lawriehunter/http://www.core.kochi-tech.ac.jp/hunter/http://slideshare.net/rolenzo/

  3. Language as a Disguise for InformationLearning is the placing of information into an ever richer array called knowledge. Clearly learning would be facilitated if the learner had some information structures for use as framing tools. Then, what are the structures in which information naturally resides? And how are these structures reflected in language? Or are there any such structures? Curiously, there are as yet no broad answers to these questions. One approach to this set of questions is to look at language to find out what information structures we signal in our writing and speech.This presentation begins with an examination of a group of tools that appear to provide a bridge between the world of information and the world of language: concept maps. Two types of mapping are discussed: Information Structure Maps, which show symbolically the relations between atomic bits of information, and Rhetorical Structure Theory maps, which portray graphically the logical process of persuasion in a text. These two mapping systems bridge language forms and information structures at very different levels of abstraction.The second phase of the presentation demonstrates practical ways in which concept maps are being practically applied to information related learning work. We all use information intensively. However, we do not always communicate information unambiguously, or elegantly. Hence two more questions: Why is information so often poorly communicated via language?Why are attention, involvement and focus often difficult to evoke in learners?Towards an answer: we do not always use information frames, nor do we always use the framing leverage available in language. In fact, we do not systematically distinguish types of discourse.  Applied linguistics can provide us with some insights about discourse and discourse types. For example, we find that chunks of spoken and written language, which linguists call text, often “mash-up” information with persuasion and beautification. This flattening of the layers of communication makes understanding and learning more difficult.The concluding phase is a brief examination of the notion of “pattern language,” which describes in an affectionate linguistic way how niche intellectual artisans (e.g. culture archivists) talk about what they do, using core concepts, iconic expressions and sub-niche variations; and suggests how pattern language can serve to unite disparate groups involved in multidisciplinary work.

  4. wordle.net

  5. Where Hunter is coming from

  6. APTEL

  7. KUT

  8. Where Hunter is coming from-Canadian (bicultural UK/US)-natural writer-abstract algebra-counselling -mathematics teacher trainer (PNG)-research: ESL math learners -information design interviews editor

  9. What Hunter is doing-course design / materials design: • -introductory L2 technical writing • -tech academic writing for PhD engineers (do or die) • -CALL pundit • -decades as editor/rewriter-super translation / copy writing

  10. Learning is the placing of information into an ever richer arraycalled knowledge.

  11. Clearlylearning would be facilitatedif the learner had some information structures for use as framing tools.

  12. Top down question:Then what are the structures in which information resides?

  13. Or does information reside in structures?

  14. What is the language of thought?

  15. What is the language of thought?Linguistic determinism: thought is shaped by languageAssumptions(1) thought is independent of language and is actually couched in its own internal language, mentalese; (2) knowing a language is knowing how to translate mentalese into strings of words and vice versa. Extreme case: Whorf's suggestion that the Hopi have no conception of time proceeding smoothly between past, present, and future.

  16. What is the language of thought?The Language of Thought HypothesisThe Language of Thought Hypothesis (LOTH) postulates that thought and thinking take place in a mental language. This language consists of a system of representations that is physically realized in the brain of thinkers and has a combinatorial syntax (and semantics) such that operations on representations are causally sensitive only to the syntactic properties of representations. According to LOTH, thought is, roughly, the tokening of a representation that has a syntactic (constituent) structure with an appropriate semantics. Thinking thus consists in syntactic operations defined over such representations. Most of the arguments for LOTH derive their strength from their ability to explain certain empirical phenomena like productivity and systematicity of thought and thinking. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/language-thought/First published Thu May 28, 1998; substantive revision Tue Jul 27, 2004

  17. What is the language of thought?The Language of Thought Hypothesis1. Mentalese hypothesis (Fodor)The medium of thought is an innate language - distinct from all spoken languages - semantically expressively complete. This "Mentalese" is supposed to - be an inner language - contain all of the conceptual resources necessary for any of the propositions that humans can grasp, think or - be the basis of thought and meaning. 

  18. What is the language of thought?The Language of Thought Hypothesis2. Spoken language hypothesisLinguistic thoughts occur in the languages that we speak. 

  19. What is the language of thought?The Language of Thought Hypothesis3. Graphic thought facilityThoughts are embodied graphically in the mind. 

  20. But doesn’t information come out of language ?

  21. language < information important

  22. Orientation change: from top down to bottom up

  23. Bottom up: What does language show us about information? -after all, information came out of language, didn’t it?

  24. What does language show us about information? 1. Systemic functional linguistics A grammar of language function

  25. What does language show us about information? 1. Systemic functional linguistics Text types Recount Narrative Procedure Information report Exposition Discussion

  26. What does language show us about information? 2. Language in Content -knowledge structures -signaled in language theory practice

  27. Structures invariant across languages Mohan's 'knowledge structures' Argument Information organization Information structures Syntax structures Grammar structures Mohan, B.A. (1986) Language and Content. Addison and Wesley.

  28. What does language show us about information? 3. Information structures (Hunter, 2002~) Description (attribute) Classification Comparison Sequence Cause-effect -signaled in language

  29. Structures invariant across languages Argument Information organization Information structures Syntax structures Grammar structures

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