Linguistic and Social Structures

Linguistic and Social Structures
Student`s Name
Name of Lecturer
Name of Institution
Date of Submission
Linguistic and Social Structures
Relationship between Linguistic and Social Structures
Thesis Statement:
Linguistics being an outgrowth of anthropology, it has its roots in the social and natural sciences.
Introduction
Linguistics being an outgrowth of anthropology, it has its roots in the social and natural sciences. There are several relationships that exist between language and society. One is that social structure may either influence or determine linguistic structure or the behavior of a given set of individuals in a society. On the other hand, linguistic structure and/or behavior may either influence or determine social structure or the way people in a given place have their social setting. In some cases, the two concepts can have a bi-directional relationship language and society may influence each other. Every language accommodates such differences as a non-discrete scale or continuum of recognizably different linguistic 'levels' or styles, known as registers, and every socially mature speaker, as part of learning the language, has learned to distinguish and choose among places on the scale of register. (G. Hudson, Essential Introductory Linguistics. Blackwell, 2000)
The film Pride and Prejudice
Pride & Prejudice is a classic novel by Jane Austen brought brilliantly to life in this film adaptation. The descriptive language used in the 19th century allows the movie to really have a life of its own. Knowing that the title is something that is usually found on a high school reading list, I was wary of how interesting this movie could possibly be. The director, Joe Wright, who hasn`t had many big movies under his belt, did a fascinating job. The flick stars Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet, a young woman who`s the second eldest of five sisters who are all to be courted and married off as soon as possible. A rich but somewhat goofy character, Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods), moves to their town and brings his pompous and rude friend, Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen). Of course there is going to be love and hardship, as Elizabeth`s sister falls in love with Mr. Bingley and Elizabeth grows a hatred for Mr. Darcy. The scenes in this film make you wish you had grown up during the 19th century in England. The lavish gowns and splendid balls that lasted more than a couple of days make present-day American social life seem dull. Elizabeth Bennet is so easy to immediately fall in love with due to her intelligence and witty sarcasm about how men and courtship are a wasteful entity in life. Her strong-willed personality and the actual acceptance of it is what makes this film so satisfying. The characters are so believable and to picture oneself in the midst of keeping a family afloat is something that many people can connect with. Confusion of love also is a key theme and it makes things quite humorous. The banter between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy provides just the right amount of tension to keep you on your toes. Wright did a good job of keeping the film closely related to the book with few changes. If you`re a fan of the novel, the movie will be just as pleasing.
Analysis of the language ad how it compares with linguistics
Language is key in this film, but sometimes the story line is somewhat difficult to follow. There are so many characters that have a piece in the puzzle it can get confusing. If one has read the novel, the movie is much easier to enjoy by already knowing the plot. Also, the film is a little over two hours long but it`s because the scenes are very detailed. Even though it can feel quite lengthy, the small details are what make the film complete. Anyone who has a love for literature or even just enjoys hearing a natural British accent should see this film. The film accurately portrays Jane Austen`s words and brings them to life. The romance and chemistry between the characters would have anyone wishing upon a star after viewing it. This is one of my favorite movies to this day because of the appreciation a person can acquire for a true romance after watching it.
The essence of the story is the antagonism between Mr. Darcy, a wealthy single man who believes Elizabeth to be beneath him, and Elizabeth, who upon being insulted at a dance by the aloof Darcy refuses to associate with him in any manner. Austen evokes incredible tension with the wit and flirtation of the two characters, and director Simon Langton (who also directed Upstairs Downstairs) successfully translates the repartee and conflict in this six-hour miniseries. Dialogue, for the most part, is painstakingly replicated, except when fleshing out and smoothing for modern sensibilities was necessary. Darcy, for instance, is drawn out, giving his personality significantly more depth. The acting sweeps you away to Regency England: Jennifer Ehle (of Wilde) is convincing as the obstinate Elizabeth, who, despite her mother's attempts to marry her off, spurs the attentions of Darcy. And Colin Firth (of The English Patient) will have women everywhere longing for a Mr. Darcy of their own. There aren't enough superlatives in the English language to adequately describe the brilliance of this production. This film is one of the finest film adaptations of any classic novel ever produced. The screenplay is remarkably faithful, the art direction spellbinding, the costuming and settings are breathtaking, while the casting showcases the strongest ensemble of actors.
Language incorporates social values. What is of value to society is incorporated into language to produce standards, ideals and goals. Society changes when that which is of value to society changes. Social changes produce changes in language. However, social changes affect values in ways that have not been accurately understood. Social values are only the same as linguistic values when the society is a stable and unchanging one. Once society starts changing, then language change produces special effects.
The primary basis of social interaction is psychological and centers on the loop of  projection and introjections, which forms a closed loop of desire and feeling/emotion. In my view, language as a system of signs is modeled on consciousness, and so consciousness itself can be considered to be a sign system. Hence there are two sign systems, those of language and of consciousness. In the two sign systems, consciousness is fundamental and language is only derivative. There is another difference. Consciousness is dynamic and so it can change fairly easily, whilst language is fairly static. Language contains traditional values - this is what is implied in the ideas of social conditioning and social learning. In a static society, traditional values are unquestioned. Hence social learning takes the form of social conditioning. Social conditioning is the unquestioned or confused adherence to social norms, and occurs when society is taken to be self-referential. Society is the judge of its own needs. The only circumstance that normally breaks social conditioning in some degree is change. Therefore in a period of fast social change, chaos occurs as social norms are questioned, altered and perhaps even rejected. New norms are slowly generated. This chaos ensures that society can no longer be regarded as being self-referential. In this situation of chaos, language is grasped as being self-referential. Then language is no longer necessarily tied to social reality. In such times, values change as the values within language change and we may witness radical innovation in artistic genres.
For example, the nineteenth century saw the focus on art for art`s sake, along with science for science's sake (neither art nor science were to be dependent on values external to themselves, such as social usefulness). Then the problem of grappling with the new possibilities of language produced the dense symbolism of the French poet Mallarmé. In twentieth-century literary theory the text has become autonomous and self-contained, and/or the reader has acquired total freedom in his interpretation of the text. To explain how this process happens we can use politics. Consider a static, unchanging society. This has conservative, even right-wing, social values and a rigid hierarchy of authority or power. Society and politics have coalesced into a uniform model of conformism. Initially this model suited contemporary needs. But as evolution progresses and new needs appear, which cannot be met under this model, so the existing social norms become a handicap. This restrictiveness on human development eventually becomes challenged. Activists and non-conformists begin to initiate social change by confronting the system of authority. Thinkers give direction to new ideas on freedom and justice. Left-wing politics are born. Social...