Revision Activities

Language & Culture

Exercise 1: Mind Your Language was a British TV show from the 70s and 80s. Watch the first
episode at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhd1IqNM3M8 and answer the following
questions.

1. What cultural stereotypes are represented in the video?

2. What traits seem to be associated with each nationality?
3. What about representations of gender?
4. Would this TV show be considered sexist and racist today? Why?

Exercise 2: Read The British, a poem by Benjamin Zephaniah, and discuss: What does the poem
say about the British identity?

The British

Take some Picts, Celts and Silures

And let them settle,

Then overrun them with Roman conquerors.

Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years

Add lots of Norman French to some

Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings, then stir vigorously.

Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, Dominicans,

Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, Chinese,

Vietnamese and Sudanese.

Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, Nigerians

And Pakistanis,

Combine with some Guyanese

And turn up the heat.

Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians,

Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some

Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese

And Palestinians

Then add to the melting pot.

Leave the ingredients to simmer.

As they mix and blend allow their languages to flourish

Binding them together with English.

Allow time to be cool.

Add some unity, understanding, and respect for the future,

Serve with justice

And enjoy.

Note: All the ingredients are equally important. Treating one ingredient better than another
will leave a bitter unpleasant taste.

Warning: An unequal spread of justice will damage the people and cause pain. Give justice and
equality to all.

Exercise 3: Watch the first scene from To Be or Not to Be at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM7WG9C5HTg, a film by Mel Brooks, and discuss: How is
language (or more specifically language identity) used to create humor?
Exercise 4: Read the article below and discuss: How can Quebec’s language policy be analyzed
from a linguistic perspective concerned with language and culture?

Retrieved from: https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/canada/quebec/articles/how-

quebecs-language-police-are-keeping-french-alive-in-canada/

How Quebec's 'Language Police' Are Keeping French Alive in Canada

The tension between anglo- and francophone populations in Canada has its roots in the
country’s colonial history, which saw an overlap of French and British rule during the 18th and
19th centuries. This tension is still especially apparent in Quebec, where the history and
legislation surrounding the province’s linguistic policies makes for quite a story.

For decades, the preservation and promotion of the French language was viewed as the most
important safeguard for the survival of the Québécois nation. Since 1974, French has been the
only official language in the province, although several government services remain accessible
in English, and the city of Montreal in particular is almost entirely functional in both languages.
Québec is officially bilingual on constitutional and federal levels, but allows only French to be
used in its provincial institutions. The Charter of the French Language, also known as Bill 101, is
the central legislative component of Quebec’s language policy.

The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), or the Quebec Board of the French
Language, is a public organization established in the province on March 24, 1961. Part of its
initial mission was to “work on the normalization of the language in Québec and support state
intervention to carry out a global language policy that would consider notably the importance
of socio-economic motivations in making French the priority language in Québec.”

The OQLF has also been key for the francization of immigrants coming into the province, both
requiring and providing opportunities for newcomers to speak some measure of French.

The mandate of the OQLF was subsequently expanded by the 1977 Charter of the French
Language, and two organizations were established: the Commission de toponymie (Commission
of Toponymy) and the Conseil supérieur de la langue française (Superior Council of the French
Language), both of which work to preserve the Québécois language. Through the OQLF, Quebec
citizens who believe their right as consumers “to be informed and served in French” is not being
respected can file a complaint with the OQLF. The OQLF must then process and pursue these
complaints.

There is often negative outside perception of the OQLF, mainly in terms of their sometimes-
overzealous approach to policing the language (hence the nickname “language police”). One
case that gained international attention occurred in 2013, informally referred to as “pastagate.”
The OQLF issued a letter of warning to an upscale restaurant in Montreal, Buonanotte, for using
Italian words such as “pasta” and “antipasto” on its menu instead of their French equivalents.
After receiving negative international coverage, the OQLF eventually backed down and
ultimately reviewed their approaches to processing complaints—now, culinary terms from other
cultures are permitted in Quebec restaurants.

Although the French language is alive and well, keeping it dynamic and encouraging its growth
is still considered by many to be an important daily challenge. Though it’s not without
controversy, the OQLF continues be an important aspect of Québécois cultural preservation.