Slavic 425: Ways of Meaning

Universal and Culture Specific Aspects of Language

Fall 2014
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:

Katarzyna Dziwirek
Telephone: 543-7691
Smith Hall M260
email:
dziwirek@uw.edu
M, W 2:30-3:20 and by appointment

Class website:

http://faculty.washington.edu/dziwirek/slav425/slav425.shtml

Materials:
Wierzbicka, Anna. 1997. Understanding Cultures Through Their Key Words.
English, Russian, Polish, German, and Japanese. Oxford University Press:
New York, Oxford.
Articles and chapters on electronic reserves

Requirements:
Readings and Class Participation: Follow the reading schedule closely and be
prepared to discuss assigned texts in class, contribute your comments and critical
evaluations. See handout on Reading and Class Discussion on the class website.
Your Language Commentaries: Comment on how the concepts discussed in
weeks 2-4 (Language as a Mirror of Culture and National Character) and 5-6
(Interpersonal Relationships) relate to concepts in a language you know. 3-4 pages
(spacing irrelevant), due 10/27 and 11/12. Point penalty for all late assignments. For
all assignments provide references/works cited. No email submission of
assignments. The class website has examples of commentaries from past years. Best
commentaries will be posted on the class website.
Term paper (7-10 pages): You should discuss your project with the instructor and
by 11/3 email the instructor with your topic and three references (at least two print).
See the class website for hints onHow to write a research paper, consult Selected
References,
and Past
student
paper
topics.
Also,
check
out: http://guides.lib.washington.edu/content.php?pid=55083&sid=429315. The final
project includes an oral presentation of your research with a handout. Students who
receive a course grade of 3.9 or higher are encouraged to submit their papers for

consideration for the Slavic Excellence Prize awarded in June ($$$). Paper due
12/11.
Honors project: Honors students are expected to write a longer, more in-depth
final paper (10 or > pages) and do one additional project with two parts, due
10/6 and 11/26, in which you comment on universal vs. culture-specific aspects of
language at the beginning and at the end of the course and reflect on how your
understanding changed (or not) and why.
Honors students are encouraged to archive items from this course in
their Honors learning portfolios. Readings, lecture notes, visual and audio materials,
syllabi, tests, papers etc, are examples of items that might assist with reflection on
experiential learning and ways of thinking within and across disciplines. In addition to
archiving items, students are also asked to take time to describe the significance of the
archived items and how what they learned in the course contributed to their larger
experiences, goals, and thoughts about education and learning.

Grading:
Total points 130: Language Commentaries = 50 (25 x 2), Term Paper = 80
(paper = 50, presentation = 15, handout = 15). Honors students: Total points 170, all
of the above plus the Honors project (2 x 20). Final grade based on the number of
points achieved and class participation.

Slavic 425: Course Outline and Reading List

Symbol key: T = textbook, unmarked = electronic reserves

WEEK 0: Overview of Course Themes

September 24

Introduction of Course Themes

WEEK 1: The Relationship between Language, Thought, and Culture

September 29
Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics
Meaning from Linguistics for Humans
Anna Wierzbicka, Cross-Cultural Pragmatics, Chapter 1: Introduction: semantics and
pragmatics
Anna Wierzbicka, Semantics, Culture, and Cognition, Introduction
October 1
Language, Thought and Culture
Steven Pinker, The Language Instinct, Chapter 3: Mentalese

T Anna Wierzbicka, Key Words, Chapter 1

Mikael Parkvall, Limits of Language: Having a word for it
Guy Deutscher, Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in
Other Languages, pp. 148-156, 176-186
Nicholas Evans, Dying Words: Trellises of the Mind: How Language Trains Thought

WEEK 2: Language as a Mirror of Culture and National Character

October 6
Cultural Overview: East Asia
Hazel Rose Markus and Shinobu Kitayama, The Cultural Construction of Self and
Emotion: Implications for Social Behavior
T Anna Wierzbicka, Key Words, Chapter 6 (Japanese Key Words and Core Cultural
Values)
Honors project due
October 8
Cultural Overview: Russia
Anna Wierzbicka, Russian Cultural Scripts
Yuliya Kartalova, Cross-Cultural Differences in American and Russian General
Conventions of Communication

WEEK 3: Language as a Mirror of Culture and National Character

October 13
Cultural Overview: The U.S.
Geoffrey M. White, Proverbs and Cultural Models: An American Psychology of
Problem Solving
Martin Gannon and Raj K. Pillai, Understanding Global Cultures: American Football
October 15
Cultural Overview: The U.S.
Anna Wierzbicka, English: Meaning and Culture, Chapter 2 (Anglo Cultural Scripts
Seen through
Middle Eastern Eyes)
Zoltan Kovecses, American English, Chapter 14: The straightforward American
Zoltan Kovecses, American English, Chapter 21: Action and success in American
English

WEEK 4: Cultural Key Words

October 20
T Anna Wierzbicka, Key Words, Chapter 3 (Freedom)

October 22
T Anna Wierzbicka, Key Words, 4 (Homeland)
Geoffrey Nunberg, Going Nucular (excerpts)

WEEK 5: Interpersonal Relationships across Cultures: Friends

October 27
T Anna Wierzbicka, Key Words, Chapter 2 (Friendship)
Language commentary due
October 29
Barney Stinson, The Bro Code (excerpts)
Kelly Williams Brown, Adulting; Friends and Neighbors
Lynn Visson, Wedded Strangers: The Challenges of Russian-American
Marriages: Friend or Droog
Miller McPherson, Lynn Smith-Lovin, Matthew E. Brashears, Social Isolation in
America

WEEK 6: Interpersonal Relationships across Cultures: Forms of Address

November 3
Anna Wierzbicka, Semantics, Culture, and Cognition, Chapter 7 (Personal Names)
Kate Burridge, Blooming English, Personal Names
Simon Romero, His Friends Know Him as Petroswickonicovick (NYT)
Send a message with term paper topic and 3 references to dziwirek@uw.edu
November 5
Steven Pinker, The Stuff of Thought, Whats in a Name? (p. 312-322)
Kat Dziwirek, What do we call the children? Familial Terms in Polish and English

WEEK 7: Conversations and Speech Acts across Cultures

November 10
Speech acts, conversational routines
Anna Wierzbicka, Cross-Cultural Pragmatics, Chapter 2 (Different cultures, different
languages,
different speech acts)
Andrew Ross Sorkin, Too Many Sorry Excuses for Apology (NYT)
Anna Wierzbicka, Anglo scripts against putting pressure on other people

November 12
Maxims, cultural scripts, conversational styles
H. P. Grice, Logic and conversation
Bret Peeters, SEngager vs. To Show Restraint Linguistic and Cultural Relativity
in Discourse Management
Debora Tannen, He Said, She Said: Gender, Language and Communication (video)
Language commentary due

WEEK 8: Forms of Address and Politeness across Cultures

November 17
Titles
Anna Wierzbicka, Semantics, Culture, and Cognition, Chapter 8 (Titles)
Natalie Angier, Just Dont Call Me Maam (NYT)
Scott Sayre, French Bid Farewell to Mademoiselle (NYT)
November 19
Politeness
Richard Watts, Politeness, Chapters 1 and 2
Anna Wierzbicka, Cross-Cultural Pragmatics, Chapter 4 (Describing conversational
routines)
Alina Simone, The How Are You? Culture Clash (NYT)

WEEK 9: Rudeness across Cultures

November 24
Lars-Gunnar Andersson, Swearing
Elbieta Tabakowska, Go to the devil: Some metaphors we curse by
Olga T. Yokoyama, Responding with a question in colloquial Russian
November 26
Term paper presentations
Honors project due

WEEK 10: Term Paper Presentations

December 1
Term paper presentations
December 3
Term paper presentations

 Final papers due: Thursday 12/11 by noon under the door of Smith M260, no
extensions, yes incompletes