ENMC 352-MDST 352 (Schedule #705RB-700Q3)
University of Virginia
Spring 2007
201 Clemons :: TR 12:30-1:45pm
Mr. David Golumbia
Office: 304B Bryan
Spring 2007 Office Hours: TR 11am-12:30pm & by appt

Vernaculars, Media, Texts

Assignment 1

Please write a 3-5pp paper (approximately 1000 words) on one of the following three topics. The paper is due at the beginning of class on February 22.

  1. Focus on one particular passage each from both Dogeaters and Rolling the Rs in which a Tagalog-English vernacular (it can be either “Taglish” or “Englog”) is used. Compare and contrast the two passages carefully. Other than authenticity, what roles do the specific uses of these languages play in the novels, at least based on the examples you use? The paper should be a brief analysis of one passage each from the two novels, and then your own brief analysis of the meaning and function of the two novels.
  2. Locate a vernacular language that is not one of the ones we will cover in class (if you have any questions, please check with me via email). Write a brief research report not just on the language, but on the cultural history of the language, including the roles it plays in contemporary society. Make sure to describe the relationship between the vernacular and other languages with which its speakers come into contact.
  3. Identify three different characters in Rolling the Rs whose language use is substantially different from each other. Again, other than authenticity, what effects does the novel achieve by using these multiple forms of speech? What conclusions can you draw about the novel’s meaning based on the presence not just of one vernacular, but of multiple speech styles? What might Bakhtin say about Rolling the Rs as an example of what he calls “heteroglossia”?

 

Last updated February 11, 2007.