Flashcards · 9093 · A Level Topic 4

Paper 4 – Language Topics (A Level) flashcards

11 cards on A Level Topic 4, subtopics 4.1 to 4.2. Pick a subtopic or study them all.

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How is 9093 Paper 4 Language Topics set out?: 2 hours 15 minutes, 50 marks, 25% of the A Level. Two compulsory, equally weighted sections, each built around unseen stimulus material.
What does a Paper 4 question require?: Discussion of the issues the unseen stimulus raises, grounded in that specific text first and then widened with named concepts and examples from your own study. A prepared essay that ignores the stimulus scores poorly.
What is a hybrid variety of English? Give examples.: A blend of English with a local language, such as Hinglish, Singlish or Spanglish.
What is "zero translation"?: Using an English word or acronym untranslated in another language's text or media, for example WiFi or CEO in Chinese publications.
What ethical debate surrounds English as a global language?: Cultural imperialism (threat to local languages and identities) against opportunity and access (education, trade, mobility). Strong answers engage genuinely with both sides.

What are the three strands of Paper 4 Section B, Language and the Self?: Innateness and learning; language and thought; language and social identity. A stimulus can draw on any of them.
What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?: Linguistic relativity: the language you speak shapes how you think. Its strong form (linguistic determinism) says language determines thought.
What is universalism in the language and thought debate?: The view that thought is independent of, and comes before, language, so differences in perception may reflect environment or experience rather than vocabulary.
Idiolect or sociolect: what is the difference?: An idiolect is one individual's distinctive speech. A sociolect is shared by a social group such as a class, occupation or age group (a dialect is defined by region).
What are the main approaches to language and gender?: Deficit, dominance, difference and diversity approaches, plus standpoint and muted-group theory.
How can slang, jargon and accent include or exclude people?: They act as identity markers: using a group's terms signals membership, while getting the register wrong can mark someone as an outsider.