Words Break Bones - kulturális különbségek

Folytatódik a kulturális különbségekkel foglalkozó rendezvénysorozat. Ezúttal "Kulturális sztereotípiák egyetemi környezeteben" címmel tart interaktív előadást Dr. Szilágyi Anna. Az eseményt a Kommunikációtudományi Intézet és a Független Médiaközpont szervezi.

Words Break Bones: How Stereotypes Influence Thinking and Behavior through Language

Summary:
As social beings, we are conditioned to downplay and belittle verbal abuse. Indeed, the “innocence” of words is routinely imprinted in us through popular phrases and sayings which contrast verbal and physical abuse. For example, a well-known English-language rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me”, teaches children this very idea. However, this deep-seated conception is false. Words can hurt and may lead to the breaking of bones and worse.
Language plays, for instance, a crucial role in the emergence and reinforcement of stereotypes that present people who belong to different groups in a negative or hostile way. The talk will introduce the linguistic means of stereotyping, looking at those rhetorical devices that support the spread of derogatory and demeaning generalizations. It will be also discussed how the relevant speech strategies shape - oftentimes subtly - people’s thinking and behavior.

About the speaker:
Dr. Anna Szilagyi is an expert in media, politics, and communication who explores how the language of political actors and the media influences thinking and behavior across the globe. She teaches communication at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Hong Kong. Her writings have appeared in international academic books and journals. She also writes articles and provides commentaries for major global and local media outlets.