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15 - From Given to New

Scaffolding

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 May 2023

Laura Wagner
Affiliation:
Ohio State University
Cecile McKee
Affiliation:
University of Arizona
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Summary

Chapter 15 opens by asking readers to work through a complex language analysis problem, where the solution requires figuring out what the component parts mean and then making new sentences with those parts. This exercise introduces the notion of scaffolding, which goes beyond the advice that given information should precede new information. The progression from one type of information to the other will likely involve multiple steps, and attention to the order of each step should ideally be audience specific. The chapter encourages readers to describe their topics with as much technical apparatus as they want and then to break their descriptions down as much as possible. An example with vowel formants is introduced, emphasizing links back to problems with jargon and to the idea that incomplete is not incorrect. The Worked Example describes scaffolding in the formant example for the levels of explanation one might use for a young child, an older child, a teenager, a college student, and someone with expertise in a language-related field. Technical terms, materials (such as videos, spectrogram-making programs, or diagrams), and take-home messages are modified accordingly.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • From Given to New
  • Laura Wagner, Ohio State University, Cecile McKee, University of Arizona
  • Book: How to Talk Language Science with Everybody
  • Online publication: 17 May 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108894227.016
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  • From Given to New
  • Laura Wagner, Ohio State University, Cecile McKee, University of Arizona
  • Book: How to Talk Language Science with Everybody
  • Online publication: 17 May 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108894227.016
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • From Given to New
  • Laura Wagner, Ohio State University, Cecile McKee, University of Arizona
  • Book: How to Talk Language Science with Everybody
  • Online publication: 17 May 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108894227.016
Available formats
×