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aiMOOC

ABI - Language as identity and power

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ABI - Language as identity and power

Einleitung

Mini-description: Analyse how language choice, accent, multilingualism and language policy can shape identity, belonging, access and participation. This shared BF/LF course is English-first and designed for the upper secondary level in Baden-Württemberg. It is a skills module, not a replacement for compulsory texts, films or the current official examination requirements.

Start with the image. Which languages can you identify? Which language seems most accessible to you? What might the order, size and visibility of languages communicate? Separate observation from interpretation.

Media entry / Medien-Einstieg

Viewing focus: In Jamila Lyiscott's TED performance, listen for shifts in language variety, audience and identity. Do not copy the transcript. Work with a teacher-selected short section or the whole four-minute talk as appropriate.

Step	BF	LF
Before viewing	Predict two meanings of articulate from context.	Add one hypothesis about who gets to define articulate.
While viewing	Note one language choice and one effect.	Track two shifts in register or variety and connect them to audience, identity or power.
After viewing	Explain the main message in 3–4 sentences.	Evaluate how performance, repetition and contrast strengthen the message. Distinguish evidence from your interpretation.

Privacy note: You never have to disclose your own home language, accent or family background. Voice recording is optional and should remain private unless you deliberately share it in your class.

I-can goals

By the end of the course, you can say:

I can ...	BF pathway	LF extension
identify language choices in context	one source, clear categories	several sources and competing interpretations
distinguish accent, dialect and register	accurate definitions and examples	connect features to social evaluation without stereotyping speakers
analyse multilingualism and language policy	guided WHAT–HOW–WHY structure	compare purposes, implementation, effects, limits and trade-offs
analyse text, audio and visuals	selected evidence with sentence frames	independent source linking and more complex evidence
speak and write about participation	structured B2 argument	broader B2/C1-oriented analysis with stronger AFB II/III
mediate key information	select essential points	adapt selection, register and explanation to audience and purpose

Language target: B2, with parts of C1 as a learning orientation. Complexity should come from the material and the thinking task, not from artificially difficult wording.

Abi link: Baden-Württemberg

Checked: 3 October 2026. For the 2028 English Abitur, the official Facherlass refers to Bildungsplan 2016. In the Leistungsfach, the compulsory focus is On the Move: Migration and Cross-Cultural Encounters; the official topic fields also include questions of identity and current political, cultural and social developments in the USA and the United Kingdom. In the Basisfach, the focus topic and the official list of compulsory works are identical to the LF; at least part of the compulsory works must be covered at BF level in an appropriate scope. Always check the Facherlass for your examination year before teaching or revising.

BF	LF
Same overall target level in the oral examination; tasks focus more strongly on reproduction and reorganisation, AFB I/II.	Greater text/topic complexity, broader and deeper sociocultural knowledge; stronger focus on reorganisation and transfer, AFB II/III.
Across the course: listening, reading, analysis, mediation and two different writing types are practised.	The written Abitur includes listening and writing; analysis may also involve images, statistics, diagrams or other discontinuous texts.

2028 LF exam orientation: The official written exam is approximately 255 minutes including selection time: about 30 minutes listening, a 15-minute break, then 225 minutes for the writing part. Monolingual and bilingual dictionaries are permitted under the official rules. This MOOC therefore uses the support order context → word family → English explanation → monolingual dictionary → bilingual/German help only if needed.

Official checks:

Prior knowledge / Vorwissen

Use fictional or public examples, not personal disclosures.

Prompt	Quick response
A friend, a teacher and a job interviewer address the same person.	Would the speaker probably choose exactly the same vocabulary and tone in all three situations? Why or why not?
A station sign uses three languages.	What can you observe before making claims about inclusion?
Two speakers pronounce the same sentence differently.	Which differences concern accent, and which claims about intelligence or character would be unjustified?

Think – pair – share: Write one hypothesis for this course: Language can influence participation when ... Keep it and revise it after the transfer task.

Core concepts

Term	English-first explanation	Useful question
language choice	selecting a language or variety for a particular situation, audience or purpose	Who chooses what, for whom, and under which constraints?
accent	patterns of pronunciation associated with a speaker or group	What is actually audible, and how do listeners respond?
dialect	a language variety that may differ in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar	Which linguistic features are involved?
register	language style shaped by situation, purpose and relationship	How formal, informal, technical or conversational is the language?
code-switching	shifting between languages or varieties within or across situations	What changes in audience, purpose or identity accompany the shift?
multilingualism	the use or presence of more than one language by individuals, groups or institutions	Which languages are available, visible and usable?
language policy	explicit rules or practical decisions about which languages are used, taught or supported	Who decides, in which domain, and with what intended or observed effects?
linguistic landscape	visible language in public space, for example on signs, posters, screens or buildings	Which languages are visible, ordered, translated or absent?
prestige	social value that people or institutions assign to a language variety	Is the evaluation linguistic evidence or a social judgement?
participation	the practical opportunity and ability to take part, understand, respond and be heard	What lowers or raises barriers in this context?

Key principle: No accent or dialect is inherently more intelligent, logical or valuable than another. Social meanings and institutional expectations can nevertheless affect how varieties are treated.

Visual model: from language to participation

Context	Language practice	Interpretation	Possible consequence	Check
school, workplace, public service, media	choice, accent, register, switching, translation	belonging, professionalism, authority, distance, solidarity	easier or harder access, confidence, visibility or participation	Is the effect supported by evidence, or only assumed?

Use the model as a chain, not as a fixed law. The same language choice can have different effects in different settings.

Vocabulary in context and word formation

Support order: First infer meaning from context. Then look at the word family. Next use an English explanation. Then consult a monolingual dictionary. Only then use a bilingual dictionary or German help if necessary.

Base / root	Word family	English clue	Example frame
belong	belonging	feeling accepted as part of a group	The speaker creates a sense of belonging by ...
include	inclusion, inclusive	making participation possible for more people	The policy is intended to be inclusive because ...
participate	participation, participant	taking part in an activity or decision	Participation may be limited when ...
access	accessible, accessibility	being able to reach, understand or use something	The multilingual sign improves accessibility for ...
legitimate	legitimacy, legitimise	being treated as valid or acceptable	The institution legitimises one variety by ...
standard	standardise, standardisation	making forms or rules more uniform	Standardisation can support shared understanding, but ...
stigma	stigmatise, stigmatisation	attaching a negative social judgement	The source describes the stigmatisation of ...
privilege	privilege, privileged	an advantage not equally available to everyone	The rule may privilege speakers who ...

C1-oriented extension: Use may, can, tends to, in this context, the evidence suggests and a plausible interpretation is to avoid overclaiming.

Listening / Viewing

Source context: Queen Mary University of London presents research on accent bias in Britain. Treat claims as context-specific: a British study does not automatically describe every country, age group or situation.

BF task: Listen for one finding, one example and one limitation. Explain how accent can become socially relevant even though pronunciation itself does not measure intelligence.

LF task: Distinguish among attitudes to accent labels, responses to real voices and professional recruitment judgements. Explain why these are different kinds of evidence.

A 2022 Queen Mary report also stated that 30% of university students, 29% of university applicants and 25% of professionals in its UK research reported being mocked, criticised or singled out because of accent. Do not turn these figures into a universal claim. Ask: sample? setting? wording? self-report? comparison group?

Source: Queen Mary University of London, 2022

Optional extension: code-switching

Viewing question: How does the speaker connect code-switching to access and opportunity? Which points are personal experience, and which would require broader evidence before generalising?

BF: Select one claim and explain it in your own words.

LF: Compare this perspective with Lyiscott's performance. Analyse where the speakers treat switching as agency, adaptation, pressure or a mixture of these.

Optional extension: language and thought

Critical-thinking task: The talk concerns language and cognition, not directly language policy. Identify one useful connection to identity, then state one reason why a cognitive example alone cannot prove a claim about social participation.

Reading

Micro-reading: Who gets heard? — fictional case for analysis

Amira is a fictional member of a city youth council. The council asks everyone to use “clear standard English” in formal meetings so that minutes are easier to write and new members can follow the discussion. Amira sees an advantage in having a shared formal register. At the same time, she notices that long-term members often use local jokes and informal expressions without explanation, while her own pronunciation is sometimes treated as a communication problem. The council later adds welcome signs in several languages, but application forms remain available only in English. The changes make multilingualism more visible, yet visibility does not automatically guarantee access. A visitor may understand the sign but still struggle with the form; another may speak English fluently but feel that their accent is judged. The case therefore raises a question: Which language practices help people participate, and which merely signal inclusion?

BF reading task: Summarise the tension in two sentences. Then identify one detail about language choice and one detail about participation.

LF reading task: Analyse how the text contrasts symbolic inclusion with practical access. Add one alternative interpretation and one piece of information you would need before judging the council's policy.

Data and visual reading

Source note: Statistics Canada, 2021 data; the Commons file is distributed under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.

BF: Describe two visible patterns without explaining causes. Then formulate one cautious inference.

LF: Explain what the graphic can and cannot tell you about multilingualism, identity and participation. Discuss the difference between language spoken at home and language access in public institutions.

Do not infer individual identity from group data.

Analysis toolbox

Use WHAT – HOW – WHY/IMPACT – LIMITS.

Material	WHAT?	HOW?	WHY / IMPACT?	LIMITS?
written text	claim, perspective, audience	choice of words, lexical fields, register, tone, syntax, examples, structure	intended effect, identity construction, positioning	alternative reading, missing evidence, source context
audio/video	speaker's claim and situation	pronunciation, pace, pauses, repetition, contrast, performance	authority, solidarity, distance, emphasis	do not infer character or intelligence from accent
image/sign	languages, symbols, people, layout	order, size, salience, translation, typography, placement	visibility, accessibility, institutional identity	visibility alone does not prove actual access
statistics	variables, groups, trend	scale, categories, labels, comparison	pattern relevant to argument	sample, definitions, correlation, missing context
policy	rule, domain, target group	language(s) selected, implementation, support	intended and observed access, cohesion, identity or participation	costs, trade-offs, unequal effects, evidence quality

Useful analysis frame: The source presents X. It does so through Y. This may position the audience to Z. However, the evidence only supports this interpretation insofar as ...

Case study 1: Accent, prestige and participation

Map warning: Dialect maps simplify continua and social variation. A boundary on a map is not a precise border between speakers, and dialect is not the same as accent.

BF: Pick one area. Explain why a map of dialect regions cannot tell you whether an individual speaker is “formal”, “educated” or “professional”.

LF: Connect the map with the Queen Mary research. Analyse how geographical variation and social evaluation are different objects of study, and why confusing them can produce stereotypes.

Case study 2: Multilingual public space

Observation first. For each sign, note languages, order, size, repetition, symbols and assumed audience before discussing identity or inclusion.

BF pathway: Analyse one sign with the frame I can see ... / This choice may help ... / I cannot conclude ...

LF pathway: Compare both signs and the Canadian graphic. Explain how airport signage, road regulation and home-language data represent three different domains of multilingualism.

Case study 3: Language policy and institutions

The image is a historical Commons photograph of an institutional multilingual sign. Use it to ask how an institution can make linguistic diversity visible. Do not infer current rules from the photograph alone; verify current policy separately.

UNESCO's 2025 guidance on multilingual education, updated in July 2026, presents multilingual education as a policy area linked to inclusion and access to education in languages learners understand. This is a policy position and evidence synthesis from UNESCO, not a rule that every multilingual policy works equally well in every setting.

UNESCO: Languages matter – global guidance on multilingual education

BF: Identify one possible goal of a multilingual policy and one practical question that must be answered before implementation.

LF: Compare three criteria: access, institutional feasibility and identity/recognition. Explain potential trade-offs without declaring one language policy universally best.

Speaking

Scenario: fictional school welcome desk. A school wants new pupils and families to understand essential information without turning every document into an unmanageable translation project.

Role	Priority
student representative	easy access and a respectful welcome
school administration	accuracy, workload and consistent information
language learner	plain language, visuals and strategic translation
community volunteer	recognition of several home languages

BF speaking: Prepare a 90-second proposal with claim – reason – example – limitation. Use the support phrases below.

LF speaking: Hold a 5–7 minute discussion. Link at least two course sources, respond to a counterargument and propose how the policy could be evaluated after implementation.

Sentence support: One practical benefit would be ... / This might improve participation because ... / A limitation is ... / The evidence from ... suggests ..., but it does not prove ... / A workable compromise could be ...

No real pupil data, names, accents or family languages are required.

Writing

Practice task: Analyse how a speaker, writer or institution uses language to construct belonging, authority or access. Then discuss the implications for participation.

BF route: Use one main source and one supporting visual. A practice target of about 180–250 words can help you focus; this is a training target, not an official examination word limit. Structure: introduction – two analytical paragraphs – short judgement with limitation.

LF route: Link two or three sources, include a counterperspective and distinguish source evidence from your own evaluation. A practice target of about 300–450 words can be useful; adapt to teacher timing and the actual task.

No replacement essays: Your analysis and final text must be your own. If your teacher permits AI support, use it for limited purposes such as generating self-check questions or explaining vocabulary. Verify factual claims and sources, and disclose AI use according to school rules. Do not submit AI output as your own essay.

Mediation

Fictional German source for mediation practice:

Die Stadtbibliothek Nordstadt testet für drei Monate ein neues Informationssystem. Wegweiser im Eingangsbereich erscheinen auf Deutsch, Englisch und in zwei weiteren häufig nachgefragten Sprachen. Komplexe Ausleihregeln bleiben auf Deutsch, werden aber zusätzlich in einer vereinfachten deutschen Fassung und mit Piktogrammen angeboten. Mitarbeitende können bei Bedarf einen telefonischen Dolmetschdienst anfordern. Die Bibliothek will nach dem Test nicht nur zählen, wie oft Übersetzungen aufgerufen werden, sondern auch Besucherinnen und Besucher anonym fragen, ob sie Informationen schneller finden. Es werden keine Namen oder Herkunftsdaten erhoben. Die Daten und die Bibliothek sind fiktiv.

Task: Your English-speaking exchange partner is planning an accessibility project. Mediate the information that is relevant to how the library combines multilingual information, plain language, visuals and evaluation. Do not translate sentence by sentence.

BF: 100–130 words with a clear audience focus.

LF: Add a brief explanation of why the evaluation design is relevant to claims about participation.

Help ladder / Hilfen

If you are stuck ...	First try	Then	Last resort
vocabulary	context and word family	English definition and monolingual dictionary	bilingual dictionary / short German clarification
analysis	WHAT – HOW – WHY	add evidence and effect	use sentence frame
argument	claim – reason – evidence	counterargument – response	paragraph skeleton
listening	gist first	key words and speaker shifts	replay short section if allowed
LF extension	connect two sources	qualify evidence	add alternative interpretation or trade-off

Differentiation: BF works exemplarily with shorter, clearly bounded materials and more scaffolding. LF adds breadth, depth, text complexity, independent source linking and more AFB II/III. Both paths aim at meaningful B2 communication, with selected C1-oriented strategies.

Feedback

Use this five-point peer check. Feedback should describe the text, not judge the writer as a person.

Check	Feedback question
Task	Did the response answer the operator and focus?
Evidence	Is each important interpretation linked to concrete evidence?
Analysis	Does the response move beyond description to HOW and WHY?
Precision	Are accent, dialect, register, multilingualism and policy used accurately?
Qualification	Does the writer avoid stereotypes, false causality and universal claims?

Two stars and a next step: Name two things that already work and one specific revision action.

Error analysis

Weak move	Why it is weak	Better move
This accent sounds uneducated.	It turns a social judgement into a claim about the speaker.	Some listeners may associate this accent with lower prestige; that stereotype is not evidence of intelligence or education.
Multilingual signs always create inclusion.	It overgeneralises from visibility to participation.	Multilingual signs can reduce some information barriers, but access also depends on content, literacy, implementation and context.
The survey proves accent causes failure.	A report of experience or association does not by itself prove causation.	The survey documents reported accent-related experiences; causal effects require additional evidence.
The policy is inclusive because it says so.	Intention is not the same as outcome.	Evaluate implementation and outcomes as well as stated aims.
This map shows how people speak.	Regional maps simplify variation and cannot predict an individual's speech.	Use the map for broad geographic patterns and state its limits.

Revision routine: underline your strongest evidence, circle one overgeneralisation, replace it with a qualified claim, and add one limitation.

Transfer

Fictional design challenge: Create a one-page language-access plan for a fictional youth centre. Decide:

which information must be understandable immediately;
which languages, plain-language forms or icons you would use and why;
how you would test whether participation actually improves;
which data you would deliberately not collect.

BF: one target group, one setting, one evaluation method.

LF: two target groups, two potentially competing priorities, at least two course sources and a discussion of limitations.

Revisit your opening hypothesis: Language can influence participation when ... What would you now change?

Safe media, privacy and AI

All personal data in learner-created examples should be fictional. Recordings are voluntary and should remain private unless you intentionally share them in a protected classroom setting. Do not upload voices, faces, names, school data, copyrighted texts or classmates' work to external services without an explicit educational reason and permission. No external AI service is required for this course.

For AI-supported learning, if permitted by your teacher: ask for explanations, vocabulary checks or self-test questions; then verify every factual claim and every source yourself. AI should not write the submitted analysis, speech or essay for you.

The Wikimedia Commons media used here link to their file pages, where licence and attribution information can be checked. The YouTube items are embedded from their original institutional or official channels rather than copied or re-uploaded. If school privacy settings block embedded media, use a teacher-approved alternative without requiring a pupil account.

Abi check

Can you do this under time pressure?	BF self-check	LF self-check
summarise	select relevant information without retelling everything	condense complex material and preserve distinctions
analyse	name evidence, technique and effect	link language choices, structure, perspective and evidence across materials
compare	identify a meaningful similarity and difference	build criteria-based comparison and explain significance
comment / discuss	give a reasoned position with evidence	weigh competing considerations, counterarguments and limitations
mediate	select for audience and purpose, not sentence-by-sentence translation	reshape information and explain culture/context where relevant
listen / view	identify gist, key detail and speaker stance	connect stance, rhetoric and evidence while tracking limits

Final 60-second check: operator understood? thesis clear? evidence precise? analysis stronger than summary? source limits named? stereotypes avoided? language accurate enough to remain clear?

Follow-up course / Folgekurs

Continue with:

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

What does language choice mean in this course? (Selecting a language or variety for a situation, audience or purpose) (!Speaking only the language with the most speakers) (!Avoiding all informal language) (!Translating every sentence into another language)

What is an accent mainly about? (Patterns of pronunciation) (!A person's intelligence) (!All vocabulary and grammar of a dialect) (!The legal status of a language)

What can a dialect include? (Pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar) (!Only spelling mistakes) (!Only formal vocabulary) (!Only differences in speaking speed)

What is code-switching? (Shifting between languages or varieties across or within situations) (!Forgetting a language permanently) (!Replacing speech with images) (!Using one fixed register in every context)

What is language policy? (Rules or practical decisions about which languages are used, taught or supported) (!A list of every word in a language) (!A map of individual accents) (!A method for measuring intelligence)

What does linguistic landscape refer to? (Visible language in public space) (!A speaker's private thoughts) (!The grammar of one sentence) (!A ranking of languages by quality)

Which statement is responsible accent analysis? (Social reactions to accents should be analysed as social judgements) (!Accent directly measures intelligence) (!One accent is naturally more professional) (!A regional accent reveals a person's character)

Why should correlation and causation be distinguished? (A pattern or association does not by itself prove what caused it) (!Every survey proves a cause) (!Causation is only relevant to grammar) (!Correlation means two things are identical)

How do BF and LF mainly differ in this course? (LF adds greater breadth, depth, complexity and independent source linking) (!BF has no analysis tasks) (!LF avoids speaking and mediation) (!BF and LF require different target languages)

Which help order matches this course? (Context then word family then English explanation then dictionary help) (!German translation before reading the sentence) (!External AI before checking the source) (!Guess once and never revise)

Memory

Accent	Pronunciation patterns
Register	Situation-appropriate language style
Code-switching	Shifting between languages or varieties
Language policy	Institutional rules and practical language decisions
Linguistic landscape	Visible language in public space
Participation	Opportunity and ability to take part
Prestige	Social value assigned to a variety
Multilingualism	Use or presence of more than one language

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Accent	Pronunciation dimension
Register	Situation and style
Language policy	Institutional decision
Multilingual sign	Linguistic landscape
Code-switching	Repertoire choice

Kreuzworträtsel

MULTILINGUALISM	What term means the use or presence of more than one language?
ACCENT	What term describes patterns of pronunciation?
REGISTER	What term describes language style shaped by situation and purpose?
POLICY	Which word completes the term language ... for institutional rules about language use?
PRESTIGE	What term means social value assigned to a language variety?
BELONGING	What term describes the feeling of being accepted as part of a group?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Language spotting: Choose one course image and write five observations before adding two interpretations.
Vocabulary map: Build a word-family map for participate, include, belong and access and use each family in a sentence.
Accent myth check: Write three claims about accent that would be stereotypes, then rewrite them as evidence-based analytical statements.
One-minute explanation: Explain the difference between accent, dialect and register to a partner without using German unless clarification is necessary.

Standard

Linguistic landscape audit: Analyse three public signs from the media on this page or teacher-provided material. Compare language order, size, symbols and likely audience.
Source triangle: Link one video, one image and the fictional reading. Explain one common idea and one important difference in evidence.
Policy prototype: Design a fictional multilingual welcome notice and justify every language, icon and layout choice.
Speaking rehearsal: Give a two-minute response to How can language choice affect participation? and revise it after peer feedback. Recording is optional and private.

Schwer

Evidence audit: Examine the Queen Mary accent material. Separate sample, finding, interpretation, limitation and possible application.
Comparative analysis: Compare Lyiscott and Arthur with a focus on agency, adaptation and pressure. Use precise evidence without copying transcripts.
Language policy evaluation: Create criteria for evaluating a fictional school language policy, apply them to two options and explain trade-offs without claiming that one solution fits every context.
Mini research design: Plan an ethical study of how people find information on a fictional multilingual website. Use fictional data only and explain what you would measure, what you would not collect and why.

Lernkontrolle

Transfer: new setting: A fictional hospital changes signs from one language to three languages plus pictograms. Explain two possible benefits, one limitation and what evidence would be needed to evaluate participation.
Source comparison: Compare a spoken source and a visual source from the course. Explain how each constructs identity or access through different modes.
Causal reasoning: A survey finds that speakers of one accent report more negative reactions. Explain why this alone does not prove the accent caused every outcome and propose additional evidence.
Policy and practice: Distinguish a policy's stated intention, its implementation and its actual outcome using a fictional example.
Counterperspective: Develop a counterargument to the claim More languages are always better in every public document and then formulate a nuanced response.
Abi transfer: Write a thesis and a paragraph plan for an analysis task that combines a short non-fiction text with a multilingual sign. Label where you would use AFB I, II and III thinking.

Lernnachweis

For a strong learning record, show that you can:

define accent, dialect, register, code-switching, multilingualism, language policy and linguistic landscape accurately;
analyse language choices through evidence, technique, effect and limitation;
connect identity and participation without stereotyping individuals or groups;
distinguish observation from interpretation and correlation from causation;
compare text, audio, video, image and data sources appropriately;
write and speak at a clear B2 level and use selected C1-oriented qualification where useful;
adapt mediation to audience and purpose instead of translating sentence by sentence;
use sources responsibly, verify factual claims and identify limitations;
explain the BF or LF level of your work through complexity, breadth, depth and independence;
reflect on revisions after feedback and error analysis.

OERs zum Thema

Sources and media rights

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Language as identity and power

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