Above all, a review makes an argument. The most important element of a review is that it is a commentary, not merely a summary. It allows you to enter into dialogue and discussion with the work’s creator and with other audiences. offer agreement or disagreement and identify where you find the work exemplary or deficient in its knowledge, judgments, or organization. You are not criticizing the work or the author, but evaluating how this work illuminates the relationship between language and culture as well as the ideas presented and how they fit in with concepts in linguistic anthropology that you have learned in class. You should clearly state your opinion of the work in question, and that statement should resemble other types of academic writing, with a thesis statement/argument, supporting body paragraphs, and a conclusion (keep in mind that conclusions should be longer than 3-4 sentences).
should include your reaction to the work, expressed in a scholarly manner as a critique. Summary should be kept to a minimum, and specific details from the book used to support each point/argument that you make.
Some questions that you should consider:
-How does this case study illustrate some of the concepts about language that you have learned about in class? (Think about gender, race, class, etc.) Discuss specific themes that Tetreault identifies within a theoretical context.
-How are power relationships in the cités related to patterns of language use?
-How does way that language is used in the cités fit into the context of a larger social/cultural/economic milieu?
-How does language use in the cités express and negotiate identity?
-How does culture/language change and globalization fit into this study?
-How does a linguistic anthropological perspective enhance our understanding of this community?
-How effective or persuasive is the author’s argument?
-How did it enhance your understanding of the issues at hand?