Patrick O.

López Negrón
Dr. Micah Corum Sociolinguistics

On the Principles of Language Architecture and Design

Word and Soil

Bedrock 1makes for a solid foundation to build upon, that is, bedrock is made of a
solid rock surface, most of it buried under layers of soil. These layers of soil vary
accordingly to the region’s environment and would require the incorporation of specific
material that later stems from the meticulously measured ground which will make for a
stable structure and foundation.2 For this to happen, the architect should take into
consideration multiple elements in order to decide upon the type of foundation that’s most
appropriate for the chosen grounds. Some of these elements go above the confines of said
grounds and they include: depth, bearing material, settlement, stability, uplift demands,
sliding forces, overall environmental impact upon construction and its process like time,
cost, restrictions, labor, etc. Most of these factors are determined by the ground that lies
there with the purpose of being the bedrock for what encases everything human, which later
becomes decomposed matter and returns to soil resting upon bedrock once again.3

The idea behind drawing complex structures from the ground in a way that
explicitly portrays and faithfully represents ideologies that both appeals to the architect and
the ground that bedrocks these ideologies is essential to the understanding of how certain
abstract concepts define our mode of expression and interpretation of reality and the forms
that shape people’s beliefs. This could be expressed with the colloquial phrase “built from
the ground up”, as in every creation, be it organic or artificial, that’s created to suit the
people’s needs comes from the ground beneath us, metaphorically speaking. This implies
that the process of construction itself is in constant connection and influence from the

1
The Word
2
The emergence of language ideology.
3
Bakhtin and Volosinov’s idea that people use the Word accordingly to engage in ideological interaction.
bedrock and soil where it stands. 4It alludes to the nature of context, not all structures are
built to last forever, although some are built to look lasting, even when in ruins, but the
majority of architectural achievements are meant to represent a moment, a connection, from
the ground up and its time period above the surface, conceptualizing it as a living
monument.5

Decorative Motif
Repeated patterns are roped around the house in representation of the idea that is
trying to be communicated. It could be said that the ground influences these patterns and
ties the community up with a print that ensures its habitants with a sense of identity, though
the decorative motif is of people’s domain. This implies that the forces that determine the
inner and outer workings of the house clash in constant debate and their expectations to be
represented in a particular manner.6

The inner walls are colored and dressed systematically in an order that represents
how the spatial wealth is spread amongst its inhabitants. Everyone then begins to bend this
order to their will and ergonomically establish their persona around the room. Though, this
act of will-bending and commodity is happening, there are moves to be negotiated with the
other parties involved in this mode of habitation. Due to the unequal balance of power
shared within the household, negotiation is necessary to identify patterns and bridge them
to each other in accordance to everyone’s boundaries regarding specific social
conventions.7 This will aid in reaching a goal of harmonization and uniformity across all

4
“The actual reality of language-speech is not the abstract system of linguistic forms, not the isolated
monologic utterance, and not the psychophysiological act of its implementation, but the social event of
verbal interaction implemented in an utterance or utterances.” (Volsinov, 1929, p.94).
5
“Verbal communication can never be understood and explained outside of this connection with a concrete
situation”. (Volosinov, 1929, p.95).
6
Duality of communication and diglossic situations.
7
“We can never be certain of the ultimate meaning of any message, but by looking at systematic patterns in
the relationship of perception of surface cues to interpretation, we can gather strong evidence for the social
basis of contextualization conventions and for the signaling of communicative goals.” (Gumperz, p170). Also,
see Saville-Troike (2003).
rooms and their inhabitants. While this is happening on the inside there are other
conventions that must address what is happening externally.

The outer walls are designed and colored with the uniformity of the surrounding
environment. Although these are built to resemble the influence of the ground, they are also
built to project a sense of community, an order that is not broken often, due to the equal
importance of both ground and surface. If to say, a few common conventions are high roofs
with pointed arches for static8, high entrances and diamond-paned windows, then it is
expected that these conventional layouts persist all across the board of a tight knit urban
community.

The word “expectation” is repeated often throughout this text for a purpose. The
purpose of the constant repetition of the word “expectation” is because both the internal and
external influences apply their will upon the communal structures, thus these will be
expected to represent the ground and the surface in accordance to these forces. On the
internal stratum, the structure and the inhabitants are responsible of holding the design
upright and stable while an internal logic is negotiated with its inhabitants, while, on the
external stratum, the overall layout is built to represent the implicit sense of community and
uniformity, creating a grid of structures that resemble each other. 9

Towering Power
There are architectural practices within history that are still present today, standing
firmly within habitable and inhabitable designs, implying that there has always been the
need to portray creation as an expression of resistance, dominance, and power. An example
of these three elements can be found in every country. The Eiffel Tower, for example,
created by Gustave Eiffel, built in 1889 for the Exposition Universelle, Paris, served the
purpose of representing the French’s dominance over steel and iron. An engineering
achievement that still, to this day, reaches sky high and shows the world the human’s
towering obsession with piercing the sky and their power to overcome the laws of physics.

8
The ability of a structure to resist environmental elements such as temperatures and winds.
9
A diglossic situation represents an H variety that stands for a more global purpose and an L variety that is
used by the people and provides a sense of connection within the speakers as expressed by Wardhaugh and
Coulmas.
This specific event pushed wheels into motion and resulted in another modern-day marvel,
the Ferris Wheel.

For Chicago’s World Fair 1893, America wanted to recreate one of the world’s
greatest events in architectural history. They wanted to create their own Eiffel Tower and
stand as tall and proud, without Gustave Eiffel’s engineering. This is when the Ferris Wheel
came into existence. Designed by George Ferris Jr., the Ferris Wheel was to become the
greatest attraction, expression of power, and material dominance that America envisioned
ever since the Eiffel Tower was first erected. After this event, Europe had ceased to become
the most industrially advanced continent in the world.

This goes to show that there is a necessity of the architect to express their reach in
terms of power, especially one that towers all, but such expression will always relate to the
people who share the same vision of power. Therefore, no other expression of power can
completely extinguish or suppress the other’s need to progress because there will always be
a sense of agency and empowerment that fits uniquely into specific grounds and structures.
This is why power cannot be solely taken as an act of oppression, but also as resistance to
10
oppressive forces. It is where architecture favors its people rather than universal
conventions, these are acts that, although, in general terms, could be frowned upon by
some, will be greatly appreciated by those who find pride in how they express themselves.
11

On the Principles of Architecture and Engineering

There is a difference between an architect and an engineer, whereas an architect is

artistically driven, and an engineer is more technical in its creation. It is of my opinion that
one must be in the mindset of both an architect and engineer when designing the schematic

10
“Most of the enslaved never accepted their condition as their fate and found ways to resist, often at the
expense of their lives. Such resistance took many forms, and it will be argued in this paper that one of those
forms was linguistic.” (Faraclas and Viada, 2004, p. 37).
11
“Identity assertion by choice of variety, especially by a disadvantaged group, is often an act of defiance
which can be understood only against the background of its sociohistorical context” (Coulmas, 2013, p. 196).
Also see Rickford & Rickford Jr. (2000).
 12
of a firm foundation. Therefore, all things considered, the following elements should be
taken into account by principle:

 Bedrock and the ground that the structure will interact with and rest upon. An
architect will draw inspiration from the ground to trace a unique plan that relates to
the soil while the engineer will assess the ground for its elements and the realistic
potential that could be conveyed through construction. Here we have both the
visionary and the technician. 13
 The ergonomic design and the uniformity of the neighboring grid. While the architect
ensures that the internal logic comfortably and accurately represents the structure’s
inhabitants, the engineer will ensure that the convention abides by that of the
surrounding external elements and structures.14
 Resistance, dominance, and power. The architect must reflect power and dominance
in its design, to promote a sense of pride and dignity, while the engineer ensures that
the structures are built to last and overcome oppressing influences in an act of
resistance and resilience. 15

Regarding these principles, the architect and the engineer are to serve the purpose of
creating an environment that safely encases everything human; spatial relations, beliefs,
language, communication, etc. Say that we were to apply these concepts universally, how
would we be able to deconstruct all these elements and build for ourselves a suitable place
and favorable situation? Say, for example, that this was an extensive and complex metaphor
for language and education? Say that, each of these elements represent something that is
alive, human, global, local, and essential for the understanding of how we address reality and
its architectural form? How would you reconceptualize these concepts? What is the
appropriate design?

12
Think of language in its multiple approaches.
13
Consider the context and the ideologies that comes with it.
14
We must cater to the uniqueness of every individual and what ties a particular group together as well.
Embrace the linguistic situation and assess its boundaries.

15
We must recognize agency and identity in language and what this represents to a particular group of
speakers.
 References

Bakhtin, M. (1934). Unitary language.

Burnham, Daniel H., & Davis Millet, Francis (1984). The Book of the Builders. Columbian
Memorial Publication Society, 1894.
Coulmas, F. (2013). Sociolinguistics: The study of speakers’ choices.
Faraclas, N., & Viada, M. (2004). Pidgins and creoles of the colonial era: Languages of
social contact or languages of social contract?. Pidgins and creoles of the colonial era. 35-
59.
Gumperz, J. J. (1982). Socio-cultural knowledge in conversational inference. In Discourse
strategies. 153-171.
Ho, V. H. (2016). "The Ferris Wheel, the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, and the
Display of American Superiority." Inquiries Journal/Student Pulse, 8(04). Retrieved
from http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=1391
Rickford, J.R., & Rickford, R. J. (2000). Spoken soul: The story of Black English.
Saville-Troike, M. (2003). The ethnography of communication.
Schuyler, Montgomery (1961). American Architecture and Other Writings, vol. 2. Belknap
Press/Harvard University Press.
Wardaugh, R. (2006). An introduction to sociolinguistics.
Volosinov, V. N. (1973). Verbal interaction. In Marxism and the philosophy of
language (pp. 83-98). New York, NY: Seminar Press.