English K–12

Kenneth the cook – Hello, and welcome to Cooking with Kenneth! Today, we're going to bake a scrummo-yummo chocolate cake.

Erin – Yeah, my favourite!

Mahdi – Ah! [appears to have something caught in his throat]

Erin – What's wrong? What happened?

Mahdi – Ah!

Erin – What's "ah"? Why can't I understand Mahdi?

Mahdi – Ah!

Kenneth – Because he's not using any codes and conventions that you understand.

Mahdi – Ahh. Ah!

Erin – What's a code and convention? And can Mahdi use it ASAP? The screaming is kind of getting annoying.

Mahdi – Ah!

Kenneth – Codes and conventions form the basic elements of speech, writing, and visual language. They work together to convey meaning. Without using the codes and conventions of language, it becomes really hard for us to understand one another.

Mahdi – Ah!

Erin – Nope, still don't understand you.

Kenneth – Like that. Mahdi, why don't you try using some of the codes and conventions of language to help us understand what’s happened. For example, try using gestures. [Mahdi points to his mouth]

Erin – Marty swallowed something, but what?

Kenneth – Mahdi, why don't you try using some visuals now. [Mahdi pulls out a picture of a skateboard]

Erin – Mahdi swallowed a skateboard?! [Mahdi shakes his head ‘no’]

Kenneth – Mahdi has just used a conventional code to convey meaning!

Audience – Ooh!

Erin – Oh, you swallowed something while you were riding a skateboard. But what did you swallow?

Kenneth – Mahdi, do you think you can use any words? Are you able to speak?

Mahdi – Bug!

Erin – Oh, you swallowed a bug while you were riding your skateboard on the way to the studio. Hooray, we figured it out using a combination of gesture, visual, and speech. Wow, these codes and conventions are pretty powerful, aren't they?

Kenneth – That's right, and codes and conventions are used in lots of things like speeches, the game Charades, TV shows, text messages, and even recipes for chocolate cake!

Audience – Ooh!

Mahdi – Yum! Oh, well now I've got my speech back, I'm going to use its codes to ask you to hit me on the back and try to get this bug out of my throat. Go on, be a pal.

Erin – [Begins to pat him on the back] It's a shame you got your voice back, you were much more interesting and innovative when you were playing with all those codes and conventions. [Appears the bug is released from Mahdi’s throat, flies out and lands in the cake mixture]

Kenneth – Uh oh, I think we better start making a new scrummo-yummo chocolate cake.

End of transcript