2B - Final two paragraphs

 So...

What do you need to put in your final 2 paragraphs, I hear you ask?

Dead simple.

1. You should ensure that you write a paragraph about your own experience of the medium named in the question. So, for the following mediums, you should just have a think about 1 paragraphs worth of example of unusual and strange langauge use you have witnessed in different contexts:

*SMS
*Facebook
*Twitter
*Snapchat
*Email
*Instagram
*Whatsapp

You can make it up/elaborate if you want to. Just ensure that you are able to talk for a PG about your personal experience, backed up with examples. So, if FB came up, I might have a few exaamples of how I talk to my friends, but then talk about how that differs if I'm talking to my mum on there or something. You might want to mention how memes have affected the way you talk, or 'in jokes' you have with your friends. All you need to do is to have one PG where you talk about your own experiences of the medium, using terms to back up what you're saying, and linking your points to multiple contexts.

2A - The 60 marker

 Ok,

So you are going to want a general walk-through for the essay. You know this already. There is no way around the fact that it is a BIG essay. Remember, if you follow the timings I have outlined in an earlier post, you should have between 60-70 minutes to write it.

THE QUESTION WILL PROBABLY ASK YOU HOW THE CONVENTIONS OF THE GENRE, OR ANOTHER RELATED ASPECT OF THE GENRE, HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME. WHATEVER IT ASKS YOU, YOU MUST ANSWER THE QUESTION DIRECTLY AND SIGNPOST YOUR ARGUMENT BACK TO THE QUESTION IN EACH PARAGRAPH.

Got it? Sorry if that looked a bit shouty, but it's pretty much the most important thing on the exam so take note.

So...make sure you do the following things:

1. Read the blurbs for each texts and highlight any key words that will give you clues about the content of the text. Often, you will see clues to do with the class, social position, age of writers etc.

2. Aim to find FIVE key points in each text which directly answer the question. ie, if the question asks you to talk about how the conventions of the genre have changed, then aim to find around SIX conventions per text. Alternatively, if the question asks you something like 'how have attitudes towards love changed over time? Find points which mostly answer this question. And so on.

3. Write your paragraph clearly with a focussed TOPIC SENTENCE, back them up with multiple bits of EVIDENCE and use TERMS to discuss the KEY WORDS of PRAGMATIC SIGNIFICANCE. Remember, don't classify EVERY word, just the ones which carry meaning or are the most important.

4. If you come across KEY LANGUAGE TERMS, point them out as a 'by the way' sort of point. Don't just look out for grammatical stuff...comment on words which are archaic, or have changed meaning too.

5. Write your paragraphs QUICKLY and CONCISELY - you will need to get through a lot of them.

6. Write your five PGs on text A, then 5 on B, then 5 on C.

7. Ensure, in the majority of your paragraphs, that you make a comparison with one of the other texts.

8. STICK TO YOUR TIMINGS!!! YOU MUST COVER EACH TEXT EQUALLY!!! If you get a third of the way through your time and you have only done 4 PGs, MOVE ON!! Don't carry on with Text A forever, as your essay will be weak.

9. Remember, your paragraphs can differ in length. Some may be long, and some may only be short.

10. WRITE LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. It is a long essay....there is no avoiding that...so write FAST. Write FASTER THAN YOU EVER HAVE BEFORE. WRITE UNTIL YOUR HAND ACHES. It will be worth it!

Do all the above, and you'll be fine.

Nick

2A - Articles

 The older they are, they are more likely to be/show/have/display...Not necessarily as immediate in their reporting of the news. Might be published periodically rather than daily due to constraints of technology. May mention 'God' or 'God's will' more due to religious society. May seem far more superstitious due to beliefs of society at the time. Might demonise natural elements and disasters rather than people. May have a far more dramatic tone (more like a narrative rather than the more factual tone of modern journalism). May make assumptions and accusations due to the lack of legal system in society. May have a more local appeal and mention local place names/people etc as national papers are a relatively modern concept. May show views which are considered controversial by today's standards. Might seem sensationalist in their approach, as if warning the public. Not very much focus put onto writer.

The newer they are, they are more likely to be/show/have/display...

More immediate - sometimes even reported within minutes.  Will tend to stick to facts and quotes to ensure they can't be sued. May seek to demonise perpetrators of crimes, but always making sure they do not say anything which is legally dubious. May have a dramatic tone, but only once the modern conventions of the genre are established. For example, most articles' first PG will outline the who/what/where facts in a concise way before continuing to add information. Will always be very careful about legal implications when making assumptions, often relying on the quotes of others or modals such as 'may have' or 'might have'. May have a more national appeal. Will probably show less controversial views than an older text, but can still be controversial. Some papers will display a clear political stance. Might seem sensationalist in their approach, but simply just to sell papers rather than acting as a warning. Sometimes written by celebrities or famous journalists.

2A - Recipes

 If you get a question based on recipes, look out for the following conventions. If they are there, then you can comment on them. If you find the EXACT OPPOSITE, then you can comment on how unusual that is. Either way, you win!

Recipes


The older they are, they are more likely to be/show/have/display...


Written by cooks, for cooks; authoritative in tone; aimed at higher classes or people who are servants to higher class people; cooking is a practical and necessary thing; cooking may often be done on a grander scale; lots of presupposition because of the fact that the people reading it already do the job (knowledge of methods, equipment, amounts, measurements will be assumed); less sterile environment; archaic ingredients and attitudes will be shown; often recipes seem to be unappealing by today's standards showing a change in tastes.


The newer they are, they are more likely to be/show/have/display...


Written by celebrity chefs (maybe - but be careful); aimed at a much wider audience; cooking is now a hobby/done for enjoyment; creativity is key; multi-sensory approach due to new technologies; much less presupposition; much squeamish attitudes towards ingredients/ more sterile environment; much more choice and freedom (cloaked imperatives/face); different equipment available.

1B - SITUATION (Comments/theories about political correcteness)

 David Crystal

*political correctness is 'hardline linguistic orthodoxy'


*In the 1990s, anyone who used politically incorrect language 'risked severe condemnation by PC activists.


*'the word black...was felt to be so sensitive that some banned its use in all possible contexts.'


*'Critics of PC believe that a search for a 'caring' lexicon is pointless, as long as inequalities do not change'


*those who aim to establish PC 'argue that the use of language itself helps to perpetuate these inequalities.


*'Political correctness has become one of the most contentious issues in the US socio-political scne in recent years. '


*People often approach PC with 'aggressiveness which creates antagonism'.


Laurie Penny - Writing for the News Statesman


*“what has come to be called ‘political correctness’ used to be known as good manners and was considered part of being a decent human being. The term now is employed to write of any speech that is uncomfortably socially conscious, culturally sensitive or just plain ‘left wing’”


A new guide given to midwives in the NHS


Recently, Donnelly (2018) in The Telegraph newspaper reported that midwives should “avoid the use of the phrase ‘big baby’ in case it makes women anxious, and not to talk about ‘foetal distress’. Instead, larger infants should be described as “healthy” while foetal distress should be described as “changes in the baby’s heart rate pattern,”


Deborah Cameron


*“[PC] pushes to the limit established belief about what a language is, or ideally should be and therefore it causes considerable anxiety.”

*"Getting rid of this mystification does not magically produce consensus, but it clears the ground for more focused arguments about what (and whose) restrictions on our linguistic practice were are or are not willing to accept."

1B - Possible questions (Not official, just my ideas)

 Hi everyone,

A couple of people asked if I could provide any more potential questions for 1B as there are so few actual past papers. I will attempt to suggest some areas where you could write practice paragraphs.

1. A good study technique would be to print these off and jot down the case studies you would use if they came up. You have been given enough to cover any of these.

2. Answering example PGs on some of the trickier ones will help too.

All questions will begin with 'Using this extract as a starting point...'

Power

1. How can language be used to dominate?
2. How can language be used to manipulate?
3. How can language exploit certain types of people?
4. How can language be used to make people do things?
5. How can people break expectations of their role using language?
6. How is power shown in situations LIKE court cases?
7. How is power shown in the classroom and other SIMILAR situations?
8. How does the media use language to exert power over people?

Situation

1. How has Political Correctness changed language?
2. Discuss the idea that the context of a situation is as important as the language chosen.
3. How does language change in sensitive situations?
4. How does a person's job affect the language they use?
5. How does a situation's formality change how people use language?


Standard and Non-Standard English

1. How does a person's accent or dialect affect what people think about them?
2. Do people see a link between language and class?
3. Do people see a link between language and intelligence?
4. Do people see a link between language and crime/anti-social behaviour
5. "In general, people see Standard English and RP as BETTER than regional English." Do you agree?
6. "It is unlikely that Regional Varieties of English will ever be seen as equal to RP/STD". DO you agree?

Remember that you need to KEYWORD the question as it may state something very specific that you don't want to ignore.

Examples of what your 2B Paragraphs should look like

 Texts 2 and 8 both contain messages which are examples of unsolicited advertising. Within Text 2 we see examples of imperative verbs 'CLICK' and 'FOLLOW' which allow the text to adopt an authoritative tone which may encourage less technologically minded people to fall into their trap. The non-standard capitalisation of the verbs serves as a prosodic feature, implying that the sender is shouting, which may encourage some more vulnerable readers to act on the commands. The inclusion of a hyperlink 'www.cash4u.com' has been used to increase the chances of curious and less technology savvy users 'clicking' the link and being drawn into a process of giving away their personal data. Within Text 8, we can see similarly domineering inclusions such as the emotive imperative verb statements, 'don't miss out' and 'act now'. The phrasal verb 'miss out' and adverb 'now' both imply that you will be at a loss if you do not do what you are told, encouraging some vulnerable users to act. Additionally, there are signs that these texts are trying to adhere to a word limit do to the use of the '@' pictogram instead of the preposition 'at', and the use of elision such as 'wanna'. This has probably been done as the sender will want to keep costs as low as possible due to the nature of this type of text which will normally be sent many thousands of times to different users.

Text 1 is an example of an official announcement in the form of a Tweet from Everton Football Club. Due to the official nature of the tweet, concerning a serious injury to a player, the writer attempts to remain formal and sensitive, whilst also sticking closely to the character limit imposed by Twitter. The omission of the first person pronoun and verb 'We are' before the declarative 'Wishing Seamus a speedy recovery', implies sympathy as well as saving a vital 6 characters. Additionally, the inclusion of the players Twitter handle @seamuscoleman will mean that the player himself will receive a direct notification of the sympathies offered by the club, giving him an opportunity to respond to them. The hashtag #fighter is used primarily in order for the emotive noun 'fighter' to be seen by the player and fans to encourage them at a difficult time, but will also potentially encourage others to adopt the hashtag when posting their messages of sympathy.

Text 3 and 5 are examples of Facebook messenger messages sent between family and friends meaning that we should expect various informal features. Text 3 begins with the elided imperative phrase 'check for me what time it starts'. Here, the omission of the modal verb 'can' and pronoun 'you' suggest that the speaker is at ease in giving a direct order to the receiver. The grammatically incorrect omission of a question mark goes unnoticed here due to the fact that formality is not required on such social media texts, and the command/request is still understood pragmatically. When discussing the effects that CMC has on the English language, broadcaster John Humphreys said in a recent interview that communication such as this is 'doing to language what Genghis Khan did to Asia', implying that it is unforgiving and destructive. However, I would argue against this view as clearly the message is pragmatically understood between writer and sender, so no meaning is lost. In text 5, the sender decides to include an emoji of a face gritting its teeth, before typing I can CU in the nex carriage.' The emoji is used to suggest awkwardness and creepiness in order to elicit a humourous response from the receiver. Interestingly, the sender chooses to use letter homophones such as 'C' instead of the verb 'see' and 'U' instead of the second person pronoun 'you'. This type of communication originally came about during the era of charged text messages to save space and money, but is now largely just a feature of online sociolect. Some critics argue that this sort of non-standard communication is 'raping the English Language' (John Humphreys), but linguist David Crystal disagrees saying 'many of the abbreviations we use today have been around since the Victorian times - queen Victoria herself played with language in letters she wrote.' Therefore, I think these prescriptivist view are unwarranted.

Text 4 is an SMS sent by somebody who is about to lose their battery life on their phone. The simple message 'Batt 1% Cu@84drinks' contains multiple Rebus abbreviations which are used here to enable the writer to send before the phone turns off. The clipped noun 'batt' and pragmatically understood enumerator '1%' would serve as an explanation to the reader why the text may appear short and rude. Broadcaster Will Self, a prescriptivist, once called these types of abbreviations examples of 'Bowdlerisation'. However, I totally disagree. Even in an emergency situation such as this, it is clear to see what the meaning of the message is and, in fact, if a prescriptivist such as Lynn Truss had 'painstakingly written out a grammatically correct message' in this situation, she would probably have run out of power and been unable to communicate at all.

Why are these paragraphs good? Well - firstly, they are not based on real texts, but it shows how easy it is to access 'perfect' texts for your final two paragraphs, if you put your mind to it.

1. Each paragraph is filled with terms which demonstrate my understanding of 21stC English.

2. Multiple textual examples are given in each PG.

3. Not all PGs use theory/views, but in those that do it is commented on, replied to and integrated into the PG - not just tagged on the end.

4. I always explain why each of the features is useful/present IN THE CONTEXT GIVEN. It is not enough just to feature spot, you have to say WHY things are happening. Remember - Irregular capitalisation etc can be present in 2 different texts, but be used for totally different reasons. You need to show that you understand that.

5. The paragraphs are about clear GROUPS of texts.