ENGB1B Language and Technology. By the end of this session you will be able to: modify your...

AS English Language

ENGB1B Language and Technology

By the end of this session you will be able to:

modify your language to be suitable for a variety of contexts

identify how extracts vary according to context

match extracts to contexts and identify significant linguistic characteristics

Introduction

Today we are going to begin working on one of the topics for the summer exam: Language and Technology. We will work on this topic in this session each week up until the exam on 18th May.

This whole module is called Language and Social Contexts and you will need to be able to exemplify and explain how language varies based on the context in which it is being used. This basic question you will be answering is how does the medium (the method of communication) affect the message (the language choices made by the participant(s)).

a) a text message to a boy/girlfriend b) an answer phone message for a parent c) a facebook post on a friend’s wall

d) an email to a teacher/boss e) a letter to an adult

Activity 1

Grammar Lexis Pragmatics

Text message

Answer phone

Facebook wall

Email

Letter

Activity 2

Text 1

Hey Gems,howru?How was last nite?

Hope u had a gd time..;)I herd the

party was rele bad...ppl had an awful

time!Iguess I shud b glad I didn’t go

afta all...tbXx

Activity 3

Text 2

Hi Miriam and Sam

That’s great to know (sarcasm!) :~)

Hope your all doing well, winter drawing in an all that!

Enjoy the dinner

Much Love

Mel

Activity 3

Text 3

Liverpool have a good recent record here in

their yellow shirts with their black shorts and

straightaway Scholes falls over from the kick-

off so clearly the rain’s had a little bit of

impact here and and now Liverpool playing

towards the Stretford end away to our left.

Activity 3

Text 4

A: Good Morning, You’re through to XX

customer service and my name is Adam.

How may I help you?

B: Ah hello, its about a redirection request

that seems to be causing a few problems.

Activity 3

Text 5

A: wu biatch! Thx 4 ur help bt woz 2l8

B: Shit! Wanna invite Chloe in?

A: K bt don’t tok bout Kev lol!

Activity 3

Text 6

It’s Tony Adams (5) David Seaman says he

doesn’t really like the kit he has to play in

tonight (1) I can’t exactly blame him (6)

toiuch by Gascoigne this is McManaman (4)

Shearer far post Sheringham even wider (1)

for Pearce’s cross

Activity 3

Text 7

Hi Susan. It’s Jan. I was just letting you know

that I next week will be fine. I’ve spoken to

Tom and he says he can pick it up so that is

fine. Right well I’ll speak to you soon. See

you.

Activity 3

Text 8

A: Right hello Rachel

B: Hi Vince

A: So what can we help you with?

B: Well, I’m sitting my exams soon and I can’t

sleep but I don’t want to take pills so I was

wondering if there are any foods or herbal

remedies which could help?

Activity 3

On Moodle you will find a reading by David Crystal called ‘The Effect of Technology’ taken from his 2002 book The English Language.

Read the text and answer the questions on Moodle.

Email your completed reponses to me at [email protected] by the given deadline.

Homework

mailto:[email protected]

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

define text message list advantages and disadvantages of text

messages define and exemplify vowel deletion,

initialisms, letter homophone, number homophone, phonetic spelling and key binding

identify, define, exemplify and analyse characteristic features of text messages

Text Messages

1. What does SMS stand for?Short Messaging Service

2. In what year was the first text sent?1992

3.What did it say?Merry Christmas

Quick quiz

4. In what year was text messaging commercially launched in the UK?1994

5. How many characters could be written in the first text messages?160

6. What is ‘Blackberry thumb’?RSI from texting too much

Quick Quiz

7. To the nearest million, how many text messages were sent on Christmas day 2009? 441,805,870

8. On average, how many texts messages are sent worldwide every second (Oct 2010)?

200,000

9. Which political figure was the first to host a text Q&A session?

Tony Blair

Quick Quiz

10. What was the first TV programme to use text messaging in a storyline?Eastenders

So are you an SMS-smarty or a text-tard?

Quick Quiz

Method of written communication between two phones or a phone and a computer

Uses alphanumeric keypadLimited to screens of 160 characters although messages can go over into multiple screens

What is text messaging?

Advantages Disadvantages

Activity 5: The pros and cons of texting


QuickCheapMost people have a mobileGlobal networkEasyCan do whilst doing other thingsPromotes literacy in childrenInstantCan ignore if desiredCreative language use



QuickCheapMost people have a mobileGlobal networkEasyCan do whilst doing other thingsPromotes literacy in childrenInstantCan ignore if desiredCreative language use

DistractingMay harm literacy developmentCyber bullyingSurveillance/spyingCan be misinterpretedAlways contactableCan pretend you didn’t get it


Throughout this unit it is important to keep in mind that technology

augments (adds to),

constrains (limits or restrains)

and simulates (acts as an imitation or substitute) person-to-person and face-to-face communication so you need to be aware of how it is being used and why at all times.

Vowel deletionVowels are omitted e.g. bt, xlnt, txt

InitialismCommon phrases are compressed to only the initials of

the wordse.g. brb, omg, tb

Letter homophomesLetters which can replace whole wordse.g. U, C, B, Y

Terminology

Number homophonesNmbers which can replace whole wordse.g. 1,2,4,8

Phonetic spellingSpelling s the words are pronouncede.g. luv, wot, bak

Key bindingCombination of letter and number homophonese.g. cul8r, w84me, ne1, ilbl8

Terminology

Linguistic Method

Characteristics

Phonology Phonetic spellingDetails indicating intended pronunciation/intonation

Grammar Compressed grammar – many closed class words omitted.Ellipsis

Lexis AbbreviationsNumber/letter homophonesKey bindingInitialisms of common idiomatic phrases

How does the medium affect the message?

Linguistic Methods

Characteristics

Orthography Non-standard but not random spellingCapitalisationEmoticonsRhetorical punctuation, not grammatical.

Pragmatics Follows conversational patterns and maximsAllows time to consider responseOften composed in the midst of other activities so greater focus is placed on the message and there is less evaluation of writer’s aptitude and ability to use languageCovert prestige associated with features of UK youth sociolectParticipants are prepared to use ore characters than necessary to simulate prosodic effects of speech

Discourse DyadicRestricted by space (160 characters per message)Instant nature


The extract below is a selection of Valentine’s Day that Guardian readers sent in by text message for publication on the newspaper’s website on 14th February 2005. Use the table above to analyse the data for features characteristic of text messages.

What can we immediately infer about the context of these discourses from the information we are given?

Activity 6

to wonderwoman from dadblog thx for sharing yr teasmade with me! Love u more than ever xxx

to my amazing husband, on our 1st married

Valentine’s day! U make me happier than ever b4 and I love u so much. From yr snow puma xx

HOT STUFF, KEEPING THOSE COLD TOOTSIES

WARM FOR YO. LERV, BOYSEY. chris cole thanx 4 10 great yrs luv always

ginaxxxxxxxxxxxx

Activity 6

TO THE FINEST BIRD IN THE LAND – FOREVER BE MINE. YOURS4EVA. THE MOO FATHER

To Clare, this I slove 4 all time ;-) N xxx LUSM.CWBWU2Nite.LU4E.KIR dear lambie i love u n ur air geetar wiv all my <3. u

r my * 4eva xx

Activity 6

U keep of cycle all might. I love t more than able. x x x x Yo yo babeface.Kant wait 2 b wiv u.lol Kaz x 2 my sweet angel Sassie Q. Wil u marry me?

Pleeeeeeez? SWALK B x x To Bob. I know this is all very sudden but would u go out

with me? Sarah

Activity 6

As with any usage of language, the form is dependent on the context. Text messaging practices differ widely according to age of participants, function of message, relationship etc. To test this use your phone and copy 3 text messages into the spaces. They must be from different senders.

Then enter the details of the senders in the table below. Give as much contextual detail as possible then analyse how the context affects the message and state your findings.

Activity 7

Findings?

Activity 7

Read the articles on pages 12-16 and answer the accompanying questions in full sentences and in your own words.

Hand in in your book by the given deadline.

Homework: Activity 8

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

describe the effects of texting evaluate attitudes towards texting reference secondary sources using Harvard

Referencing plan and write an essay response to a given

question

The Effects of Texting

1. Break down the question2. The Research3. Taking notes from a text4. Planning your essay5. Writing your essay6. Completing the task

Follow the process


identify and describe the linguistic characteristics of telephone conversations

extract relevant information from texts analyse a telephone conversation for salient

features

Telephone Calls

Why do we use telephones? Can talk to people who are not in the same

place as you Synchronous Widespread usage Low cost Minimum effort

The development of the telephone

Cost – older generation; Talktalk; mobile tariffs

Limitations - only one line, call waiting; ringback; 1471 etc.

Recent developments – Answering services; video calls; mobiles; texting; skype etc

In pairs, you have been given a card featuring a ‘role’. With your partner you are to sit back to back (pretending you are on the phone). In turn, one of you should take a card and do as the card instructs.

When you were the caller, what problems did you face?

When you were the callee, what problems did you face?

What generalisations about telephone calls can you make from this exercise?

Activity 9


PhonologyPhone voice – converges to RP

Compensates for lack of face-to-face

Prosodic emphasis


GrammarSpoken grammarDeictic reference


DiscourseStructures which must be followed to ensure cooperative principle


PragmaticsCompensate for lack of visual aspect

More descriptivePhatic or functional

Read the articles in the booklet, Why is it so hard to get off the phone? and Hello I’m on the train. Read through these and annotate and highlight any relevant findings. Be prepared to share these with the class.

Activity 10

Activity 11

1. Analyse how the participants compensate for the lack of face-to-face communication

2. Comment on the relationships of the participants in the transcripts. Is there any linguistic evidence to prove how close they are?

3. Do the participants follow the rules of telephone conversation? If not, comment on where and why.

4. Apply any findings from the readings above.

S Oxford Library information deskC oh good morning I wonder if you could tell me if you have a particular book?S what’s the name?C it’s by S Levinson L-E-V-I-N-S-O-N and it’s called PragmaticsS right I’ll just check the files for youC thanks very much (pause while S checks file)S hello?C helloS no I’m sorry we haven’t got it hereC oh (.) oh well, you see I’ve rung up the university library and they don’t have it eitherS let me just check I’ve got the spelling right L-E-V-I-N-S-O-NC yes that’s rightS well I can see if it’s in the Poly Library but you won’t be able to take it out from thereC no no I realise that (.) Yes, would you check for me?S okay hold on a moment (pause while checks file) hello?C helloS no I’m sorry it’s not there either (.) Have you tried the Bodleian?C no not yetS or there’s there’s a place called the Taylor’s Institute which has a small linguistics sectionC oh where is that?S it’s in St Giles do you know the museum oh I’ve forgotten its name opposite the Randolph Hotel(.) the Ashmolean?C yes it’s in thereC okay I’ll try thereS well the number is not listed here I’d have to try directory enquiriesC oh well don’t worry I can do that (.) thanks for your helpS okayC goodbyeS bye

Ocean: Hello Ocean Finance, we’re the lender who will always lend, how can we help today?

Hicks: Hi, my name is Tom Hicks and I’m looking to consolidate my debts and raise extra finance.

Ocean: Well you’ve certainly come to the right place.Hicks: That sounds great, well I’m looking for a loan in the region of 300

million pounds and need it quickly. I heard if you agree a loan then it’s in your bank the next working day, is that right?

Ocean: Erm, yes Mr Hicks but that’s a very large amount. What is the loan for?Hicks: I have a business in Liverpool and need to pay off some bank debts. It’s

a soccer franchise, the world’s greatest soccer franchise.Ocean: Ok and how does your business make money, what are your income

streams?Hicks: We make money when our customers come to watch the games we

play. We sell them seats in our stadium and we’re the greatest supported soccer franchise in the world. We have a waiting list of people who want to come and watch the games.

Ocean: Fantastic, so you sell out your seats for every game you play?Hicks: Erm, well we’ve been hit by the recession and games on Thursday

nights when there’s a lot on in Liverpool apparently. Our customer base is very loyal to us, they wave banners with my name on at every game and shout chants about me. I can’t work out what they say because of these regional accents they have but it’s encouraging.

Learning Checklist

Can you…… identify and describe the linguistic

characteristics of telephone conversations?

… extract relevant information from texts?

… analyse a telephone conversation for salient features?


describe your own linguistic behaviour in response to answerphones

analyse the salient features of answerphone exchanges

analyse the salient features of call centre exchanges

analyse the salient features of automated call services

Answerphones, Call Centres and Automated Call Services

Are you comfortable/happy to leave messages on answerphones? If not, why not?

Do your messages tend to follow a discourse pattern or do they vary from message to message? Try to describe the pattern if applicable.

How fluent are your messages? Consider pauses, fillers etc.

If you get an answerphone message do you ever put the phone down, prepare a message and then ring back? If so, why and in which specific contexts?

Activity 12

Synchronous or Asynchronous?

Asynchronous

How does this affect language choices?

Extra temporal/spatial detail needed May include plans for future contact

The features of answerphone messages

Permanent or Ephemeral?

Permanent

How does this affect language choices?

May converge to RP (phone voice) Site for potential embarassment


Synthetic participant or interactional monologue?

Interactional monologue

How does this affect language choices? No back channel support so speaker

compensates with filled pauses Pre-close has no-one to agree so may be

awkward.


Write down the message you use on your own answerphone.

How would you describe your language use?

(Consider accent, formality, complexity, speed, prosodic features etc.)

What sort of image does your message project? Listen to the clip from Little Britain. What issues does

it raise regarding language usage?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwz-2udDZ9g

Activity 13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwz-2udDZ9g

Now look at the data extracts below ( A-F are transcripts, E is the lyrics to a song called Ansaphone by Pulp). What linguistic comments can be drawn from an analysis of the data?

Activity 14

hello it’s just me (.) you in (3) pick up the phone (2) ok well I’m just ringing to say I’ll definitely be there tonight but I might be ten minutes late (.) sorry (.) get the drinks in while ya waitin (.) byeeee

Text A

hi Katie darling it’s just Mum (.) em (.) it’s nothing important but give me a ring when you get in (.) okay so (.) bye love

Text B

hello Michele (.) it’s just Paul (.) from work (.) I was just

wondering if you have a copy of (.) em (.) that thing we were

using (.) [laughs] I’m just losing my marbles ignore me (.)

anyway (.) em yep the policy outline document (.) that’s what

I need (.) ok so if you have a copy could you give me a ring

please (.) obviously you need my number (.) ok (2) here we

go (.) its 07XXXXXXXXX so give me a ring if you have it (.) or

if you don’t (.) or whatever you want [laughs] (.) okay (.) bye

then (.) bye

Text C

Yo (.) I know you’re not in but remember to put that book in your bag as SOON as you get in (.) Later

Text D

Ansaphone

Oh, I know I don't own you but I don't even know if I should phone you. Someone sending me letters saying you've been going with other fellers. And they bored you but I don't wanna cry or talk for hours to a machine on the end of a telephone line. Oh, it just kills me when all you've got to do is call Oh do it any time 'cause there's never no-one home, never no-one home. Leave your message on the ansaphone. I'm not trying to be clever but at least we're not still living together. All those calls in the evening, if I answered they'd hang up without speaking. And they bored you but I don't want to cry or talk for hours to a machine on the end of a telephone line. Oh, it just kills me when all you've got to do is call Oh, do it any time 'cause there's never no-one home never no-one home Leave your message on the ansaphone [Beep!] "Hello, its me. I just wanted to call and say it doesn't matter what you get upto. I just want you to stay in touch. That's all." Are you really not at home? Or are you there but not alone? Screening calls you don't want to receive, meaning calls, calls that come from me. Oh, I need to see you. It's not enough for me just to hear you. You said you'd be here by ten thirty but you want to stay out and be dirty. Oh, it just kills me when all you've got to do is call. Oh, do it any time 'cause there's never no-one home never no-one home.Leave your message on the ansaphone.

Text E

Hello (.) just a quick call from Peterborough (.) er really it was two queries (.) I – I didn’t know what sort of coffee to buy for you for Christmas (.) and I didn’t know what sort of cereals to buy (.) so: (.) well perhaps you can have tha- you needn’t ring me back to tell me but whenever we next speak perhaps you can (.) tell me the answer to those two (.) hope you’re ok (.) er I’ve had my new carpet laid in the kitchen and the (.) bathroom(.) um: (.) new roller blinds for the kitchen coming (.) one day next week (laughs) right (.) o:k (.) cheerio(.) bye

Text F

In your booklet is a reading from emagazine all about the language of answerphones. It may even be inspiration for your A2 coursework! Read it carefully and see if their findings supported the features you analysed above.

Activity 15

The second topic we will look at is regarded by some as the bane of our current culture. Most customer service interactions now take place over the phone and the majority of these are handled by call centre workers.

Call centre employees often use scripts and are trained to use certain phrases if they need to deviate from the script. (Think of the episode with Phoebe in Friends when she works for the toner company http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pnph3rzi-Wo) They also need to use lots of placatory language as recipients are rarely happy to ‘chat’!

Call Centres

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pnph3rzi-Wo

Method Features Examples Explanation

Grammar

Lexis and Semantics

Pragmatics

Discourse

What features did you identify? Place them in the linguistic methods table below

With developments in technology answering services can now be used to manage calls and direct callers to the required information without the need for an operator. These can operate through touch-tone phone key pads or voice recognition systems. Their aim is to simulate an interaction with a real person.

Automated Call Services

In order to investigate this topic, you will need to use Moodle, as directed below.

On Moodle you will find an article about how these systems

deal with regional accents. Read this in your own time as part of your independent learning and consider how this medium affects the message.

Also on Moodle is the transcript from the Jan 2005 exam paper. Print the paper off and make notes below on the features which you would comment on. If you wish to submit it as a practice paper it will be marked. Complete it in one hour. Remember to relate your points to context by emphasising how the interaction is affected by the intervention of technology.

Independent Learning

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

describe the linguistic characteristics of emails

describe the linguistic characteristics of IM and chatrooms

describe the linguistic characteristics of blogs analyse emails, IM, chatrooms and blogs,

describing and exemplifying how the language is affected by the technology

Email, IM, Chatrooms and Blogs

Today we are going to look at how language is used on the internet to communicate. This excludes websites and focuses on mediums which are one-to-one or one-to-many. Traditionally there are two modes of communication: Speech and writing. Emails, IM, chatrooms and blogs are specialised forms of communication which exhibit characteristics of both modes. They are what we call mixed modes of communication. Fill in the table below with how they are similar to each mode.

Spoken Mode Written Mode

Email

IM

Blog

How are these channels of communication similar to spoken and written language?

Electronic mail, commonly called email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Neither the users nor their computers are required to be online simultaneously; they need connect only briefly, typically to an email server, for as long as it takes to send or receive messages. (Wikipedia, 31/03/11)

What is email? What other forms of communication is it similar to and how?

Form Function

To:

From:

Cc:

Bcc:

Subject:

Other symbols: paper clip, etc.

Date and time

Activity 17: The discourse of an email

Form Function

To: The email address(es), and optionally name(s) of the message's recipient(s). Indicates primary recipients (multiple allowed)

From:

Cc:

Bcc:

Subject:


Date and time


Form Function


From: The email address, and optionally the name of the author(s). In many email clients not changeable except through changing account settings.

Cc:

Bcc:

Subject:


Date and time


Form Function



Cc: Carbon copy. Means you are being included in the email but you are not the primary recipient

Bcc:

Subject:


Date and time


Form Function




Bcc: Blind Carbon Copy. Names added here will receive the email but will be invisible to the other recipients

Subject:


Date and time


Form Function





Subject: A brief summary of the topic of the message. Certain abbreviations are commonly used in the subject, including "RE:" and "FW:".


Date and time


Form Function







Paper clip indicates attachments; exclamation mark indicates urgency; red flag means needs to be followed up etc.

Date and time


Form Function







Paper clip indicates attachments; exclamation mark indicates urgency; red flag means needs to be followed up etc.

Date and time The local time and date when the message was written. Like the From: field, many email clients fill this in automatically when sending. The recipient's client may then display the time in the format and time zone local to him/her.


Low formalityHigh formality

Activity 18: Greetings

Sincerely

HUGZZ

Take care

Thanks for listening

Have fun!

Live long and prosper

Love

Regards

Activity 19: Signing off

Text AAn exchange of emails between two colleagues, Liz and Alan. They have arranged a

meeting for 18 October, where Liz is going to present some documents to Alan. Dear AlanIm humming and haaing abt Fri 18th. Im certainly aiming to have a piece to submit but

at present feels like Everest to climb haven’t even started redraft due to crazy psycho witch at work (I have my own stalker!!! Calling me for an hour or more at home in the evenings!!) Not making preemptive excuse but forewarning. Hope this temporary glitch only – I swear on my life that if I thought I couldn’t deliver the thing at all wld tell you up front so you cld get someone else! So am hoping not to welsh on our deal but feel honour bound to tell you might HAVE to delay past 18 th Oct. V embarrassed as I know I suggested this date. Mortified. Don’t miss deadlines ever – vv bad sign.

Hope you’re ok Liz Hi LizNo need to panic – not sure I can make it anyway. Would rather re-programme to Nov

4. Any good?

Activity 20: Analyse the data extracts below, identifying the defining genre characteristics.

Text B An exchange of emails between two ex-colleagues, now friendsFrom: kate crook [email protected] To: Alex Kay <[email protected]>

Sent: Wed, January 26, 2011 15:56:00 PMSubject: Hi Kate

Hiya! hope that you are still having fun at college! I'll be away on the 5th-going cruising to the arctic,

hoping to see the Northern lights and go dog sledding so I will be thinking of you in your crochet group.

I started to do a piece of Tunisian crochet which turns out to be a lot easier that it first seems so I'm

trying to make a small clutch bag in wool and then sew a few beads onto it-well that's all in theory of course!

Are you still knitting students? Our knit and natter group seems to be going well, we usually get about 9

or 10 attending, 4 new people turned up last Tuesday so it looks like it will survive- you can never tell after the holidays if people will come back-like students really.

There are all abilities-I spent last week's meeting undoing and reknitting someone else's work as she had gone all to pot on her k2p2 rib. Hope she has got past it by next Tuesday!

Yesterday we had a girlie afternoon in a friend's house, watching Ab Fab videos and sampling home made Damson gin but one brought her knitting as she had gone wrong so I spent and hour undoing that and getting her on the right track again-why do beginners want to do complicated stuff straight away? she is making a scarf in PomPom which can be tricky if you don't know what it should look like!

Visited Mike Comer on Monday- he lives about 500 metres from Black Sheep Barn! Obviously I had to call

in to see it. So if you intend going there he says to call in for a brew 73 Hob Hey Lane, Culcheth 01925 XXXXXX

Anyway, life is busy and fun and I don't have people demanding stuff all the time so I can recommend

retirement! Keep in touch Kate xx Best wishes to all

Text B cont.

From: Alex Kay <[email protected]>To: kate crook <[email protected]>Sent: Wed, January 26, 2011 3:34:00 PMSubject: Hi Kate

Hi Kate Happy new year! I have been trying to text you but it keeps

failing. Anyway, just to let you know, the next crochet workshop is the 5th Feb, 1-4pm and we are making a chunky hat and scarf combo. It is a bit more expensive at £20 but that’s because there’s more wool!

Hope to see you there or hear from you soon Alex

What is IM? IM is a form of synchronous, text-based

communication between two or more people using personal computers or other devices. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet. More advanced instant messaging software clients also allow enhanced modes of communication, such as live voice or video calling.

IM and Chatrooms

Myspace MSN etc. Facebook Chatrooms Online gaming Online dating Online gambling

Friends/strangers Contacts Friends Anyone! Anyone Singles? Gamblers!

List some potential ‘locations’ where instant messaging may occur and who may be expected to take part

Abbreviations Letter and number homophones Key binding Phonetic spelling Rhetorical punctuation

Similar to spoken conversations, Text messages, phone calls and emails.

What are the conventions of IM and chatrooms and what other discourse types could you compare them to?

The cauliflower queen says: Heya!

Fly my pretties says: Hey

The cauliflower queen says: How r u?

I GOT A RECALL! says: Groovy thanx

I GOT A RECALL! says: and u?

The cauliflower queen says: K

The cauliflower queen says: What u bin up 2?

I GOT A RECALL! says: not a lot

the cauliflower queen says: sounds fun!

I GOT A RECALL! says: i am seriously tired!

I GOT A RECALL! says: !!

I GOT A RECALL! Says: lol

the cauliflower queen says: ugh i know

the cauliflower queen says: i’ve got a cold

I GOT A RECALL! says: noooooooo!

the cauliflower queen says: i’ve gtg now

I GOT A RECALL! says: k

the cauliflower queen says: cos my mum’s screaming at me!

I GOT A RECALL! says: See yaaa

I GOT A RECALL! says: lol

the cauliflower queen says: byeeeeeeeeeeeee

I GOT A RECALL! says: byeeeeeeee

I GOT A RECALL! says: moi x x x

the cauliflower queen says: x x x

Activity 21: Analyse the data extract below, commenting on the defining features of the genre and reasoning WHY they have become conventions.

The birth and popularity of the internet has given everyday people a platform from which to voice their opinions. Anyone can develop their own web age, online profile or even a blog.

Blogs

A blog (a blend of the term web log) is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Most blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets on the blogs and it is this interactivity that distinguishes them from other static websites.

What is a blog and what other discourse types is it similar to?

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic.

Microblogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts. Sites such as Twitter fall under this category.

As of 16 February 2011, there were over 156 million public blogs in existence.


“Technically, a blog is a series of posts arranged in chronological order. Most agree, however, they’re an important form of expression. Though many modern blogs are personal observances updated on a regular basis, the earliest blogs weren’t rants or observances. They were lists of links maintained by a handful of tech savvy individuals. It wasn’t until the late 1990’s that blogging evolved into what we see today.”

Taken from http://www.masternewmedia.org/independent_publishing/blogging-how-to-blog/guide-to-publishing-first-blog-20071104.htm.htm (24/03/09)


http://www.masternewmedia.org/independent_publishing/blogging-how-to-blog/guide-to-publishing-first-blog-20071104.htm.htm



Posts have a subject or header – just as a newspaper article, or email does

They then have a subject or body – the main part of the post, again just like an email

They most usually have comments – a way that readers can respond to what’s been said. This is an important part of blogging, which is much more conversational than print media. As soon as you write something, your readers have a chance to respond to it

They quite often have a time and date stamp – so that readers know how recent the post is. Commonly people aren’t so interested in reading out of date posts. Blogging is very much an “of the moment” phenomenon, and while you might create “evergreen” content, it’s likely that at least some of your posts will be time sensitive.

Blog Conventions (Blonventions?)

Carefully read the blog below and make notes on the ways in which the medium affects the communication and the ways in which it borrows features from other genres.

How else are blogs used and by whom? Political figures Individuals Celebrities Institutions Businesses

Activity 22

Some blogs focus on a particular subject, such as political blogs, travel blogs (also known as travelogs), house blogs, fashion blogs, project blogs, education blogs, niche blogs, classical music blogs, quizzing blogs, legal blogs (often referred to as a blawgs) and dreamlogs. Two common types of genre blogs are art blogs and music blogs. A blog featuring discussions especially about home and family is not uncommonly called a mom blog. While not a legitimate type of blog, one used for the sole purpose of spamming is known as a Splog.

The world of the blog

http://www.mil-millington.com/ http://icanhascheezburger.com/ http://www.xtreme-knitting.com/blog/ http://1000awesomethings.com/ http://www.yummly.com/blog/ http://www.stephenfry.com/blog/ http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/blackburn-coll

ege-what-a-wonderful-place/5005777.blog

Some blogs

http://www.mil-millington.com/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/

http://www.xtreme-knitting.com/blog/

http://1000awesomethings.com/

http://www.yummly.com/blog/

http://www.stephenfry.com/blog/

http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/blackburn-college-what-a-wonderful-place/5005777.blog

http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/blackburn-college-what-a-wonderful-place/5005777.blog

Find your own data! If you use MSN, facebook chat or any other chatrooms, or even if you don’t, find a suitable length of text, copy and paste it into a word document and analyse it for the conventions of the genre (Hint: the readings will help you with terminology and conventions) DO NOT USE ANY RUDE CHATROOMS! If you like, you can even write up your analysis in an hour and hand it in to be marked as a past paper.

Homework

On Moodle you will find a variety of texts to read about all of the topics we have covered today. Remember, reading will dramatically improve your understanding by consolidating your learning and expanding your knowledge.

Language and the Internet (David Crystal) Understanding Chat Jargon Blog on or log off (emag) Linguistic Ruin? LOL! Instant Messaging and Teen language

(Tagliamonte & Denis) Myspace Comments (Thelwall) Emoticons Evolve into the Practical Punctuation of the

Internet (Technology Today) A lesson in Hai culture: Lolcats (New Statesman)

Further Reading

By the end of this session students will be able to:

analyse the audience and purpose of a website

extract website features from an article apply subject specific lexis to website

analysis devise and apply framework for analysis

Websites

The internet was developed as a resilient communications network for military purposes. With the development of computers from expensive bulky items designed to increase business productivity to portable, inexpensive devices designed for personal and entertainment use, the Internet has become an essential in everyday life for many.

History of the Internet

Each webpage is designed to cater to its audience. List some of the websites which you regularly visit and think about how they accommodate you as a user.

Activity 23:The audience of a website

Website Characteristics

Activity 23:The audience of a website

Websites can be designed to fulfil a range of purposes and each will differ accordingly. Using the example below as a guide, complete the table with the purposes of the websites and how they may achieve them. Add one of your own.

Activity 24:The purpose of a website

Website Purpose How?

www.google.comTo find things on the Internet

Search bar is in the centre of a fairly plain page to focus on what is important for user. Logo above search bar to reinforce user ‘loyalty’. No adverts to distract. Simple colour scheme.

www.blackburn.ac.uk

www.thesun.co.uk

www.amazon.co.uk

www.facebook.com

Activity 24:The purpose of a website

Websites are so diverse that it is difficult to form a conclusive list of genre conventions but there are some general features which you can rely upon and should be prepared to discuss.

Read the article on pages 53-56 and extract information about some of the ingredients of websites.

Activity 25: Ingredients of a website

Compare the webpages on pages 57 and 58 using the prompts on page 56. If you hand in your answers, they will be marked. (Full colour versions available on Moodle under ‘websites for analysis’)

Activity 26


describe the contextual differences between sports commentaries and face-to-face interactions

extract linguistic characteristics of commentaries from an article

identify and exemplify linguistic characteristics form a commentary recording

sort linguistic characteristics systematically using the frameworks

plan an exam response and present your findings to the class

Sports Commentaries

Sports commentaries are a unique form of communication with a specific set of characteristics. Read the example on the next slide. It is a short passage of commentary (from a TV broadcast on Sky Sports) of a match between England and Belgium in October 1999. Figures in brackets indicate pauses in seconds. T is the commentator, Martin Tyler, and G is the expert summariser, Andy Gray.

T: ...The delivery through comes from Dyer or he shaped for it (4) cleared by Van Meir (5) Belgium were slow to push out that time (3) free-kick given against Shearer, twenty-eight international goals now, as I say only five England players have ever reached the thirty mark or more. Bobby Charlton leading the way forty-nine, Gary Lineker forty-eight, Jimmy Greaves forty-four and two on thirty, Tom Finney and Nat Lofthouse so er

G: Thirty goals is definitely gettable, whether he’ll ever get

into the top trio (3) T: ...well he was asked that this week and of course it is

rightly an ambition, but he’s got to maintain his position what for four or five years one would have thought, Shearer. It’s Phillips.

How is this different from a face-to-face interaction? (use the frameworks to help you!)

Read the two articles on pages 59-63 and extract the features of sports commentaries. Place them in the framework grid.

Activity 27

Audience characteristics

Functions of commentator

Grammar

Lexis

Semantics

Phonology

Pragmatics

Discourse structure

Activity 27


Unseen, unknown audience who do not respondExpected to be fans of the sport and have some previous knowledge


Grammar

Lexis

Semantics

Phonology

Pragmatics

Discourse structure

Activity 27




Report event details, give background information, convey atmosphere by creating vicarious excitement.

Grammar

Lexis

Semantics

Phonology

Pragmatics

Discourse structure

Activity 27





GrammarLots of adverbial items and phrases. Elliptical, ‘compressed’ structures for efficiency. Tense shifts to cover different contexts.

Lexis

Semantics

Phonology

Pragmatics

Discourse structure

Activity 27






LexisNeologisms, anachronisms, subject specific lexemes, naming/identification conventions.

Semantics

Phonology

Pragmatics

Discourse structure

Activity 27







SemanticsClichés, militaristic imagery, metaphors, mixed metaphors, often semantically illogical, hyperbole, euphemism, tautologies, mangling.

Phonology

Pragmatics

Discourse structure

Activity 27








PhonologyProsodic features vital for creating vicarious excitement: pitch, tempo, volume, stress etc. Limited pauses (especially on the radio).

Pragmatics

Discourse structure

Activity 27









PragmaticsNeed to convey atmosphere, possibly present some bias. May include national stereotypes.

Discourse structure

Activity 27









PragmaticsNeed to convey atmosphere, possibly present some bias. May include national stereotypes.

Discourse structure

Instant response though spontaneous and unscripted. Unplanned nature often results in a lack of elegant coherence.

Activity 27

Now watch the clip taken from Halifax vs. Altrincham FA Cup 2nd Round in 1988 and follow the transcript below. Add any extra features you spot to your framework grid. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ysL-5OrMiQ

Activity 28

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ysL-5OrMiQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ysL-5OrMiQ

And (.) fails (3) well (1) Gary Stewart (.) puts the penalty wide (3) to the delight of the Halifax fans behind the goal (.) one of whom virtually caught it I think (6) it remains one nil to the fourth division team (4) so great excitement here in the space of two or three minutes (2) just coming up to half time and he’s onside (.) what a chance here for Allison it could be two (.) for Halifax (.) and it’s going to be (3) what drama we have got in this sec(h)ond round cup tie at Moss Lane (.) big (.) Wayne Allison makes it two nil to Halifax (.) straight from the penalty miss (.) they’ve increased their lead (1) the linesman’s flag stayed down (1) and Allison took on the keeper (.) and although two defenders were chasing back (.) he put enough weight on the ball to send it into the net (4) and I don’t think you could ask (.) for any more incident in a five minute spell of football (.) or perhaps a bit less (1) we’ve seen two goals for Billy Eyre’s team (.) he’s pointing there (.) and is in between Altrincham missed a penalty

Activity 28

Sports commentators often come under fire for saying ridiculously obvious, contradictory or nonsensical things, many of which are recorded on fan sites and in sports writing, but this is mostly due to the contextual factors of the discourse. Read the extracts below and comment on what you think their original meaning was, what the actual meaning is and how the context could account for the discrepancy

Activity 29: Balls ups!

MW: ..And you can see visually that er Hill is inching up on the Ferrari...“

JA: Well Murray the atmosphere down here for the team is one of resigned...(struggling for the right word)...resignation really, yes..

MW: YES lovely stop, now where are the Mclarens that's the important thing, where is Coulthard, Michael ac.. has still got to exit the pit lane, and LOOK BACK LOOK BACK, WHERE ARE THE MCLARENS, THE'RE BEHIND 'IM THE'RE BEHIND 'IM Michael Schumacher, retains the lead...

JM: Nearly all the Brazilian supporters are wearing yellow shirts (.) it’s

a fabulous kaleidoscope of colour JM: England under siege now, perhaps for the first time in a length of

time

Activity 29: Balls ups!

On pages 65-66 you will find the past paper question from January 2007. Follow the steps below and don’t cheat!

1. Read the question and the transcript and make notes

on the features you would discuss.2. Now get into a group of three and compare and

contrast the features you each highlighted.3. In your group, use the frameworks to sort the features

systematically4. You will now be allocated a framework for your group to

present to the class. Collect your finding and structure your group response using the PEE model. Remember to always consider the context!

Activity 30

Activity 30

Beard, A. (1998) The Language of Sport London: Routledge. pg 57-83 (numerous copies are available in the library)

Crystal, D. (1997) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (available on Moodle on the ENGB1b: Language and Social Contexts page under Language and Technology)

Further Reading


identify, describe and exemplify the linguistic characteristics of live phone-ins

describe the contextual considerations of live phone-ins

analyse live phone-ins using a framework compare your response to a sample answer

provided by the examiners

Phone-ins

Phone-ins allow members of the public to air their opinions on TV or radio. The topics are at the discretion of the programme producer and can range from gardening tips to advice about relationships. The programmes are hosted by a presenter who is responsible for managing the conversation and providing the final word.

A live phone-in happens in real time and can create an impression of spontaneity and risk – you never know what the caller is going to say! It also uses familiar technology for the caller and so they may feel more confident.

The BBC employs an unseen selection process for most programmes. Callers contact a producer ahead of the feature and a list of contributors is formed for use later. Programmes on TV or radio may utilise the phone-in in order to promote interaction with the viewer/listener but sometimes it can go awry! (See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgH048XJRUM&feature=PlayList&p=E44A13828217A0FE&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=19 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyI0CA2hp9Y&feature=related )

As a result of calls like the above, the BBC has developed some guidelines for conducting phone-ins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgH048XJRUM&feature=PlayList&p=E44A13828217A0FE&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=19



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyI0CA2hp9Y&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyI0CA2hp9Y&feature=related

The transcript on the next slide is from You and Yours which is a programme broadcast on Radio 4. The discussion relates to the caller’s experience of his own Asperger’s syndrome, and his son’s autism. Read the transcript carefully and consider the questions above. What points would you make if this was given to you in your exam?

P is presenter, C is caller and E is expert guest.

Underlined text marks overlapping speech

Activity 31

P: I er I may come back to Jane to talk about that in a minute but I just want to ask you what difference does has has having a diagnosis made to to you

C:(0.5) Not a great deal in practical terms but it at least I I know that um that I have it and I’m not and I haven’t been deluding myself for the past five years (.) and it it’s useful in terms of self-definition just in terms of understanding oneself (.)

E:I (.) I’d be very interested to know Russell if I could just interrupt for a second how has it affected your relationship with your son (.) he presumably knows that he is autistic

C:He doesE:And how does he feel now that he knows that you have a

condition on the same spectrumC:He doesn’t know thatP: Yeah (.) erC: no he doesn’t know thatE:D’you think you will tell him or is it easier for you not to confuse

himC: I think I’ll I’ll tell him that later on

The transcript on the next slide is take from a live phone-in focusing on claims that A level exams are easier compared to previous years. The presenter (P) has just introduced a speaker, Dennis (D) who is a teacher. How does technology influence the linguistic choices?

Activity 32

P: Dennis morning to you

D: good morning

P: you are a teacher are (.) do you agree with the comments made this morning

D: not at all (.) I’m very angry it’s like every year you know we’re told that examinations are becoming easier and that students aren’t being challenged

but the bottom line is that both students and teachers are working very hard and (.) and I never understand why we automatically dismiss their work (.) it’s like we’re trying to find excuses for what students are now achieving (.) er we should be praising instead of |constantly crit |

P: |Dennis (.) let’s| look at what those critics are saying then (1) questions that aren’t testing enough (.) coursework that sometimes isn’t the students own |and|

D: |but| that’s a different issue (.)

P: ok but in your years of teaching (.) how long have you been teaching

D: twenty years

P: you must have seen a change in the way that exams are being set and administered

D: well I’m not convinced that the questions are easier (.) for example in my subject (.) English (.) students are now having to deal with more mod (.) modern ways of reading and accessing texts (1) if anything the questions are more demanding (.) I just feel very angry about it all (.) teachers (.) like the police and nurses seem to get the blame for all this and at the same time you know employing more and more unqualified teachers and not paying the qualified ones enough

P: well ok then (.) let’s return to the issue of coursework

You have been given a transcript of a radio phone-in. Read the question and the data and write a sample answer in one hour. When you have completed your response, compare it to the sample answer on moodle. You will find it under the heading Phone-in exam question and sample answer taken from Giovanelli, M & Pearce, A (2008) AQA English Language B AS Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd. p.114-115. The sample was graded as a B. How do you think you did?

Note: This is not the only way to answer the question and there is never only one definitive response to some data.

Activity 33

That’s it folks!

ENGB1B Language and Technology. By the end of this session you will be able to: modify your...

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