Robin Lackoff findings:

1) Hedges: Phrases like 'sort of' and 'kind of'
2) Empty adjectives: 'divine', 'adorable', 'gorgeous'
3) Super polite forms: 'is it okay if?'
4) Apologize more ('I'm sorry, I think that')
5) Speak less frequently
6) Avoid course language or expletives
7) Tag questions: You don't mind if I eat this, do you?
8) Hyper correct grammar and pronunciation. Use of prestige grammar and clear articulation.
9) Indirect requests "i'm so thirsty" - really asking for a drink
10) speak in italics - use tone to emphasis certain words 'so' 'very' 'quite'

SHE BELIEVES THAT WOMEN'S LANGUAGE REFLECTS THEIR LACK OF STATUS

Important links for language and gender

https://newrepublic.com/article/117757/gender-language-differences-women-get-interrupted-more

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/oct/01/gender.books

Blurred lines documentary

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0436qlw

Please, please, people. Let’s put the ‘awe’ back in ‘awesome’ – Jill Shargaa – TED Talk

We are using the word awesome incorrectly

The overuse has replaced words like great and thank you.

Webster’s dictionary: Awesome is fear mingled with admiration or reverence; a feeling produced by something majestic, sublime, etc.

Using it to describe mundane things takes away its power!

No highs or lows if everything is awesome.

10 things that are awesome:

1)      Inventing the wheel

2)      The great pyramids

3)      The grand canyon

4)      Louis Daguerre/Photography

5)      D-DAY

6)      Honeybee

7)      Landing on the moon! Apollo 11

8)      Woodstock (changed the history of rock and roll)

9)      Sharks

10)   The internet

Go ahead, make up new words! – Erin McKean – TED talk

Everybody who speaks English decides together what a word is and what is not a word.

Every language is just a group of people who agree to understand each other.

We are not taught the rules of grammar we just learn them.

Stealing words from other languages “borrowing”

Kumquat: Chinese

Compounding: squashing together two words in the English Language

Blend words! : Motel, Brunch. ELECTROCUTE: Electric/Execute

Functional shift: Take a word from one part of speech and repurpose it. I.e. Friend used to be a noun (we ‘verbed’ it)

Backformation: Editor came before Edit. Bulldozers bulldoze.  Burglars burgle.

ABREVIATE! NASA! OMG!

Every word is a chance to express a new idea and get your meaning across!

The English language has no age limit!

10 better ways to have a conversation – Celeste Hadley – TED Talk

We are more polarised/divided than we ever have been before in History.

We aren’t listening to eachother.

Our choices are based on what we believe.

Partly due to technology

1/3 of American teens send more than 100 texts a day

Kids communicated through screens.

Is there any 21^st century skill that is more important than holding a conversation with people?

There is no way to show you are paying attention unless you are paying attention.

Most of us don’t listen with the intent to understand, we listen with the intent to reply –Steven Colby

Prepare to be amazed.

1)      Don’t multitask//be present

2)      Don’t pontificate

3)      Use open ended questions

4)      Go with the flow

5)      If you don’t know, say that you don’t know

6)      Don’t equate your experience with theirs (it is not about you)

7)      Try  not to repeat yourselves

8)      Stay out of the weeds

9)      Listen (Number one most important skill)

10)   Be brief

First analytic piece

The writer uses the metaphor “he lies there patiently waiting to be called into action” to show that the narrator sees the hoody as a reliable figure, and to show the audience that it is a trustworthy item, almost painting it like a friend. It implies that the narrator has a bond with the Hoody, personifying it by using the lexis “patiently waiting”, giving it the item an aura of responsibility, his duty to protect the narrator.

Another example of personification would be the use of the phrase “one ally exists”. The use of the noun ‘ally’ allows the narrator to further develop the hoodys ‘personality’ and describes him like you would another human character. ‘Ally’ connotes to team member; someone who is fighting the same battles as you are. This fits the overall theme of the text as the narrator is tackling a proposed ban on the hoody, which would affect both him and his ‘ally’. The pronoun ‘him’ is continually used to refer to the hoody, further supporting this, possibly linking the narrator even more closely to the item, as we assume that the narrator is male due to some clues scattered throughout the text, and stereotypically men tend to identify more with members of their own gender.

The verbs “embraced” is used to describe how the hoody is used in society, suggesting many people love and use their own hoody’s and see it also as an ‘ally’. It also has a dual meaning because a hoody could be described as ‘embracing’ its owner once worn. This further implies the team dynamic, standing together against the government. It almost suggests that the narrator and the hoody work well together, and for the government to take it away would be a disastrous move, as by taking away the narrators ‘ally’ he is talking away a vital part of his identity.

The narrator tends to use a variety of negative adjective to describe the politicians mentioned in the text, one particular one being ‘pompous’. This adjective usage occurs very early on in the text, before the text switches from being written in a slightly childish tone, to a structured, almost essay-like argument. This adjective occurring early marks the beginning of the narrators anger beginning to brew over, as he begins to use some very negative language to describe the ‘pen pushing, makintosh sporting’ politicians. In fact, the narrator may almost see them as hypocritical as he deliberately points out an item of clothing he sees the politicians as wearing. He is deliberately generalising them as they are generalising his generation.

The narrator uses the simile ‘its genius is its demise like any truly great products of the earth” to show the audience how much he values his hoodie. He noun ‘genius’ shows that the narrator holds the hoody up in a high regard, and goes on to liken it to other ‘truly great’ products of the earth. This may show both a generation gap and a class gap, as whilst an implied university student believes a hoody to be a ‘truly great’ product of the earth, an older person may value a computer (especially in the 1990s where they were just starting to become more advanced, yet not everyone owned one) whilst someone of a higher class may value their car as a ‘truly great’ product (i.e. the ‘jag-driving’ politicians referenced earlier).

The narrator likens the hoody to a convertible car in a bid to construe how useful the hoodie is, possibly to appeal to the older generation who may value convertible cars as an important status symbol. The metaphor has a dual meaning, in terms of the hoodie can literally be likened to a convertible car (i.e. the ‘hood’ is optional), or the metaphor can be likened in terms of wealth.

Michael Rosen Slang Word of Mouth Episode

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06wd268

Slang used throughout history, as far back as Shakespeare.
Shakespeare invented many words for his plays.
Each generation tends to develop its own slang.
'Great' became widely used in 1960s {Older generation used 'Super'}
Slang: counter language of the counter culture.
Slang vocab: 70% is twisted English words.
21 different uses of 'Dog'
Bad language in the ear of the beholder
Slang has a bad representation (16th century; associated with 'bad people')
Slang is still not strictly acceptable.
Criminals have their own slang.
Slang use not published until 1756 {late}
Slang surrounding women almost always negative or misogynistic.
Slang like 'fat, thin, ugly' used to relate to men.
Slang does not do abstract.
No slang word for 'love'
Slang represents us as our most human,
White working class generated language
Some female singers have their own slang {i.e Memphis Minnie 'Back door man'}
Female use of social media generating even more language.
FLASH: [A style of slang] originated 19th century coffee house
Coinage
VAT: Vodka and Tonic
Popular TV shows can bring slang to wider use
RAF slang: Prang [Onomatopoeic word]
RAF: Blightey
Standard English is a slowly developing language.
Slang starts in the gutter?
Booze: Oldest slang word {In all dictionaries since 1530}
Booze has moved from slang to colloquial
Slang vs Jargon?
Biggest use of Jargon: Drug users.
Naval Jargon
Yob: Mid 19th Century
Yiddish words can be used as English slang.
Been fluent at swearing is a sign of 'healthy verbal ability'
Colorful slang is NOT an indication of inarticulacy
To be able to use slang well (coin/create) requires creativity
Peter Capaldis character in 'In the thick of it' is very articulate in swearing.
Different social classes/groups use slang and swearing differently.

Framework/Linguistic method	Description
Lexis	Word-choice. Meaning at word and phrase level.
Grammar	How language is built i.e the structure and rules that underpin how we form sentences
Phonology	How we organise the sounds of our language to produce certain effects including rhythm, rhyme, intonation, stress, pauses, etc.
Pragmatics	How we know what language means when it is used in a specific context, sometimes described as reading between the lines.
Discourse	1)      How longer stretches of text are organised (cohesion – how it holds together e.g. use of discourse markers) 2)      The way texts create identities for particular individuals, groups or institutions e.g. the discourse of law, politics, and the media.
Graphology	How the design of a text can contribute to meaning including use of fonts, graphics, colours etc.

St Brendans Pre-Enrolment Task - A Level English Language

Task: Find 5 examples of different articles online. Insert hyperlinks of said articles and write a brief summary underneath regarding form-purpose-audience.

1) http://www.vox.com/2016/8/10/12389740/suicide-squad-dc-movie-universe-problems
An article detailing the problems the DC cinematic universe is facing, and comparing it to the far more succesful Marvel cinematic universe.
Form - It is a review, clearly laying out opinions and pictures from the film 'Suicide Squad'
Purpose - It intends to lay out the reviewers opinion of the film, comparing it to another franchise.
Audience - It is aimed at fans of the franchise, or people who share the same opinion. The style of writing shows it is aimed at slightly older fans, probably late teens/early 20s. Probably aimed more toward male fans.

2 )http://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/tyler-joseph-to-twenty-one-pilots-fans-i-love-to-brag-about-you
An article about the lead singer of twenty one pilots keeping in touch with his fans as the band continues to gain fame and popularity, showing an 'open letter' he has written to the fanbase.
Form - a simplistic article, mostly to show the 'open letter' that the singer had written. It is short and gets straight to the point.
Purpose - The article has the obvious intent of simply showing fans of the band what the lead singer has said. It also voices an opinion, calling the sentiment 'sweet'.
Audience - Since the website is linked to a magazine, fans of the magazine are likely to be interested, as well as fans of the band themselves. Mostly teens, but an even mix between the genders.

3) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/09/pokemon-go-is-reclaiming-britains-streets-as-a-playground-claims/
An article praising the recent craze 'pokemon go' as it encourages children to 'reclaim Britains streets as playgrounds'
Form - A lenthy, indepth article that includes medical professional imput. Lists the potential benefits and also includes a video about the game itself.
Purpose - Possibly to combat negative views of the game. Shows the health benefits.
Audience - Aimed at critics of the game, and also possibly parents to show them that their kids are not simply wasting their life staring at a screen, but utilising the game to spend time outside.

4) https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/aug/04/marina-joyce-internet-hysteria-witch-hunts-cyberspace
The article details the strange 'internet hysteria' that surrounded 19 year old Marina Joyce whose fans claimed was 'kidnapped' last month. It talks about the hashtag #savemarinajoyce and the panic that the story caused her fans. It also mentions other cases of internet hysteria, such as when people tried to track down terrorists through reddit.
Form - Another lengthy article describing the story and how it lead to the false kidnap claims. It has embedded videos to provide a reference point for people who may not have heard of Marina.
Purpose - It is mostly to dispel the worry that some people may still be feeling, and keep followers of the unfolding story up to date. It also shows how quickly situations can deteriorate and get out of hand.
Audience - The guardian is mostly aimed at older readers, however the content of the story is likely aimed at Marinas fans and confused onlookers to the chaos that occured. However other parts of the article concern topics such as suicide and death threats so may be aimed at older readers than the typical 'youtube fan'.

5) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-sells-out-again-leaving-many-f/
The article details frustation of Harry Potter fans as tickets to the broadway production sells out in minutes.
Form - An article laden with tweets and 'gifs' taken straight from the dissapointed fans. Also includes a video.
Purpose - Shows that frustrated fans are not alone and the problem has affected many others. The end of the article also introduces the actors and has a few pictures of the performance.
Audience - Mostly aimed at angry and dissapointed fans. Probably in early to mid 20s, as they were growing up as the books came out. Fans of Harry Potter.