Easter homework

Wonderfulls,

Jacobe has set some Language Change research questions which need to be done during independent study and one computer room lesson (A-Block started it on Friday) and he has emailed these to you.

We need to do plenty of exam practice and, with that in mind, here are two titles (do both). Each of these would be done in 45 mins in the exam - do it as exam conditions at home if you choose, or use your notes, but please handwrite the answers and practise writing faster and more than you do already. If you use your notes, please write a realistic amount that you could cover in the time in the exam or it won't be useful.

Have a good go - whatever you produce, I will help you improve it but I can't help you if you don't give me the essays and I would be justifiably concerned if you didn't submit the work on the first Tuesday back.

The gender one should be doable; there is some help for the LC question below - don't look at it if you don't want the help. If you look at it afterwards, please write targets on the essay of things you know you could have done and didn't, for me.

AO1 is worth 10 marks so you need examples of words/ideas with terminology attached and a cohesive essay that guides the reader through the ideas; AO2 is worth 20 marks so discuss the theories and concepts with reference to examples from wider reading (e.g. news stories, theories, historical examples for the LC question etc.). Don't forget to plan!!! And proofread/edit for 3-4 mins at the end!

1) Men and women do not speak differently. Evaluate this idea.

2) Evaluate the idea that language is becoming more informal over time.


Language change question help:

• the question references Fairclough's idea that our language is becoming more informal over time - think about examples where this is the case e.g. mixed-mode business communications via email instead of formal letters; news reporters with local accents instead of received pronunciation (for local news only at this stage); vocative issues like calling your teacher, doctor, boss etc. by their first name in some cases; the use of text language in company names and adverts and other examples I'm sure you can think of - how far do these indicate that language is becoming more informal and is there any opposing evidence?
• prescriptivists would oppose these diachronic changes and you can bring in examples like schools banning sociolect and dialect terms, people being asked to reduce their accent for their jobs, John Humphrys's rant about text speak (he's also against multicultural London English - MLE - look up his views on that), our Bristol grammar graffiti artist etc. You could evaluate which of Aitchison's metaphors best fit these attitudes etc. Always link back to how these examples of change could be regarded as 'informal' by prescriptivists.
• Include examples of features of English that might be regarded as 'hypercorrect' and are falling out of favour (e.g. the object pronoun 'whom', the indefinite pronoun 'one' and recieved pronunciation - heightened received pronunciation is so out of favour, The Queen has stopped using it and 'one' to refer to herself, and now the apostrophe is under threat) and link back to hypercorrect features in the past, like the loss of the long S; you could also consider contrasting the standardising effect of the printing press compared with the liberating effect of modern technology and the effect of this on 'formality'; consider evaluating why Lowth's grammar and other similar books might have imposed artificial rules that were influenced by Latin and are now regarded as optional rather than 'correct' e.g. never split an infinitive - link to whether this is more informal and why those rules were ever considered 'correct' and prestigious
• Also bring in Giles's CAT, covert prestige e.g. Martha's Vineyard etc. to try and explain why informalisation might be happening and link to reasons for language change such as technology/changes in attitudes in society/globalisation (e.g. code switching in other varieties of English e.g. Manglish, the simplicity of Business/International English - the need for English as a lingua franca etc.). You could maybe link to the effectiveness of synthetic personalisation in advertising (look at how brands like Innocent address the consumer) and why being called 'Madam' by a shopkeeper might be now offensive rather than polite and how your junk mail uses your first name (even my Fitbit does!).
• Anything else you think links to the idea of informalisation - definitely explore how it is difficult to define and separate from language diversity - e.g. is using an accent other than RP less formal?
• For top grades, really try and identify patterns and complexities in establishing what might or might not be more informal; it's hard to challenge theory when there isn't much but contrast prescriptive and descriptive ideas
• Use the terms 'diachronic' and 'synchronic' and as many other terms as you can cram in attached to examples e.g. the ones in bullet point three and any others you can think of
• Just do your best and don't panic! Read up on some of these ideas if you need to - now, or in the next few weeks - remember, LC will definitely be on the paper!