LANGUAGE ANALYSIS MS MURR

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PREPARATION TIPS FOR LANGUAGE ANALYSIS Practice essays less important than reading and analysing READ THE PAPER/BLOGS LISTEN TO THE RADIO – talkback radio is gold WATCH MEDIA WATCH/Q & A – politicians and persuasive language Pick up on the language techniques used in speech as well as what’s written

This will help you to BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING on the end of year exam Web site Blog Advertising campaign Opinion Piece/Editorial Letters to the editor May require comparative skills

GETTING THE TERMINOLOGY RIGHT Brush up on the definitions of persuasive techniques. For example: the difference between simile and metaphor Going over the language strategies section of the Using Language to Persuade text book is ideal for this. Make palm cards, commit definitions and possible purposes and impact to memory.

DO NOT Approach the language as though you are ‘shopping’ for persuasive technique List techniques Paraphrase the entire article Give an opinion on the issue

DO NOT “The writer persuades”….. Does he/she? Really??

Do not bore ME, Or the assessor, with the word ‘persuade’

So many phrases to choose from! The writer….. Advances the argument that Asserts that Claims that Contends that Maintains that Pleads the case for Points out that Puts forward the view that Rejects the view that

And some more…. Submits that Urges the reader to Concentrates on Condemns Confronts Denigrates Appeals to Makes the point that ……..and so many more

So many words for persuade!!!

More words for persuade

I’m not joking….more words for persuade….

Tone Integral in language analysis Make sure you start to build your own word bank for the various tones that are used in persuasive writing. Identifying tone as ‘angry’ is easy. Be more precise, and specific in the words that you use. ‘irritated’, ‘vexed’, ‘passionate’, ‘furious’, ‘disgruntled’, ‘outraged, ‘irate’ and the list goes on….

Make sure you’re doing it the right way Be precise Learn definitions Practise Use in context

PRACTISE!!!!!!!!! Work your way through the practice essays and get your annotation method clear. Annotate each article with your own code Be strategic – there are a few different ways of doing this. Grouping your annotations according to the arguments, techniques, tone and appeals that come through in the article is the one way.

Checklist for introductions to Language analysis - TICAS Tone – how the writer would sound if you heard them reading Issue – can be summarised from the background information box Contention – you MUST get a grip on the writer’s contention/main argument if you are to analyse how he/she aims to position the audience Audience – this will depend on the style of the article/publication as well as the issue Style – what type of publication is it? TICAS is an acronym that covers everything in your introduction

REMINDer: It’s not enough just to identify the technique You must go beyond pure technique identification

Don’t be one dimensional or write about what is obvious Go beyond a ‘one circle’ approach For eg: “The writer uses a donut simile to persuade the reader.”

writing language analysis is like counting the circles in a donut The writer uses the donut simile to contextualise the complexity of the process of language analysis for the reader. By comparing the layers of a language analysis essay to the circles that can be found in a donut, the notion that there is more to a piece of writing than technique alone becomes apparent. She makes it clear that as readers we need to move beyond an approach that is one dimensional and write in depth analysis, essentially making four circkes out of one. She maximises the impact of her point with the lure of a donut.

What? How? Why? Everything in your analysis should be doing one of the following things: 1. What is the argument/technique? 2. How does it work? How is the audience positioned? 3. Why is it helpful in supporting in the writer’s overall contention? A‘fourth circle’ approach really teases out the reasons for the writer adopting the line of argument/technique… it goes beyond the simple What, How, Why…..

Visual Language needs interpretation and analysis too This could be A photo A graph A cartoon IT COULD BE ANYTHING