Unit 3 English Language

Informal Language & Social Purpose LI: to gain an overview of the requirements for content knowledge, key skills and unit outcomes

Area of Study 1 Informal language In this area of study students consider the way speakers and writers choose from a repertoire of language to vary the style of their language to suit a particular social purpose. They consider the features and functions of informal language in written, spoken and electronic interactions, understanding that the situational and cultural context of an exchange determines the language used.

Students examine the features that distinguish informal language from more formal language. They understand that informal language often lacks the carefully planned structure of formal texts and may play an important role in building rapport. They examine how users of informal language may be idiosyncratic in their linguistic choices and structure texts in a non-linear way, and they explore the role of colloquialisms and non-Standard English in establishing informal registers. Students study texts in which speakers use informal language including conversations, narratives, monologues, interviews and unscripted commentaries. They also examine informal texts produced by writers, including narratives, advertisements, journals, notes, and electronic or other written interactions involving one or more participants. Students consider features of ‘chat’ associated with both speaking and writing, such as a reliance on sequencing, cooperation and turn-taking, as well as features that are particular to each mode. Students learn that speakers have at their disposal a support system of prosodic and paralinguistic cues that they can use to organise and present information. They explore how writers may choose to rely on abbreviations, spellings which reflect pronunciation and prosodic patterns, emoticons and context-specific graphemes. Both written and spoken informal texts may contain non-fluency features, ellipses, shortened lexical forms and syntactic complexity. Students investigate how informal language can be used to meet and challenge others’ face needs, both positive (the need to be liked, respected and treated as a member of a group) and negative (the need to be autonomous and act without imposition from others); how informal language choices can build rapport by encouraging inclusiveness, intimacy, solidarity and equality; and how informal language features such as slang and swearing patterns are important in encouraging linguistic innovation and in-group membership.

Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to identify and analyse distinctive features of informal language in written and spoken texts.

Key knowledge the role of Standard and non-Standard English in creating formal and informal texts differences in the nature and functions of formal and informal texts the relationship between the context and the features of language in informal texts the role of discourse features and lexical choice in creating textual cohesion and coherence in informal written texts stylistic features in informal speech and writing, including phonological patterning, syntactic patterning, morphological patterning, and lexical choice and semantic patterning features of spoken discourse and major discourse strategies used by speakers and the ways in which cooperation can be achieved the use of informal language for various social purposes, including: –  encouraging intimacy, solidarity and equality –  maintaining and challenging positive and negative face needs –  promoting linguistic innovation –  supporting in-group membership conventions for the transcription of spoken English texts, including symbols, legend, and line numbers metalanguage to discuss informal language in texts.

Key skills use key linguistic concepts as they relate to informal language in texts use key concepts and metalanguage appropriately to describe and analyse informal spoken and written language use in an objective and a systematic way analyse the effect of informal contexts on language choices analyse the nature, features and functions of informal written texts and transcripts of informal spoken English.

SAC Assessments School-assessed Coursework for Unit 3 will contribute 25 per cent to the study score. School-assessed Coursework for Unit 4 will contribute 25 per cent to the study score.

External Assessment External assessment The level of achievement for Units 3 and 4 is also assessed by an end-of-year examination, which will contribute 50 per cent. Conditions The examination will be completed under the following conditions: Duration: two hours. Date: end-of-year, on a date to be published annually by the VCAA. The examination will be marked by assessors appointed by the VCAA.

Assessment U3O1 (term 1)

Assessment U3O2 (term 2)

Glossary Language choices to build rapport by encouraging inclusiveness, intimacy, solidarity and equality Repertoire of language Social Purpose Situational Context Cultural Context Informal Language Features Register Colloquial Language Sequencing, cooperation and turn-taking Non-fluency features, ellipses, shortened lexical forms and syntactic complexity. Positive and Negative face needs Informal language features such as slang and swearing patterns are important in encouraging linguistic innovation and in-group membership. Sociolinguistic variables - domain, context, audience, purpose, mode, register Phonological patterning, syntactic patterning, morphological patterning, and lexical choice and semantic patterning – looking at why this happens – what effect does it have?

Content Summary Standard and non-Standard English Situational and cultural context Typical stylistic features of informal texts in written and spoken modes Examine a range of text types (conversations, narratives, monologues, interviews, commentaries, narratives, ads, journals, notes and chat) The social purposes of informal texts

Glossary of metalanguage Repertoire of language - 3 accents in Australia: Broad, General and Cultivated; dialects, creoles, pidgins, other languages, ethnolects http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=26897 a variety of repertoires in use Social Purpose - to build rapport by encouraging inclusiveness, intimacy, solidarity and equality

Glossary of metalanguage Situational Context - where and when language is being used in time and place spoken: conversation, phone calls, YouTube, advertisements, television, radio, facetime/skype, music written: on social media, texting, print/digital advertisements, blogs, merchandise, poetry, literature

Glossary of metalanguage Cultural Context - what are the cultural backgrounds of the interlocutors or correspondents (speakers/writers)?

Glossary of metalanguage Informal Language Features and Colloquial Language - slang, taboo language, swearing, abbreviations, spellings which reflect pronunciation and prosodic patterns, emoticons and context-specific graphemes. Both written and spoken informal texts may contain non-fluency features, ellipses, shortened lexical forms and syntactic complexity - a support system of prosodic and paralinguistic cues, discourse markers, hedges, pauses etc Register - A continuum of formal  informal; described as highly  more formal  less formal  more informal  highly informal

Glossary of metalanguage Positive and Negative face needs

http://www.sbs.com.au/comedy/article/2016/09/05/most-multicultural-lamb- ad-existence-has-just-been-made https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dqsyXPkG3I In an analytical commentary you would discuss – this is why I need to know this. How does the lamb ad meet everybody’s face needs? What prosodic and paralinguistic features is he using? How does these fit with his social purpose? What is the situational and social context? Break this down according to the table

Using informal language To maintain and challenges positive and negative face needs - Does Hillary Clinton calling Donald Trump ‘Donald’ in the presidential debates maintain or challenge his positive face needs? Why? - Does Trump calling Hillary Clinton ‘Madam Secretary’ in the presidential debates maintain or challenge her positive face needs? Why?

Bringing it together http://www.sbs.com.au/comedy/article/2016/09/05/most-multicultural-lamb-ad-existence-has-just-been-made https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dqsyXPkG3I What is the situational context? Break this down according to the diagram What is the cultural context? Brea this down according to the diagram What prosodic and paralinguistic features is he using? How does these fit with his social purpose? How do the ads respond to everybody’s face needs? Consider maintenance and challenges to both positive and negative face needs

Why use informal language? It encourages intimacy, solidarity and equality ~ where do we see informal language being used? - In what situational or cultural contexts can informal language encourage intimacy? - In what what situational or cultural contexts can informal language encourage solidarity? - In what situational or cultural contexts can informal language encourage equality?

What is informal language? Using the glossary as a spring-board, discuss and come up with a list of what constitutes informal language in Australia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bHpp1_I-FA Using the Subsystems as your basis, make notes on informal language features regarding: Phonology & Phonetics Morphology & Lexicology Syntax Semantics Discourse

Using informal language It promotes linguistic innovation - what innovations to language can you think of? It supports in-group membership ~ what social groups can you think of in Australia?

Doritos Advertisement Rebecca Swain VATE 2016 Sources: Doritos Advertisement Rebecca Swain VATE 2016 VCE English Language Study Design