1. LANGUAGE ANALYSIS A guide to success

2. The task… Is NOT… To identify persuasive techniques List persuasive techniques Is to ask yourself… What makes a work, phrase or sentence persuasive?

3. Emotional responses When an author is writing persuasively they are asking for a range of emotional responses from their audience. These emotions are all used towards a particular opinion ItemFeelingContention MyselfI feel I am unsafeThere is a rise of crime in Melbourne My childrenI fear for the wellbeing of my children TroublemakersThey are no-good, amoral hooligans who would beat me up as soon as look at me

4. In other words… What does the author intend the audience to be THINKING and FEELING as they read in order to more readily accept the contention?

5. What is the author trying to do? The ability to be persuasive depends on the fact that almost all people tend to make word associations which are generally quite similar WordThoughtsGeneral Theme SecurityBig, burly security guard Home and family Handcuffs Police car Chain link wire Safety CancerousA sick person Cells multiplying looking scary A family crying around a hospital bed Unwelcome and unwanted

6. How did you go? While we might all have slightly different visualisation we tend to pick the same themes within those thoughts. Try visualising words again and again What do particular words connote? Can connotations change?

7. How to approach the task? Read the article Establish the issue Identify the contention Type of issueIssue arising from an event (for example, care issues which arise after a natural disaster Issue arising from new information (for example, increased debate after the release of a report) Issue which is just generally around (mostly those hot button items like abortion which are periodically discussed

8. How to start? Suggested opening sentence After the earthquake in Japan, there has now been an increase in media discussion about whether or not public safety is adequately provided for Upon release of the UN report regarding the treatment of refugees there has been renewed media discussion about whether or not Australia is appropriately managing its refugees. Recently in the media the issue of whether or not abortions should be legalised, without exclusion, has been debated.

9. Group identifications The intention of the author is to direct the emotional responses of their audience to make them more amenable to a specific contention. Emotional responses tend to be towards the NOUNS within an issue- proper, group, abstract

10. PEOPLE, GROUPS, THINGS What does the author set out to create an emotional response towards? It doesn’t matter if they are specific people, groups of people or things but rather they are the NOUNS that we emotionally respond to

11. P. G. T. s Identify all of the PGTs which could possibly be in the article Could be one- could be many Find at least 2-4 PGTs the author is directing emotional responses towards The language examples found in the article Tagging‘offensive’, ‘eyesore’, ‘blight’, ‘anti-social’ Other forms of graffitti‘periodically impressive’, ‘enabling voice to others’, ‘enhance’ Council‘failing to act’, ‘misdirection of funds’, ‘mismanaged’ Residents‘sick and tired’, ‘usually assaulted’ Taggers‘hooligans’, ‘anti-social’

12. How to find evidence? Use different coloured higlighters to go through the article and colour-code the best evidence in the article for each PGT You now have your evidence right in front of you

13. Audience The audience’s identity is essential to understanding the way language is used to convince them. Advertised itemTarget audienceAssociated language choices Can of soft drinkParents‘minimal food colouring, ‘maximum taste!’ Teenagers‘live life- be free- drink X’ Mobile phone planBusiness people‘efficient’, ‘substantial network coverage save you time’ Environmentalists‘organic design’, ‘highly efficient energy usage’

14. Which PGTs have been employed by the author and how do they relate to audience? This probably fits best with ‘appeals’ ‘Appeals’ are endless and dependent on the audience YOUR PLANNING IS DONE!

15. Evidence + Think + Feel Start with a topic sentence Move through the evidence and analysis in fluid discussion. For each piece or group of evidence within a paragraph consider what you are thinking and what feeling does this thought connect to?

16. What does it look like? Evidence- “When the author refers to the cuts in the public service as having a ‘cancerous impact’ Think- the audience is encouraged to view public service cuts as malignant and uncontrolled Feel- this positions the audience to feel that these cuts must be avoided at all costs.”

17. Topic sentence For each PGT you should be able to set up a topic sentence and work through the evidence that you feel most capable of discussing in chronological order However some repeated words or phrases are best discussed collectively so that you can discuss why they have been repeated

18. Put it all together… PGT- “The cuts to the public service Tone generally used around this PGT are presented consistently in a negative and demeaning light. Evidence- When the author refers to the cuts in the public service as having a ‘cancerous impact’ Think- the audience is encouraged to view public service cuts as malignant and uncontrolled. Feel- This positions the audience to feel that these cuts must be avoided at all costs Connection to contention- as the author attempts to convince the audience that the government lacks competent judgement in their current operations.”

19. Let’s try it together!