Tuesday, 10 November 2015

English paper question.

http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/english/AQA-77012-SQP.PDF

English paper question - what is needed.

http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/english/AQA-77012-COM.PDF

English paper questions - model answers.

http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/english/AQA-77012-CEX.PDF

In grammar there isn’t always one right answer

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/nov/03/morgan-grammar-test-right-answer-spag-english-spelling-punctuation-grammar

Bristol University guide to grammar

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/index.htm


A.   Handy for revision.

B.   Punctuation – structure (written language - sentences, layout of text, graphology, discourse, FPA, Syntax (compound, complex, simple. Functions of syntax – imperative (command), interrogative (question), exclamative (to exclaim) ), declarative (declaring something), Main & subordinate clause, spoken language – utterances.)

C.    Common confusion – homophones – Lexis, semantics, pragmatics.

D.   Exam responses (PEA).

E.    Other pitfalls and problems (conjunctions, split infinitives, subject/verb agreement, etc.) Grammar, lexis.

F.    Style – Form, purpose, audience.


 G. Handy for revision.

Tuesday, 13 October 2015

Language and occupation

http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/lang/occupation.htm

Specimen papers and mark schemes

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/as-and-a-level/english-language-7701-7702/assessment-resources

Tuesday, 6 October 2015

Slang

 

The link below is a list of the common slang words used by the teenagers of 2015. Slang is more so used when speaking although many of teenagers text,tweet, etc. some slang words in their sentences. Some would argue that the slang of today is ruining our English language but others would argue that teenagers are just being creative and would say its a way for teenagers to communicate with each other without others understanding them.
http://www.timwoods.org/the-london-slang-dictionary-project/



Professor David Crystal, one of the world's leading linguistic experts, challenges the myth that new communication technologies are destroying language.





 Transcript of Speech
A conversation in a classroom between 3 people, Shae-17 from Barton Hill, Kirsty-16-from Stockwood and Lewis-16 from Hanham



Adjacency pairs

Chaining

Quantity- too little

Quality

Relevance – side sequence

Manner – not clear

Prosodic feature

A: How has your day been so far?
B: Ah it’s been good thanks, um not much has happened, im extremely very tired though
A: Early morning?
B: Yeah, how was yours?
A: Just tired
C: I nearly went to hospital
B: (Laugh)
C: Cycling in, nearly crashed into a pillar
B: (Laugh)
A: What time have you been up since?
B: Half six
C: Half seven
B: How? How did you get up that late?
C: I leave the house at five past eight
B: (Laugh)
A: So do I actually, I leave the house at twenty past eight
C: So I have half an hour
B: I have to get up at half six, otherwise I’ll be there till eight like aaah
A: Do you live far?
B: It’s not really far
A: You?
C: Twenty minute cycle, not far
A: Half an hour bus drive
B: If I walk in it will take me like forty-five minutes, (sigh) and what are you two up to tonight?
A: Um house, tidying the house
B: I need to do that actually (laugh), its like a mess everywhere
A: My mums given me loads of jobs, so
B: Yeah
A: That’s me, you?
C: Playing FIFA probably
A: The new one?
B: (Laugh)
 C: Yeah, I bought it last night, straight to ASDA to buy it
A: Was there a line?
C: What’s that? Oh yeah
A: Like a queue
C: Like five people or so, quite quick
A: That’s alright then

  


The quantity of this conversation wasn’t too much or too little, it was just right for our conversation. The quality of our conversation was okay, I don’t think we lied or over exaggerated but I do think we could have been more open optimistic or casual with our answers. The relevance of our conversation was very on topic to our questions although C did go on a side sequence when speaking about how he gets to college. The manner of our conversation was very clear; we hardly spoke in slang although there were a couple filler in our sentences. There wasn’t really any pauses but B did nervously laugh  a few times which could indicate shyness or embarrassment.


Steven Pinker - Language as a window into human nature



https://www.thersa.org/discover/videos/rsa-animate/2011/02/rsa-animate---language-as-a-window-into-human-nature/
Steven pinker - What our language habits reveal.


https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_pinker_on_language_and_thought

Wednesday, 16 September 2015

FPA

1. http://www.stylist.co.uk/people/teenage-diaries

Form - Diary entry
Purpose- Reviewing the day/feelings
Audience- The writer themself.


2.  http://www.nme.com/reviews/fka-twigs/16215

Form-Album review
Purpose- Reviewing/promoting a singer's album
Audience- Music lovers/Fka-twigs fans

3. http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Talking-Heads-Comments-GCSEs-badly-timed/story-27800823-detail/story.html

Form- News report
Purpose- Discussing gcse's and the importance of them.
Audience-Bristol post readers/people interested in education

4. http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scripts/EastEnders-5015pps.pdf

Form - Eastenders transcript
Purpose- Entertainment
Audience- Eastender's viewers.


Wednesday, 9 September 2015

Frameworks/Language levels


Lexis - Word choice. Meaning at word and phrase level.

Grammar - How the language is built i.e the structure and rules which 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.'
Example -
Speaker: 'What time do you call this?'
Listener interprets it as 'Why are you so late?' and knows it is not appropriate to reply with the literal time.

Discourse -1. How longer stretches of text are organised(Cohesion - how it holds together)
2. The way the texts create identities for particular individuals, groups or institutions,

Graphology - How the design of a text can contribute to meaning including use of fonts, graphics, colours, etc.

Register - How language varies in relation to audience, purpose and context e.g. a formal letter uses a different register to one written to a friend.

Mode - How language may vary according to the channel of communication(speech, writing and mixed modes) e.g. how you should write something down as a message would be different from how you would pass it on orally.

Idiolect - The unique way one person expresses themselves due to their personality, belief systems, social experience, etc.

Sociolect - The way of expressing themselves that a social group have in common e.g. we could generalise the way teenagers speak, aristocrats speak, students speak, etc.

Dialect - The variation in word choice and grammatical structure due to where someone lives e.g. "cheers drive" is a Bristolian saying, as is the grammatical structure "where she to?"

Tuesday, 8 September 2015

Frameworks

Phonetics, phonology and prosodics - How speech sounds and effects are articulated and analysed(Onomatopoeia, Alliteration)

- Phonetics - is a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech.
- Phonology - is a branch of linguistics concerned with the systematic organization of sounds in languages.
- Prosodic features  - features are features that appear when we put sounds together in connected speech.

Graphology - The visual aspects of textual technology design and appearance(Font, emojis, punctuation)





- Semantics - semantics is concerned with what language constructions (including words, phrases and sentences) mean.

Grammar - The structural patterns and shapes of English(Sentence,clause phrase, word level)

Discourse  Extended stretches of communication occurring in different genres.
AQA English Language specifications

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/english-language-4705/spec-at-a-glance

Thursday, 3 September 2015

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/from-the-mouths-of-teens-422688.html

This article is explaining the dialect between youth and where they originate from. For youth, the words used such as 'creps' or 'blud' are normal and everyday words to a youth roughly between the age of 10 - 18+. To an adult, youth are creating irrelevant and unnecessary words and 'ruining' the English language. In this article, alot of slang that youths used have been explained and it has also been explained as to why they are used. This is normally because a word has come from elsewhere, like jamaica for example. Words catch on and travel and become popular. For a London youth, slang is normal and what they have grown up with which is why it is so common.

"Adolescence is the life stage at which people most willingly take on new visible or audible symbols of group identification," he says. "
This is another reason why slang in youths is so popular. It is a way for people to fit in and seem 'cool'. Then, it becomes normal. New words originate every day and you'll find that the words become very popular very quickly.


http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article209405.ece

In this article, it is explaining more about the origins of slang words more than how they become so popular. Also, it discusses musical influences such as dizzee rascal and radio stations like 1Xtra. Although this article is explaining where the slang words began, it is still, like the other article, discussing the popularity of words and how slang words are used to fit in and seem similar to another person.

This article also discusses a school in south London has banned patois and slang from being spoken in the classroom. Some would argue that this isnt right as youth dont know any better than to not speak slang but some would argue that this rule is good as it gives youth a chance to use proper English and be properly spoken.

http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/quiz/2013/feb/04/grammar-punctuation-quiz-test