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Language Study
What are we doing?
A language study is a process of looking for the ways language is formed, and how it is adjusted, for different contexts and audiences.
Why are we doing it?
Because being able to identify how language is used to persuade, inform, satorise, manipulate, etc., means that you will be a more informed consumer of information, and you will be more empowered to use language as a tool yourself.
Assignment sheet:
Language Study
What will I need to do?
You will need to choose two texts and propose a hypothesis or a question about how language is used for a purpose in those two texts.
This is built on your initial understandings of these texts, so it is important to choose texts you are familiar with, or that you will be able to analyse in-depth within the timeframe of this course.
For example;
Hypothesis:
Nikki Minaj and Kendrick Lamar use slang, coded language, and particular social and cultural language in order to communicate complex and important ideas to their audiences.
Question:
How do Nikki Minaj and Kendrick Lamar use slang, coded language, and particular social and cultural language in order to communicate complex and important ideas to their audiences?
Some ideas for questions:
(You are welcome to choose your own)
Potential questions
How do I start?
A good place to start is by performing a "close reading" of your text. This just means that you will need to listen/read/watch your text with the intention of finding out how it is using language & conventions to communicate with it's audience.
What can I use to help me?
You can use the note-taking template below, along with the literary techniques bible. Together they should help you find the things you are looking for. I have also added some sentence starters for extra assistance.
Note-taking worksheet
Lit technique bible
Sentence starters
What are some student examples, and how can I use them to help me?
Below are some examples of student work looking at different forms of media:
The language of drag racing
Film analysis
Political language
Marketing language
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