Language Scrapbook 2

• Genre- This text is a childrens book, so it is meant to entertain children.
• Audience- This text is aimed at young children. This is because it is a childrens book. The grammar used here is very simple, and the use of large, bright images shows that its meant to appeal to young children of about the age of 5-9.
• Purpose- The purpose of this text is to entertain children. It could also be to make them calm down before bed, as it could be read as a bedtime story. The text could also be seen to be quite humorous, and used to make people laugh, as the pirates say things like"she made me take a bath" and use phonology such as "aar!" and "Im sick o'sprouts, which would be quite funny to someone in the age group that this text is aimed for, this also fits in with entertainment.
• Context Of Production- I think the writer of this text wrote it so it would be appealing to children, and people would buy it. It also seems as if the writer perhaps has, or has had, small children themselves, as they use very simplified language that someone who knows what small children understand, and like, would use. I think the writer felt happy when writing this text, as it is quite a happy text, and it has some funny aspects to it. 
• Context Of Reception- The pictures on this text look as if they have been painted, so the writer obviously had access to a skillful artist, either themselves, or someone else. However the text looks like a computer font, so they must have used a computer to write the text. The discourse of this text is very clearly pirate themed, which is shown by the image of pirates at the bottom, and also by the fact that the text appears to be written on old paper, which can be related to pirates map paper. I think the writer wrote this at their house, maybe at a desk or a table overtime, as it look as though they have thought quite carefully about the  use of lexis that they have used.

https://soundcloud.com/jill-beckwith-1/mind-your-slanguage-08-12-2009

Should Slang Be Banned?

Personally, i do not think that slang should be banned. This is because the idea of banning something which is, in essence, just word of mouth, sounds somewhat next to impossible. for me, slang is just a way that young people have created their own terminology for things, which is something that has actually been going on for many decades. So its essentially just the English languages way of evolving. Shakespeare used, and even created, slang which became many well known English words and phrases commonly used today.

 Slang also gives people a way to communicate within their friend groups as many friend groups have different ways of using slang, to express what they mean. Banning slang would mean banning the way that young people talk, which would be taking away their rights.

Something else i have heard a lot of, is that young people don't seem to know when to switch between slang, and formal language. I know many people who use slang among friends and family, and they are all able to understand when it is necessary for them to change to articulate, formal language. Such as things like job interviews, and during exams. This behavior did not come from an action such as banning the slang they use, but rather, from learning the formal language. In formal situations it becomes almost second nature to change the formality of your spoken language. Most people learn from a young age that speaking articulately creates a more professional, and educated appearance to people who have just met you, hence they change the way they speak.  

I believe that banning slang at schools is a ludicrous idea Even if you are able to stop people using slang in the classroom, it doesn't mean that they don't use slang once they are outside of the classroom. Therefore in my opinion, i think that, instead of banning it completely, it should, absolutely, be taught to young people which slang would be considered more acceptable and which perhaps wouldn't be as acceptable in scenarios where formal language is required.

Surely it would make more sense if it was made that a better English education was permitted to young people, then attempting to ban the way they communicate, just because its considered wrong English by generations who, themselves, went through the same language changes when they where young. That way young people will be more able to mentally distinguish between the two when it comes to situations throughout life, where it is needed.

Language Scrapbook I

• Genre- This text is a persuasive, informative text, designed to make people think before they drink drive.
• Audience- This text is intended for people who often are known for drinking excessively, which is most commonly known to be teenagers and young adults. As it is talking about the dangers of rink driving, it is also mostly aimed at people who can drive so i think it is aimed for people between the ages of about 17-25
• Purpose- The purpose of this text is to get across to people what could happen if they are caught driving while under the influence of alcohol. It id designed to make them think about it, and prevent the readers from drink driving in the future.
• Context Of Production-  This was written by someone in the government campaign 'Think!' which is a road safety campaign. The writer would have probably been feeling quite annoyed, or angry, or even sympathetic while writing this, as they are writing it because there are many cases of drink driving, which they are trying to stop. The writer had access to a computer to create this text, so they have added images to make it more dramatic and memorable.  
• Context Of Reception- This text is likely to be received as a poster either in a leaflet about road safely, or a magazine or on the wall. As its mostly aimed at young adults, it would be in places that they would be, such as put up around schools, or social clubs, or in magazines that are popular with this age group.I think that the text would be something that the reader would just glance at, which is why its quite short and snappy, and has the images to go with it. this again goes with the audience as this age group is supposed to have a short attention span.  

You Should Always Use English Correctly

Personally i do not agree with this statement. This is because i think that, even though there are many examples of situations that would require good English and grammar skills, examples of this would be for an interview, or when writing a formal letter, there are more scenarios in which the English and grammatical skills used do not need to be perfect or used 'Correctly'

For instance, if someone is in an emergency, or a position in which they are in danger, then people would automatically aim to use as short, and quick words as possible., instead of long correctly spoken sentences. This would be in order to communicate the important information needed to help the person in danger faster. This is also used to an extent in the army, as they often use codes to inform people promptly immediately after any problems or dangers arise.

I also disagree with this statement, as if someone is having a conversation among people they know well, such as friends and family, they can be considerably less formal in their spoken language, than if they where talking to someone they did not know so well. This is because good English is associated with making a good first impression, almost making people feel judged if they do not talk correctly when not with new people, whereas people feel comfortable around their friends and family, and know that they wont be as judged by the way they speak, and as long as it is possible to understand it's okay. Another point is that when talking to children, its important to use simple short sentences so they understand you.

Also, the English people use can often differ depending on the area of which they have grown up in. Many places have a very distinct and particular way of using grammar and English. Sometimes even changing the way things are spelled or whole words altogether. One example of this is how people in America tend to spell the word colour as 'Color', leaving out the 'U', which is often used in the British spelling. Therefore you can't tell exactly what is the 'Correct' way of using English as it is different regarding the place and society that it is spoken and used.

This also links in to another point which is that if everyone spoke perfect and correct English all the time, then things like different accents would not exist, as everyone would sound the same. I believe that this would eventually become extremely boring, and it would be quite upsetting to get rid of some very distinctive accents. Especially accents that differentiate places in England, such as Liverpool or Newcastle accents.

My final reason for not agreeing with this statement is that being articulate all the time can often make you sound quite arrogant and almost egotistic. This can lead to people regarding you as conceited or pretentious when using it in situations or scenarios where it does not particularly need to be used.

Topical Language Issues

For this i was asked to watch some youtube clips,and write a piece outlining my arguments and opinions on the statement 'You Should Always Use English Correctly' , and to decide if i was for or against this argument. 

To formulate my argument, we we came up with lots of reasons why you should, and why you shouldnt, always use correct english, and shared the ideas with the rest of the class.