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.