TED talks 

Steven Pinker 

What our language habits reveal? 

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

In this talk we learn that language is a window into human nature and how language emerges from human minds interacting with one another. 

TED talks 

Texting is killing our language. JK!!!

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

In this talk we listen to a debate about whether texting is killing traditional English Grammar. It talks about the new slang words that have come in to fashion for people to use and how it is spreading out of teenagers language and into adult language as well. However it is debatable that language may not be standard on text yet people do know that when it comes to formal situations, such as job interviews and essays, teens do understand we need to use full English.

The Libertines album review 

NME 

http://www.nme.com/reviews/the-libertines/16236

The form of the text is a review of a bands recent album.

The purpose of this text is to tell people what the researchers think of The Libertines album and to maybe recommend or to not recommend it to the public. It is also been published to inform the viewers of NME about The Libertines past and there music over the years , for example it talks about there drug use and troubles they faced with the Law. 

The audience for this review would be anyone who has an interest in music , as the magazine is all about music, or someone who is particularly interested in finding out about The Libertines new album and want to know about it before they listen to it. 

Alton Towers injuries 

The Mirror 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/alton-towers-crash-victim-shares-6452333

The form of this text is a newspaper article. 

The purpose of this text would be for Becky to inform people about what happened to her in the roller coaster crash at Alton Towers and for her to explain what she has had to do afterwards. Becky talks about the injury on her leg, which she had to have amputated, and the lasting effects it has had on her while learning to walk again. 

The audience for this article would be any member of the public who is interested in finding out what happened to some of the people who were on the Smiler crash at Alton Towers. It would mainly be aimed at teenagers and adults as these age ranges would contain the people who are most likely to be interested. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11426737

 

Teen Slang: What's, like, so wrong with like?

BBC News Article

 

This article discusses the use of the word 'like' and the context in which it is used by teenagers. It descibes the word as being used as a filler in conversations and it is only used as most people can't keep highly grammatical language flowing, however it can also be used to exaggerate a situation. For example someone may say "I 'm , like, so tired". The 'like' used in this sentence somehow makes the information being told stand out more and i would say makes people understand the situation more.

AQA FRAMEWORK

• Graphology - visual aspects of text design and appearance e.g form, purpose audience and technology. 
• Lexis and semantics - the vocabulary of English, including social and historical context. 
• Grammar - how language is built i.e structure patterns, sentences, phrases, word level. 
• Pragmatics - how we know what language means when it is used in a specific context, sometimes described as 'reading between the lines'. 
• Discourse - how longer stretches of text are organised (cohesion - how it holds together e.g use of discourse markers). They way text creates identities for particular individuals, groups or institutions e.g the discourse of law, politics and the media. 
• Phonology - How we organise the sounds of our language to produce certain effects including rhythm, rhyme, intonation, stress, pauses etc. 

All raait! It's a new white black-white lingo 

Steven Swinford and Laura St Quinton Sunday Times 11/12/05 

Article Summary 

This article describes the way in which many students from different ethnic backgrounds (such as White Anglo backgrounds, Arab, Ghanaian and many more) all speak the same dialect and use slang words. The journalists within the article look into why slang has become so popular amongst young people and how it is spreading. Further into their research they look into the similar but also changing accents of the London students which they seem to have discovered that in the last 50 years or so racial/culture divides no longer exist, therefore society is mixing more and developing in new ways. 

The researchers look into how music participates a role in spreading the dialect through broadcasting on the radio and they use the London rapper Dizzee Rascal as an example. 

From the mouths of teens 

ndependent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/from-the-mouths-of-teens-422688.html">

This article is based upon the slang words used by teenagers living in the inner zones of London and the journalists within this article want to understand how or why the words used by teens have developed to become such a normal part of their vocabulary. The article further explains how teen language in London is spreading all over the UK. 

The researchers have found out that the dialect used by teens is very similar to the words spoken by people from a Jamaican/Afro-Caribbean background, for example many use the word 'sket' which originates from Jamaica and is often used as a slang word to describe a girl as a slag. Therefore because of this they describe the language used in London as MLE (Multicultural London English) as the cultures in the city are beginning to blend as one. 

Why do teens speak almost in their own language? Social class, fashion, music and ethnicity are said by this article to contribute to teenagers expressing themselves and so say keeping 'cool', therefore a 'cool' dialect would need to follow; one they may not want adults to understand. 

AQA English Language Specification 
http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/as-and-a-level/english-language-b-2705

The Guardian Year 6 Grammar Test 


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