Text A is an online forum
for ‘Mumsnet’ on the topic of school proms. We can see this as the logo is
presented at the top left hand corner and the title of the forum reads ‘…school
proms – aaargh!’. This suggests that the forum may be one in which the
participants are against school proms, highlighted in the use of the negative non-standard
lexis ‘aaargh!’. The forums purpose is for mums to seek reassurance from other
mums that what they think/are doing is the right thing. The website is aimed at
parents, highlighted in the websites moto ‘By parents, for parents’ however,
mostly for women as the name of the site makes clear – ‘Mumsnet’.
Firstly, we can see that the
users of the site use informal language, for example, she starts by saying
‘Okay, I admit’. This brings quite a chatty and friendly tone to the forum as
it is if she is speaking it, not writing it. The verb used, ‘admit’ suggests
that the user knows the topic she is writing about could possibly create some
debate as, if you are ‘admitting’ something it usually means that you don’t
really want to express it or tell anyone about it. The user ‘Woolleyideas’ also
in her first argument uses a range of field-specific lexis, such as ‘school’,
‘limo’ and ‘disco’. These all make it clear what she is writing about and show
that it is all relevant which gives the other users a conversation which is
then easier to reply to.
Furthermore, the user
‘Woolleyideas’ also users a range of rhetorical questions. This is a typically female
feature of speech, as it perhaps shows she is looking for reassurance from the
other users. For example, ‘What sane parent would want to pay an entry fee to
go to a ‘prom fair’?’ Not only does this show that the user is seeking
reassurance but it also highlights how much she cares for her children as she
uses the auxiliary verb ‘would’ before ‘want’ in the interrogative. This shows
that women ‘want’ to do the right things for their children and one of the ways
they seek reassurance that they are doing so through this website.
Following on from this, the
user also uses the interrogative ‘Who are those sort of parents who think this
sort of expenditure…?’ The determiner ‘these’ almost shows that the user is
categorising these parents in a bad way. This therefore creates some debate
with those parents who do in fact think that it is okay – what the user is saying
could be seen as quite rude to other users on the site.
Further on in the forum,
another user ‘Muckycarpet’ replies with ‘It’s one night they’ll never forget,
Don’t be a grump!’. This shows that perhaps a debate was in fact created. The
exclamatory sentence with the use of the noun ‘grump’ could then offend the
user ‘Woolleyideas’ however she then quickly says after ‘Although the
helicopter is way OTT!’ The use of the discourse marker ‘although’ takes away
the fact that she is disagreeing with her and after which she uses the acronym
‘OTT’ which makes what she is saying more informal and quite friendly. The use
of the acronym ‘OTT’ could be seen as the sociolect of teenagers; perhaps
showing also that mums try and fit in with their children and maybe want wish
to be younger again.
Throughout the forum, it is
clear to see that the users use non-standard English and that they’re quite
laid back with the language that they choose to use. For example, they’ve used
slang such as ‘max’ and ‘naff’ – again highlighting the friendly tone of the
site. Also, throughout the site, the users use adjacency pairs; creating a
sense of conversation and cooperation from the women – again a typical female
feature. The use of the adjacency pairs also suggests that the site is a hybrid
of spoken written language.
Overall, it is clear to see
that the website is a place in which mums seek reassurance that they are doing
the right things for their children. As well as this, with the use of acronyms
such as ‘OTT’ and ‘DD’ is suggests that the one ways parents (but mums
especially) try to be good parents is through trying to fit in by using the
sociolect of teenage speak. The time phrase ‘back in the day’ highlights that
the women perhaps wish to be young again and also suggests that the users on
the site have a sense of community – as they are all in the same place and have
most experienced the same things.
Analyse how Text B uses
language to create meanings and representations. (25 marks)
Text
B is an article for a tabloid newspaper ‘The Mirror’ – highlighted with the
logo in the top left hand corner. It is discussing how young boys are starting
to care more and spend more money on their school proms, suggested in the title
‘Boys now spending almost as much as girls on their prom outfits’. The purpose
of the article is to discuss the issues surrounding this and also to entertain
those who read it. The audience is perhaps of the families of young boys and
also the young boys themselves. The families would also perhaps be of the middle-class
as the article talks about the proms being perhaps too expensive.
Firstly,
the article states ‘image-conscious teenage lads are going for a slick, groomed
look’. The adjective ‘image-conscious’ used to describe young boys suggests
that young boys are becoming more aware of what they look like, just as much as
teenage girls. The boys are also looking up to role models, such as Daniel
Craig highlighted in the image situated in the left of the article. The noun
phrase ‘teenage-lads’ is an example of sociolect. The noun ‘lads’ is one in
which young boys use – perhaps suggesting that the article is also aimed at
them, as it would be relatable for that group.
Role
models such as Daniel Craig aren’t the only thing that is influencing young
teenage boys. The adjective ‘American-style’ suggests that teenagers are
getting influences from American films and TV programmes. In America, they are
very extravagant with their proms, perhaps making young boys in the UK feel as
though that is what proms should be like. Following on from this,the articles
states that ‘boys are kitting themselves out with cufflinks, cumberlands, and
silk hankies’. This suggests that to boys, perhaps it is becoming a competition
of ‘who can look the best at prom?’ It only takes one person to get these
things and everyone else will start to have desires of having these luxuries
also.
Furthermore,
the article uses field-specific lexis throughout, such as ‘makeover’, ‘tuxedos’
and ‘spray tans’. This use of language creates a real stereotype of what comes
to mind when people think of prom nowadays. However, they usually think more of
girls when they think of proms –as boys didn’t really used to care. However the
use of statistics in this article suggests that this is changing. After this,
the article states the fact that ‘boys are spending on average £385 on the
school prom, compared to girls who blow £467.25’. The verb ‘blow’ highlights
how much money teenagers are spending. It almost has negative connotations and
suggests that maybe proms are becoming too extreme and unnecessary. The fact
that the article expresses this view also highlights the audience of the
article – perhaps middle-class.
Overall,
the article is written to discuss the reasons why boys are becoming more
worried about looking their best for school prom. It expresses it in an
informal register - shown through the use of slang such as ‘glam’ - which is
also more relatable for the audience as well as describing proms nowadays ‘too
expensive’.
Compare and contrast Text
A and Text B, showing ways in which they are similar and
different in their language use. (20 marks)
Text A and text B have many
similarities and differences. Text A is a forum about school proms, mostly
aimed at mums, whereas Text B is an article discussing why ‘teenage-lads’ are
becoming more ‘image-conscious’ and are beginning to care more about what they
look like at their school proms, which is mostly aimed at middle-class families
with teenage boys.
Both articles have negative
views on proms as a whole. In both texts they suggest that proms are too
expensive and suggest that the amount of money that parent’s feel they need to
spend on proms is quite ridiculous. For example, in text A, the user
‘Woolleyideas’ uses the interrogative ‘What sort of parent would want to pay an
entry fee?’ and texts B states that ‘girls blow £467.25’. The adjective ‘blow’
suggests that this amount of money is unnecessary. Both of these are examples
of the texts expressing or complaining that school proms as too expensive –
highlighting that both texts are aimed at parents; the ones who will be paying
for it.
Furthermore, text A is set
out in adjacency pairs as it is an online forum, whereas text B is an article.
Text A features women seeking reassurance from other mums that what they are
doing is the right thing and text B is there to slightly entertain the readers
– as well as to discuss. In text A the users reply to each other, for example
when the user webwiz says ‘Prom fair :O’ and the user Woolleyideas replies with
‘Yep, prom fair… bit like a wedding fayre but for your precious teens’. This
creates a friendly tone to the website and creates quite a chatty, laidback
register, as well as this it shows that the website is used as a hybrid for
spoken written language. Unlike text A, text B is set out more of an article. Although
slightly informal, it is set out in a very formal way – it has a very specific
structure.
