Creative Writing Commentary

Creative Writing Commentary

My style model is in the genre of social issues and is presented as a blog. The piece is about stigma that surrounds mental health and the writer aims to raise awareness of the impacts of the condition. The reason this appealed to me was because the writer is writing about their father who suffers from this and it reminded me of my grandfather who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, I decided to create an article informing people about dementia, as well as speaking about my own personal experiences; also suggesting ways in which I believe family members of sufferers can help. The article would most likely appear in either a blog about social issues, such as the one like my style model or perhaps in a leaflet located in a doctor’s waiting room. The reason I wrote this text was to create awareness for the disease itself and also perhaps provide reassurance for family members of sufferers that they aren’t alone. I wrote it for mostly people who either are caring for someone with dementia or the relatives of sufferers, however also people who want to find out more about the disease and how they can help e.g. by fundraising.

Throughout my article I have used examples of field-specific lexis, such as ‘sufferer’ and ‘memory loss’ which are both linked to dementia which reassures the reader that what they are reading is reliable. My style model has also done this, for example with lexis such as ‘mental health’ and ‘distress’. As well as this I refer to ‘my grandfather’ throughout. The personal pronoun ‘my’ shows the readers that I, as the writer, have experienced the effects of the disease on someone I love – making the tone of the article as a whole more personal. When I am explaining where he lived and ‘memory lane’ I used a range of specific imagery. By using adjectives such as ‘old’ and ‘quaint’ it shows that I have been there myself and it also creates a clear scene for the reader to think about. My style model also uses this technique, for example when explaining their village with nouns such as ‘street’ and ‘cliffs’.  

Throughout the article, I have used a range of both high-frequency and low-frequency lexis, for example I call my granddad ‘grandfather’ throughout which is quite low-frequency as many people often shorten the word to ‘grandpa’ or ‘gramps’. This gives the article more of a formal tone, however I have also used examples of high-frequency as well to help make the article more relatable and to get across that I have been through it myself and that I’m not just a reporter – what I am saying is authentic and genuine.

Furthermore, I have used a range of different syntax. I have mainly used declaratives and exclamatory syntax, which is just like my style model, for example the writer states ‘It affects one in four and nobody is immune’. My style model also uses a range of statistics which I have incorporated into my piece as it is mostly informative. I have used declarative when providing information and facts, for example ‘Affecting over 46.8 million people a year; dementia is truly a global health issue’ and exclamatory when referring to my own experiences, for example ‘…and we all know how much grandma and granddad like to talk about the past!’. I have written my article in the present tense when providing information – to almost emphasise the fact that dementia is an on-going issue happening now, however when speaking about myself and my experiences I have written in past tense.

I have organised my article in similar sized paragraphs throughout, each containing a different piece of information or experience, however my last paragraph is only two sentences long as I wanted to make an impact on the reader as it is short and makes a statement – much like my style model has done. I have used this layout as it looks organised and the reader can see what is in each paragraph – as for some I have used sub-headings. This means that if the reader only wants to know a certain piece of information, such as ‘What is Dementia?’ then they don’t have to read the whole thing, they can just get what they wanted out of it. As there is no particular order in how the information and experiences go, I can’t really say that my article is in chronological order; however it flows nicely from one paragraph to the other.

Overall, both the style model and original writing piece employ factual information as well as personal experiences. To create different representations however, I have written mine about a different disease that is personal to me. Throughout my style model there is use of field-specific lexis, high-frequency and low-frequency lexis as well as specific imagery which is mirrored in my original writing piece so the subject of dementia is represented clearly and in a way which will hopefully spread awareness for the disease and encourage readers to do what they can to help.

Creative Writing Coursework

Dementia: Do we know enough?

Affecting over 46.8 million people a year; dementia is truly a global health issue. In the UK alone, there are 850,000 sufferers and by the year 2025 this number is expected to rise to over one million.

Unfortunately, my grandfather suffered from the disease, so therefore I feel very strongly about getting awareness for it as a whole. Sadly, my grandfather passed not long ago, but although it was devastating, I was grateful that his dementia never developed into the later stages; as I know some aren’t so lucky. At my grandfather’s home, I saw the disease affect other people in ways you couldn’t imagine; and not only that but I saw the effect it had on the family members who didn’t know what to do to help. People need to be educated - particularly relatives of sufferers - about what the disease actually does to a person and how it affects them personally as well as what they can do to help. 

What is dementia?

Dementia is not actually a disease in itself – it is a word that describes a group of symptoms that occur when brain cells stop working properly. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, which often develops slowly over several years; which is what my grandfather had suffered with. At first, he was repeating himself in conversation and forgetting recent events. But as it developed it got worse and worse and lead to things like leaving the oven on, forgetting where he parked the car and worst of all, forgetting to eat. This is when it became clear to us that he would be safer in a dementia home where people were available to help him 24/7. Although this was an extremely hard decision for my mum and uncle to make; it turned out to be one of the best.

The place where he lived was called ‘The Grove’. It provided a safe environment that was adapted to the unique needs of residents with dementia, so they could enjoy as much independence and mental and physical stimulation as possible. One of the things that stood out at The Grove, was a feature called ‘Memory Lane’. This is a model of a 1950’s village to help residents remember their past. It has an old, traditional pub and a quaint post office and greengrocers. In them are found props from the past, such as cigars, oxo adverts, ration books and old chocolate bar wrappers. This was such an effective way to take my grandfather’s mind off of everything and just to make him smile and think of his past life.

Looking through old photographs and old videos is perfect to do with a dementia sufferer as memories come flooding back to them… and we all know how much grandma and grandad like to talk about the past! My mum made my grandfather a book of his life; he loved it. I think that family members of sufferers should be encouraged to make one, as not only does it lift the spirits of the sufferer themselves but also the rest of the family as it reminds them what a great life that they’ve had before they were diagnosed. However, life shouldn’t stop at diagnosis! Taking them out to different places and going to different events in the early stages is a perfect way to keep the sufferer happy. Personally, my grandfather never knew that he had been diagnosed as we thought it’d be the best way and would prevent him from getting confused. So, taking him out for a hot chocolate and a cake, to see a local play, or even just taking the dog for a walk, are all ways to make it seem like life is just carrying on as normal. 

What is already being done?

Compared to other diseases, Dementia research is hugely underfunded by the government – this must stop. The National Institutes of Health spends over $6 billion a year on cancer research, over $4 billion on heart disease research and over $3 billion on HIV/AIDS research. But it spends only $480 million on Alzheimer's research. Alzheimer’s Research UK is a charity increasingly revealing the causes of Dementia and the steps that can be taken to prevent or slow its advance. Another charity; The Alzheimer’s Society, does an enormous amount to help those suffering with the disease and also the family members, however they rely heavily on money from the public. This is another way you can help – joining a walk/run or a fundraiser to help raise money for these charities; so they can carry out the work that needs to be done to become closer to tackling this awful disease.

Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease that affects so many throughout the world. Hopefully one day there will be a cure; but for now, we need to focus on being positive for the sufferers and continuing to give them the best life possible.

Does grammar matter? - Andreea S. Calude

Ted Talks Lesson 
https://ed.ted.com/on/BKYwjkkg 

Child Language Acquisition Test

1.      Place the following stages in the correct order:

Cooing     Babbling    Holophrastic    Two-word    Telegraphic    Post-telegraphic

2.      Match the theories with the theorists:

A    Nativist – children are born with a language acquisition device. They have an innate ability to acquire language	3     N. Chomsky
B    Cognitive – children develop their linguistic competence alongside their ability to understand the world around them	4     J. Piaget
C    Behaviourist – children learn primarily through imitation and patterns of positive or negative reinforcement from their carers	5     B. F. Skinner
D    Interactional – children learn through the input of their carers, correcting and supporting their linguistic development	1     J. Bruner
E    Critical period – children have a limited period during which their language can develop rapidly. After this, language development is much harder	2     E. Lenneberg

3.      A child refers to an apple, orange and grapefruit as ‘ball’.  What process is at work and what might be the reasons for this?

Over-extension – child sees similar shapes to an object she knows and overextends the term she knows to include these objects 

4.      A child refers to her boots as ‘shoes’ but will not use this term to describe any other shoes, apart from her own.  What process is at work and what might be the reasons for this?

Under-extension – child cannot relate the term she knows to any other similar item

 5.      A child says ‘I falled over’ or ‘I runned away’.  What process is at work and what might be
           the reasons for this?

Generalization – child applies regular rules to irregular verbs

6.      A child says ‘Daddy go work’ as his father leaves for work.  At what stage of development might we suggest the child is?  Which clause elements has the child used and which are missing?

Telegraphic stage – child has used subject verb and part of the prepositional phrase (to) work but has missed the auxiliary verb is going

7.      A child says ‘Me like ice cream’.  In what way is she/he using some elements of grammar correctly and in what ways is she making errors?

Correct syntax/ word order but misusing pronoun.  She uses first person object pronoun me instead of first person subject pronoun

8.      A child says ‘timney’ instead of ‘chimney’.  What process is at work and what might be the reason for this?

Substitution – child is replacing the ch sound with a simpler t sound

9.      A child says ‘ca’ instead of ‘cat’.  What process is at work and what might be the reason for this?

Deletion – child is either not hearing or not producing the last consonant sound ‘t’

10.      A child says ‘nana’ instead of ‘banana’.  What process is at work and what might be the reasons for this?

Deletion of unstressed syllable – child deletes ba syllable

11.      Michael Halliday researched functions of language in child development. What were the six functions and how might they be illustrated?  (Give an example for each function.)

·       Instrumental – to satisfy needs and wants: ‘Juice!’

·       Regulatory – to control others: ‘Lift me up, daddy’

·       Interactional – to create interactions with others: ‘Bye bye’

·       Personal – to express personal thoughts and opinions: ‘I no like custard’

·       Imaginative – to create imaginary worlds: ‘I’m a dragon – roarrr’

·       Heuristic – to seek information: ‘What’s that, mummy?’

·       Informative – to communicate information: ‘We had fish for lunch.’

12.      What are ‘wugs’?  Who researched them?  What did she discover?

Jean Berko

·       Using a made-up animal, she tested the children’s application of the ‘-s’ plural rule and found that nearly all of them applied it to a noun they’d never heard before

13.      Out of the average child’s first 50 words, the most common word class will probably be what?  Why might this be?

Nouns (mostly concrete nouns) – the most common items around the child and easily understood link between object and label

14.      In what ways might turn-taking be established between a carer and a child?

Suggestions are:

Conversations with child as if they are a full participant

Games such as peek-a-boo

Setting up question and answer structures in basic conversation

15.      List the ways in which a parent or carer can make their use of language easier for a child to understand.  What might this type of language be termed?

Child-Directed Speech (CDS), caretaker language, motherese, parentese

·       more pronounced intonation that draws attention to key morphemes or lexemes

·       simplified vocabulary that helps establish key words (‘dog’ rather than ‘pitbull terrier’)

·       repeated grammatical ‘frames’ that help draw attention to new elements within those frames (e.g. ‘What animal lives in a kennel?  What animal lives in a stable?  What animal lives in a sty?’)

·       simplified grammar – shorter utterances

·       tag questions used to initiate turn-taking

·       actions that accompany speech: pointing, smiling, shrugging shoulders etc.

·       more obvious lip and mouth movement to help younger children copy

16.      Who was Genie and what might she prove?

A ‘feral’ or ‘wild’ girl discovered by social workers in California in 1970.  At 13 her vocabulary was limited to 20 words.  Her case study is often used to support the Critical Learning Period Hypothesis, while others use it to support the Interactive Theory.

17.      Who was Jim and what might he prove?

A boy noted in the Devilliers & Devilliers study in 1978.  He was born to deaf parents and placed in front of a TV in the hope he would pick up language by watching it.  His language acquisition was hampered and it’s often used to support the Interactive Theory.

18.      Apart from the main theorists mentioned above, which other researchers could you refer to when talking about child language?

Some suggestions: Roger Brown, Steven Pinker, Jean Aitchison and David Crystal

19.      What do the initials L.A.D. stand for?

Language Acquisition Device

20.      At the telegraphic stage, children often combine content words in the correct sequence (syntax) but miss out certain grammatical words. Give two word classes (and an example of each) that children often omit.

Determiners (the, a)

Auxiliary verbs (is doing, am running)

Useful English Language Blog

http://englishlangsfx.blogspot.co.uk/

Steven Pinker: Linguistics as a Window to Understanding the Brain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-B_ONJIEcE


Language is not:
1. Written Language
2. Proper Grammar


Language is:
-Distinctive
-Essential
-Mysterious


-Words
-Rules: syntax, morphology, phonology,
-Interfaces

A2 Language Term One Test

A ‘question and answer’ or ‘statement and response’ is called an adjacency pair.


The term for saying “yeah” or “uh huh” while someone else is talking is called back-channelling agreement.


When talk flows swiftly from one turn to the next it is called latched talk.


Observers paradox is when you affect the data you are studying by investigating it.


The investigation data needs to be ethical, comparable and reliable.

AO3 award marks for context.

GRAPE stands for genre, reception, audience, purpose, expectations.

It is important to analyse texts for how they create meanings and representations.

Connotations, lexical field and metaphor etc., all come under the framework 'lexis'.

Deborah Tannen investigated the difference theory.


Deficit features include; empty adjectives, intensifiers, hedges, tag questions, super-polite forms etc.


Deborah Cameron said " Your GENES don't determine our JEANS".


Trudgill carried out his norms research in Norwich.


The island locals in Martha’s Vineyard showed covert prestige.


There was more pronunciation of the post-vocalic R sound in more expensive stores in Labov’s ‘fourth floor’ study.


Overgeneralisation is the term for when children apply standard grammatical rules to irregular verbs and nouns.


There are 15 morphemes in the following quote - “now you can’t exactly be like Jesus (0.5) instead you just get some help”

The stage after the two-word stage is called the telegraphic stage.


Amongst Halliday's functions, the instrumental function is for getting your needs met.


Dr Deb Roy carried out research on his son and discovered that caregivers simplify the utterances around a word that is about to be learned.