Text Language

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2006/sep/11/schools.uk1

How is language issue represented?

Represented positively:

·       Semantic field of benefiting and improving, shown through lexis’ such as ‘aiding’, ‘improving’, ‘positively’, ‘educational’  and ‘achievements’.

How does the author represent themselves?

·         The use of speech marks: ‘ “textisms” ‘

People normally relate ‘…ism’ when talking about prejudice or a negative issue like racism. However, by putting speech marks on ‘textisms’ shows that the writer doesn’t think text language is bad at all. Instead, the writer shows a rhetorical, sarcastic attitude towards ‘textisms’, suggesting that text language is favourable.

·       Writer does not use synthetic personalisation to have this fake, friendly relationship with the audience. Instead, the text is of high register, shown through formal, low frequency, polysyllabic words, such as ‘developmental’ and ‘cross-section’. This suggests the writer is intellectual and formal to the audience. Also, instead of using pronouns, he backs his ideas/opinions through overloading researches, nearly in every paragraph.

Effect of showing the writer is intellectual as well as having evidences successfully makes audience agree.

How does the author shape the readers’ response?

·       Use of the proper nouns of famous institution names such as, ‘Royal Holloway’ university and ‘Coventry University’ having done researches to back up the idea that texting is advantageous. This allows the audience to believe in it more.

·       ‘may actually’

The epistemic modal verb ‘may’ gives sense of possibility that texting really may be beneficial. It could also be a deontic modal verb, since the writer may be suggesting or giving the audience a permission to believe what he is saying. The adverb of degree ‘actually’ allows audience to realize that it doesn’t ‘actually’ ‘damage a child’s ability to use standard English’.

Also, the adverb of comment ‘surprisingly’ creates the same effect to audience that texting ‘surprisingly’ goes against to what many thought to be ‘damaging’ children’s language skills.

It gives a shocking impact to audience, successfully allowing them to believe it.

·       Use of the superlative ‘best’ and the comparative ‘better ’ creates a big impact. As a result, the writer successfully makes the audience having to think that text language isn’t a problem at all since children using text language are ‘better’ spellers and writers.

·       The structure of the text:

Almost all the paragraphs represent positive connotations and information’s towards text language, then in the end 2 paragraphs the writer quickly outlines negative connotations towards the issue. Writer is realistic. The effect of having ¾ of the text full of positive connotations and the remaining ¼ of negative connotations makes the text realistic since the text consists of both pros and cons, allowing audience to believe, agree and follow the writers’ opinion.