Class notes
A-level English Language Discourse Notes
- Course
- Institution
Some notes I made from an online lecture about the different discourses in English Language A-level.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
chocolatedaisy03
Reviews received
Content preview
Language DiscoursesDiscourse can be defined as a way of thinking about, arguing about and describing how we
feel about something.
Critical Discourse Analysis:
● Frame the way we think
● Norman Fairclough: first pioneer to what is known as ‘Critical Discourse Analysis’
(CDA). He argues that ‘language is certainly involved in power and the struggles for
power’.
● ‘Using language is the commonest form of social behaviour where we rely most on
‘common sense’ ‘assumptions’.
Prescriptivism and Descriptivism
Prescriptivists = dictates how people should speak and write
Descriptivists = avoids passing judgements and provides explanation and analysis
● ‘The Language Wars’ - Henry Hitchings
Discourses:
1. Discourse of decay - ‘The English Language is a crumbling castle: a once great
building now on the verge of collapse’. Another of Jean Aitchison’s analogies.
Strongly prescriptive. Nostalgic notion that sometime in the past was a golden age of
language. Metaphor suggests that the complete collapse of language is imminent.
2. Discourse of purity - ‘English has become polluted by ugly Americanisms’.
Prescriptive idea that English in the past was ‘pure’ and that American English is
aesthetically bad for the language. Subjective pre-modifying adjective ‘ugly’. Passive
voice used again to portray language as the victim of outside corrosive influence.
3. Discourse of conflict - ‘Standard English is now in a state of war against the invaders:
American English, online slang and Jafaican’. Hyperbolic slogan. Ironic that language
- a tool for communication between people is represented as a weapon of conflict.
Blame placed on ‘unusual suspects’ - technology and other cultures. Note the non-
linguistic, pejorative label ‘Jafaican’ (MLE) suggests that some people’s language is
inauthentic. Note the use of the dogmatic copula verb ‘is’ conveying a sense of
certainty/
4. Discourse of disease - ‘English language has been weakened by text messages and
abbreviations’. Presents English as victim (passive voice). Relates to Jean
Aitchison’s ‘infectious disease’ analogy. Technological developments are blamed -
heavily prescriptive.
5. Discourse of evolution - ‘language can cross breed in a way species cannot’. Shows
the flexibility of language in aspects such as lexical borrowing and grammatical
change. Descriptive - power of ability to change.
Common discourse metaphors about language
★ Correctness - right or wrong
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller chocolatedaisy03. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
83750 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now