Explore the ways in which your speech changes according to the context you’re in
It is known that people change the way they speak depending on whom they are speaking with and in what situation they are in. Personally I think teenagers do this the most as they use very informal structure and slang when speaking to fellow teenagers, however they will switch to much more formal and standard structured dialect when speaking to adults like their parents or teachers. These changes in dialect are induced by public attitudes. To explain, the older generation see the use of slang and teenage dialect as being a sign a stupidity. An example of this public attitude is highlighted in Nick Brittens article titled “Street slang makes youths ‘unemployable’”. In the article he explains how terms such as “fix up” and “what’s guan” are making youth unemployable as they go on to use these slang terms in job interviews and exams. He describes modern day teens as “virtually unemployable” as they “can’t speak good English.” This attitude of the use slang showing low intelligence has lead youths to change to formal language when they are in a situation in which they need to be taken seriously. In this essay I will explore the ways in which teens speech changes according to the context they are in, with the help of two transcripts.
The first situation, transcript 1, shows two teenage school friends talking to each other. They both utilise non standard sentence structure which creates an extremely causal pitch and indicates that the two are well acquainted with each other. This is shown in the line “Last night, I tried doing some revision, right”. In the example line shown, we can see the word “Right” is at the end of the sentence. This is an example of...
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... as intelligent. For example in line 10 there is a two second stop at the start of Yousef’s sentence which allows him to formate a good reply. The use of delays rather than fillers enables the speaker to say something more intelligent and structured which fillers can not do.
In conclusion, teenagers change the way they speak because of the public attitudes of older generations that see non standard English as a mark of low intelligence. Although, these attitudes are not necessary correct, teenager choose to adapt their language and the way they express themselves to more formal and standard English, which in the eyes of the older generations, means they are more intelligent. They accomplish these changes in tone from casual to informal by using standard sentence structure, cutting out ellipsis, choosing more complex lexis, and refraining form the use of fillers.
1. The main point Kirk Johnson, writer of “Today’s Kids Are, Like, Killing the English Language” published by the New York Times, illustrates is a shift in the way society nowadays communicates and expresses themselves with the emergence of technology and other forms of media in this new era compared to the precedent and placid century.
The constant changing of technology and social norms makes difficult for different generations to understand one another and fully relate to each other. Diction and slang change as years pass and what is socially acceptable may have been prohibited in the previous generations.
Another technique Franklin uses to maintain the audience’s attention is her sentence structure. She uses very long sentences throughout paragraph 4 and has 2 short sentences in the middle of the paragraph.
Between 1865 and 1900 technology, economic conditions, and government policy influenced American Agriculture greater than it ever had before. Technologically, Railroads, factories, and farm equipment changed American agriculture by allowing the production of farmed goods to be increased substantially, while economic conditions caused the prices of these goods to go down and then fluctuate. Farmers hurting from the economic disarray began influencing the laws being passed to help them in their economic troubles. Because of the influence of technology, government policy, and economic conditions between the 1865 and 1900 American agriculture was affected.
The novel's dialogue and monologue alike manage to relay the feel of natural speaking such as "I mean you'd be different in some way - I can't explain what I mean. " The contractions “you'd” and “can't”, since they are common in everyday language, establish a very common and simple tone. Stress on the first syllable of "different" reinforces the tone by demonstrating how typically they speak. He uses dashes for pauses and the signaling of associative digressions. Instead of signaling pauses, commas are used only where mechanically required.
In contrast, syntax provides a new perspective to the narrator s behavior as sentence structure draws attention to her erratic behavior. By her last entry, the narrator s sentences have become short and simple. Paragraphs 227 through 238 contain few adjectives resulting in limited descriptions yet her short sentences emphasize her actions providing plenty of imagery. The syntax quickly pulls the reader through the end as the narrator reaches an end to her madness.
Another difficulty cultures deal with is language and the way people speak. In some cases, people struggle to belong by making changes in the way they speak the English language just to be assimilated. They attempt to use words and letters, as well as body language that fit in the norm; all in an attempt to denounce their original intonation and style of pronunciation. One ...
The transitional phrases lead the reader into the next paragraph by maintaining their attention with concepts from the previous one.
One student stated that “as long as I know how to speak slang and proper English, I should be ok” (Godley, p. 708). However, nearly all students felt a need for speaking AE or, at least, avoiding slang in work settings (Godley, p. 708). Students’ arguments in favor is maintaining AE in work situations appeared to be navigated by the belief that AAVE is perceived as negative in mainstream society (Godley, Page 709).
In the articles, “Obama’s English” written by H. Samy Alim and Geneva Smitherman and “Speaking in Tongues” written by Zadie Smith, the writers inform us of, the consequences of voice adaption and how it can result in scrutiny and a loss of identity. On the other hand, the articles asserts, the advantage of having a “double voice” and the way it allows one to connect and empathize with people from different geographic areas. Based on the premise of the writer’s argument, modifying language to conform to the expectation of society can have both positive and negative effects.
Maturity is a coming of age when a person is growing emotionally and mentally. Maturity is gained by experiences and decision-making, thus learning from mistakes. This is evident in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Through characterization and symbolism Lee displays maturity.
Within the primary essay, convoluted sentences are used on numerous of occasions. Convoluted sentences allow the passage to possess importance located at the beginning and end. Convoluted syntax also provides detail towards the scene but particularly the middle portion of the sentence. An example of convoluted syntax which exercises pauses can be seen periodically, “A twisted tree trunk protrudes out of the silt like earth, covered in crude knots and lanky dead branches, hover over the small stretch of land it’s rotting roots are positioned in.” The separation causes the beginning and end to hold more importance and to be emphasised by the interruption. The repeated use of convoluted syntax gives the sentences a rhythmical and somewhat choppy feeling. The separation of clauses, combined with details, also provide a break that adds to the anticipation and obscurity of the painting, in turn portraying the dominant impression. Another use of convoluted syntax incorporating a sense of obscurity can be seen within the following phrase, “The ridge on the top of the towering stones, a vast forest of wild grass and hovering trees stretch as far as the colossal mountain range in the distance, cast a shadow over the land.” The clause is broken apart by the detailed description of the forest, therefore it provides an extensive break from the main clause. The effect this creates
The influence of our inherited cultural and linguistic heritage is perhaps less influential than the cultural and linguistic characteristics of the society we live in. The societal forces of our personal micro-environments largely impact who we are, how we see ourselves, and how we speak.
Telley, S.A. (2008) ‘Teenage dialect – Chapter one’, pp. 1-75. Available at: https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/handle/1805/1634 (Accessed 12 May, 2014).
The book An Intorduction of Sociolinguistics is an outstanding introductary book in the field of sociolinguistics. It encompasses a wide range of language issues. In chapter 13, Wardhaugh provides a good insight to the relationship between language and gender. He explains gender differences of language-in-use with concise examples. Wardhaugh riases questions about sexist language and guides readers to look closer at how people use language differently because of their own gender in daily life. According to the Whorfian hypothesis, which indicates that the way people use language reflects their thoughts, different genders adapt different communication strategies.