English Language Study Notes

In this area of study students consider the way speakers and writers choose from a repertoire of language to vary the style of their language to suit particular purposes. They identify the function and consider and analyse the features of informal language in written, spoken and electronic interactions, understanding that the situational and cultural contexts of an exchange influence the language used. Students examine the features that distinguish informal language from more formal language. They understand how spontaneity and planning can both play a role in informal language and the ways in which informality may play an important role in building rapport. They examine how users of informal language may be idiosyncratic in their linguistic choices and structure texts in a non-linear way, and they explore the role of colloquial language and language varieties in establishing informal registers. Students consider features of ‘chat’ associated with both speaking and writing, such as a reliance on sequencing, cooperation and turn-taking, as well as features that are particular to each language mode. Students learn that speakers have at their disposal a support system of prosodic and paralinguistic cues that they can use to organise and present information. They explore how writers may choose to rely on abbreviations, spellings that reflect pronunciation and prosodic patterns, emoticons, emojis and context-specific graphemes. Both written and spoken informal texts may contain non-fluency features, ellipses, shortened lexical forms and syntactic creativity. Students investigate how informal language use can incorporate politeness strategies; how informal language choices can build rapport by encouraging inclusivity, intimacy, solidarity and equality; and how informal language features, such as slang and swearing patterns, are important in encouraging linguistic innovation and in-group membership. Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to identify, describe and analyse distinctive features of informal language in written and spoken texts.

In this area of study students consider the way speakers and writers choose from a repertoire of language to suit particular purposes. As with informal language, the situational and cultural contexts determine whether people use formal language and in which language mode they choose to communicate. They identify the function and consider and analyse the features of formal language in written, spoken and electronic interactions, understanding that the situational and cultural context of an exchange influences the language used. They understand that formal language, in all language modes, tends to have greater cohesion, and is more likely to make some aspects of the presumed context more explicit. Formal language, however, can also be deliberately ambiguous and can obfuscate meaning. Students examine examples of formal texts, exploring how writers and speakers are more likely to consider how their audience might interpret their message. Students learn that formal written texts are more likely to have been edited and formal spoken texts may have been both edited and rehearsed. Formal speech has many of the organisational features of written language, but also draws on prosody and paralinguistic features. Students explore the range of ways in which formal language can be used to perform various purposes. They investigate how formal language choices, particularly politeness strategies, can reinforce or challenge social distance, relationship hierarchies and rapport. Similarly, specialised language such as jargon can reinforce the user’s authority and expertise or promote in-group solidarity. Students examine texts in which speakers and writers use formal language to celebrate and commemorate, and they explore how formal language can be used to clarify, manipulate or obfuscate, particularly in public language – the language of politics, reportage, the law and bureaucracy. Students learn that formal language enables users to carefully negotiate social taboos through the employment of euphemisms and non-discriminatory language. They explore how variations in language reveal much about the intentions and values of speakers or writers, as well as the situational and cultural contexts in which formal texts are created. Outcome 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to identify, describe and analyse distinctive features of formal language in written and spoken texts.

This area of study enables students to examine the range of language varieties that exist in contemporary Australian society and the role of those varieties in contributing to an increasingly contested national identity. Standard Australian English has much in common with Englishes from other continents, but the language has also developed features across all subsystems of language that distinguish it from other Englishes. Australia is not linguistically uniform, and contemporary texts in both written and spoken modes both challenge and construct notions of what it means to be Australian and what might be meant by ‘national identity’. Increasing global contact, the influence of modern technologies and other social changes are shaping contemporary English in Australian society, and attitudes towards language continue to evolve. Students examine how Standard Australian English is afforded prestige by public institutions. They explore how the language varieties operating in Australia provide further dimensions to English in Australian society. They consider a range of migrant ethnolects and Aboriginal Australian Englishes in addition to exploring language features associated with emerging and established stereotypes that can be adopted subconsciously or deliberately to establish or challenge identities. Students also consider and challenge the validity and use of language features associated with stereotypes in contemporary Australian society. Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to identify, describe and analyse varieties of English in Australian society, the attitudes towards them and the identities they reflect.

In this area of study students focus on the role of language in reflecting, imposing, negotiating and conveying individual and group identities. They examine how language users play different roles within speech communities and are able to construct their identities through subconscious and conscious language variation. In this work, students engage with social variables including age, gender, sexuality, occupation, interests, aspiration and education. While individual identity can be derived from the character traits that make us unique, our social identities are drawn from our membership of particular groups. Students investigate how, as individuals, we make language choices that draw on our understanding of social expectations and community attitudes. Students examine overt and covert prestige in speech communities. They consider how knowing and being able to exploit overt norms – which are typically associated with Standard Australian English – allows users to convey a prestigious identity associated with their class, education, occupation, social status and aspirations. They also consider how covert norms – those that are given prestige by local groups – can be powerful in conveying identities, establishing those who use them as members of the ‘in’ group, while those who are unable to conform are excluded. Students learn how societal attitudes, personal associations and individual prejudices can lead to social disadvantage and discrimination. Outcome 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to identify, describe and analyse how variation in language, linguistic repertoires and language choices reflects and conveys people’s identities.