Research Skills In English Language 2

Research Skills In English Language Diachronic Change in Redbrick Newspapers: 

Research Skills In English Language Diachronic Change in Redbrick Newspapers Group 6 Ellie, Kate, Jess, Anna and Liam

Introduction: 

Introduction For our group topic we have decided to look at how the use of language in the University's Redbrick Newspaper has changed between 1962 and the present day. Our Research Question How has the tone and purpose of the language used in Redbrick Newspapers changed over time? Alan Bell stated that ‘tabloid newspapers use language in projection of their assumed readers’ speech’, and similarly we propose that the language used in the Redbrick will reflect the ever changing language used by The University of Birmingham’s students. Alan Bell (1995) Language and the Media . Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 15, pp. 23-41.

Methodology: 

Methodology To analyse the newspapers, we assigned each person in the group a decade to look at and chose 2 copies in particular, one from the 2 nd year of the decade, and one from the 7 th , and then compared them to a newspaper from 2011. To access these newspapers we all had to sign up to the Cadbury Research Library, which has collections of all the previous Redbricks. We chose to focus on lexical density, sentence structure, formality and other significant linguistic features to assess the tone of each newspaper.

1960’s by Ellie Front Page Articles: 

1960’s by Ellie Front Page Articles 1 st November 1962 7 th November 1967 18 th November 2011 Serious and authoritative tone – threatening at times. Generally complex sentences, but shorter ones are used for impact, ‘Strong action will be taken against anyone breaking this rule.’ Use of ‘we’ pronoun makes reader feel personally responsible. Subjective Channels an angry tone, but the content is mainly quotes and the reporter is not very opinionated. ‘Well meant piece of folly’ – Old saying, not very emotive. Lots of abbreviations used such as ‘G.T.G’ and ‘N.U.S’ – pragmatically assuming that the audience will understand these. More impact than the others as there is only one story on the front page. Emotive language – ‘opportunistic criminals taking advantage’. The use of ‘individuals’ and ‘students’ doesn’t directly address the audience and place blame. Takes a reassuring tone and offers advice, rather than using imperatives. Modal auxiliaries – ‘I recommend that students should ’. Objective

Editorials: 

Editorials Imperative. Tone of being told off – Students now may not accept being spoken to like this. Language such as ‘disgraceful’, ‘there is no excuse whatsoever for this’ and ‘irresponsibility’. Lots of emotive language highlighting that the University is not to blame for cuts. Talks about a topical issue. Takes the structure of an argument. Very emotive and opinionated – ‘intoxicating world of sensationalist journalism’. Informal – ‘from the crap’. The use of ‘–ish’ as an affix. Phrases like ‘land of nod’. ‘app’ – influence of modern technology. 1962 1967 2011 Angry tone. Emotive language placing blame on Executive – ‘extremely misguided’ and ‘chaos’. Rhetorical question, persuasive – ‘Is it not possible to have a little co-operation between the members of Exec. Instead of the apparent anarchy which exists at present? Used to campaign to keep waitresses – ‘many people would prefer’.

PowerPoint Presentation: 

& By Jess

PowerPoint Presentation: 

-Conditional Subordination -Prediction Modal “ If a £51 increase is accepted, the Hall fees alone will exceed this , not even taking into account the students’ other meals.” -Vague Language and Comparatives “The rise in hall fees is regarded as even more remarkable after a verbal agreement last year” “ is well above the proposed grant increase of £15 next year.”

PowerPoint Presentation: 

-Split Auxiliaries -Personification, Hyperbole, and Repetition “ all power was suddenly cut off without prior warning. Everything , including the telephones, refused to work , and the situation was only relieved by the emergency lighting” “the Guild Council could only meet because the lights come on” “BLACKOUT CHAOS !” “ CHAOS WITHIN THE UNION” “the chaos should not arise again” -Idiomatic phrase and Predictive Modal “better preparation for late in the winter would not go amiss. ”

PowerPoint Presentation: 

-Modal Auxiliaries “I think having a police station in Selly Oak would be a massive deterrent to would-be hoodlums” “It might have been our fault” “He added that the trend may be set to continue into November” “I recommend that students should ensure all doors and windows in their property are locked” -Split Auxiliary “Zuki was pleased to point out that Selly Oak has progressively become a Safer place” -Hyperbole/Metaphor -Subjective adjectives “Selly Oak burglaries rocket by 300%” “ dramatic 300% increase” “a massive three quarters”

PowerPoint Presentation: 

By Kate Marsh

PowerPoint Presentation: 

Main – Subordinate – 1982 and 1987 ‘The Government’s recent announcement of a 4 per cent increase in LEA grants will plunge the majority of students into anjext poverty, according to NUS President David Aaronovitch .’ Subordinate – Main – 1982 and 1987 ‘ Despite problems with two of the coaches which broke down en route, causing somewhat crowded conditions on the other coaches, most of the Birmingham contingent seemed to enjoy their day out.’ Main- 1982 and 1987 ‘A vote on Vice Deputy President Stuart Hyde’s proposal of a walk-out was deferred to a General Meeting of all members of the Guild.’

PowerPoint Presentation: 

Simple – 1982 and 1987 ‘A vote on Vice Deputy President Stuart Hyde’s proposal of a walk-out was deferred to a General Meeting of all members of the Guild.’ Compound ‘The march from County Hall to Hyde Park passed the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street and Trafalgar Square, and attracted considerable interest from passers-by, thought some motorists stuck in traffic jams caused by diversions were less than sympathetic.’ Complex ‘ At the end of last year Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Geoffrey Howe stated that the ruling party intended to couple this minimal increase with a freeze on the ‘means test’ scale, which will force a 15 per cent increase in the contributions parents are expected to make. ’ Subject Verb Co-ordinating conjunction Independent clauses Independent clause Dependent clause Relative pronoun

PowerPoint Presentation: 

Both texts Use of figures e.g. ‘ 400,000 students ’, ‘ 60% ’, ‘ 45 minutes ’ Powerful dynamic verbs e.g. ‘ plunge ’, ‘ force ’, ‘ fighting ’, ‘ bruised ’ Mistakes e.g. ‘ unin ’ should have been ‘ uni ’ and ‘ opperations ’ should have been ‘ operations ’ Sarcasm ‘ more pressing business ’ and ‘ only 60 attend ’ Colloquialism ‘ tread a thin line ’ and ‘ Brum ’ 1982 Semantic field of finance e.g. ‘ inflation ’ and ‘ annum ’ Sophisticated e.g. ‘ sedentary ’ and ‘ unprecedented ’ Semantic field of negativity e.g. ‘ severe ’, ‘ suffering ’, ‘ aggravating ’ Discourse marker e.g. ‘ on a lighter note ’ Puns ‘ idea might snowball ’ 1987 Swearing e.g. ‘ p—s ’ and ‘ f—k ’ Semantic field of war ‘ combat ’, ‘ tactics ’ Lot of dynamic verbs e.g. ‘ alleges ’, ‘ employs ’, ‘ suggests ’, ‘ proposes ’

PowerPoint Presentation: 

Lexical Density Clause Complexity Main- Subordinate – ‘The number of acquisitive crimes committed typically rise during times of economic difficulties , with Selly Oak traditionally a vulnerable area targetted by criminals due its large student population .’ – mistakes with ‘ targetted ’ and a missing ‘to’ after ‘due’ Subordinate -Main – ‘ Saul Freedman, a third year politics student, returned from a night out to discover that thieves had broken into his property via a small first floor window.’ Main – ‘ More recently the property itself was broken into .’ 1982 – 65.3% 1987 – 66% 2011 – 61% Written texts – 40%* *( G. E. Perren, and J. L. M. Trim, (1971). Applications of Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.)

PowerPoint Presentation: 

Sentence Lengths Simple – ‘More recently the property itself was broken into .’ Compound – ‘ When the police came, they told us that they had been in Selly Oak for most of the night, but had gone to attend another incident .’ Complex - ‘ The West Midlands police are not deploying patrols in greater frequency during the evenings when the majority of burglaries and car thefts takes place .’ Interesting features Use of figures e.g. ‘ 300% increase ’ Powerful dynamic verbs e.g. ‘ hit ’, ‘ secure ’, ‘ risen ’ Phrasal verb colloquialism e.g. ‘ point out ’ Semantic field of technological items e.g. ‘ TV ’, ‘ laptops ’ and ‘ DVDs ’ Mistakes e.g. ‘targetted’ should be ‘ targeted ’ Sophisticated lexis e.g. ‘ acquisitive ’ Discourse markers e.g. ‘ despite ’ No sarcasm or puns Subject Phrasal verb Co-ordinating conjunction Independent clauses Independent clause Dependent clause Relative pronoun

2000’s: 

2000’s National and international news is discussed, including the 2001 election, the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, and student involvement in anti-war demonstrations from 2001 to the start of the Iraq war in 2003, Barack Obama's election victory in November 2008, and protests against Israeli action in Gaza in January 2009. Regular items during the late 2000s and early 2010s include news, features, film television and music reviews, arts and culture items, lifestyle features, and sports coverage. Regular items during the late 2000s and early 2010s include news, features, film television and music reviews, arts and culture items, lifestyle features, and sports coverage.

Redbrick edition - 9th February 2002: 

Redbrick edition - 9 th February 2002 Front page – Main story - Simple, clear language. There is a lack of complicated lexis. Informal pre-modification – ‘huge’ ‘massive’ New technology abbreviation – ‘hi-fi’ The use of ‘break-ins’ rather than ‘burglaries’ – more modern Adverts are student orientated - Student club nights, restaurant with discount voucher. Semantic field of crime

Redbrick edition - 9th February 2002: 

Redbrick edition - 9 th February 2002 Double page spread – Columns with listings of current film, music and arts with critic’s opinion: Sentences begin in a conversational manner ‘don’t know anything about these three’ ‘ I reckon’. Use of informal conversational lexis ‘I reckon’. Evaluative colloquial language used throughout, sometimes exaggerative – ‘best film ever’ ‘I dunno’ ‘massiiiiive’ ‘wikkid’ ‘skillz’ ‘bloke’. Deictic language – ‘That bloody Amelie film’ Taboo lexis – mild profanities – ‘Pete’s chuffing sake’ ‘sodding’ ‘bloody’ ‘good grief’ ‘bugger-all’ Contractions – ‘Richard’s the Geordie’ Editorial – Friendly, slightly informal register. Addresses the reader directly with exclamative ‘welcome back!’ Informal imperatives – ‘give it some thought’ They have used the nicknames when listing the names of the editing team - ‘Chipster’ ‘Sparkster’ During the first years of the 21 st century, there was a great emphasis on the new generation and their teenage years. There was also the birth of the ‘tween’ phenomenon. It appears that the Redbrick use newly coined slang in order to appeal to the modern audience. This could also be due to the growing influence of social network sites such as ‘ Myspace ’ and ‘Facebook’. These new social features are shown in the language of the critical columns -

Redbrick edition – 18th January 2007: 

Redbrick edition – 18 th January 2007 Front page – Main story – ‘University spends £1 million on...signposts’ Noticeably written with more prestige than 2002 edition One contraction in the entire text ‘aren’t’ Use of Latinate lexis –‘fruition’ ‘investigation’ Dynamic verbs - ‘erected’ ‘disclosed’ Mini columns include playful use of language - Play on words - ‘New rave or Eww rave?’ Pun -‘Hannibal, eat your heart out’ Figures are inputted to back up the point ‘222 signs’ ‘£4500’

Redbrick edition – 18th January 2007: 

Redbrick edition – 18 th January 2007 Double page spread Editorial – diary entry style Simple sentences Americanisms – ‘snow already ‘guy’ Pre-modification – ‘insanely’ ‘annoyingly’ ‘inundated’ ‘freakishly’ ‘friendly’ Contractions – ‘don’t’ ‘isn’t’ ‘you’re’ Colloquialisms – ‘uni’ ‘pretty cool’ ‘enough said’ Deictic language – ‘one of those typical window displays’ Register – direct and friendly address ‘Ha!’ Film critic column – Professional, descriptive verdict Double exclamative – ‘BAFTA’s are coming!!’

Lexical Density: 

Lexical Density 1962 1967 2011 Working out the lexical density of each front page article from the different years, can give us an idea about the tone of the piece. The lexical density of all of the articles are relatively similar, which is probably because they are all essentially the same style of writing aimed at the same audience. The 2011 article appears to be the most lexically dense, suggesting that it is a more sophisticated and complex style of writing, because the author has chosen the words more carefully. Written texts should be 40%+* *( G. E. Perren, and J. L. M. Trim, (1971). Applications of Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.)

Jean Aitchison and Diana M. Lewis : 

Jean Aitchison and Diana M. Lewis When discussing the changes in our media, Jean Aitchison and Diana M. Lewis stated that, ‘The speed of transmission has increased and many more readers/viewers participate both passively and actively’. The way in which technology has changed our media, enables readers to comment and be more actively involved in the process. I am suggesting that one of the reasons that the tone in the 2011 newspaper is less authoritative, and more informal than earlier issues, is because the publication no longer has the same power to criticise without retaliation. By Ellie

Hodgson, F.W. (1984): 

Hodgson, F.W. (1984) There is a division of popular papers aimed at the working class and quality papers like The Guardian, which are much more serious. There is middle ground like the Daily Mail where the two types are mixed in terms of content and social flavour. (p 3-4) Tabloid style – basic vocabulary and colloquialisms to humanise the stories. (p 37) We believe that the Redbrick newspaper would fall in the middle ground as it’s readership is a large number of students, all from different backgrounds. Word choice is important to both types for persuasion and presentation. Words are used to play on reader’s sensations and to give colour and rhythm. The length of words add languor and pace. (p 37) In the Redbrick, the lexical choices reflect the relationship between student writers and student readers. The writer must have an awareness of the reader. (p 37) Hodgson, F.W. (1984). Modern Newspaper Practice. Great Britain: Heinemann.

Dijk, Van Teun (1988): 

Dijk, Van Teun (1988) The degree of formality is dependent on lexical choices. (p 80) Dominant beliefs are expressed. (p 83) The reader needs to understand and also accept the truth that the writer is asserting. (p 83) Truth and plausibility must be conveyed. (p 84) Factual nature from describing, evidence and giving quotes. (p 84) Numbers are used for precision and to sound truthful. (p 87) Because the Redbrick is an informative source, the reader needs to be confident that it is conveying the truth, and these techniques assist the writer in making their stories plausible.

Conclusion: 

Conclusion