Analyse how
Text A uses language to create meanings and representation
Text A is an online article forum on the website Mumsnet. We can see this
with the use of common online features such as tabs and links. The purpose of
this text is to allow parents to discuss matters, in this case prom, with each
other. This is implied by the ‘note’ at the top which reads ‘this website does
canvass opinion’. The audience of this text would be mums, specifically mums who
have children that are soon to leave school and go to prom. It is also arguable
that these women are also younger, perhaps middle-aged as they are accessing
this technology. The fact this website is ‘by parents for parents’ allows these
mums to relate to one another and therefore perhaps value their opinions more.
We can initially see from the topic of this thread that the first person
display a negative view of proms as she proposes the question ‘Am I being
unreasonable?’ suggesting that the whole text is portraying proms in a negative
way. We can relate this question to its form and purpose as it will generate
discussion and even perhaps arguments. The use of the adjective ‘unreasonable’
also suggests this mum is looking for support as she is almost unsure on
whether her personal opinions are relatable and similar to the other parents
using this site.
Also, in relation to the form we see aspects of language such as the
exclamation ‘aargh!’ and emojis to display emotion that is usually
unrecognisable in normal texts. This hybrid of texts allows more suggested
meanings to be recognised such as that the person ‘woolyideas’ feels very
negatively towards proms. This is later conformed when she poses the question
‘what sane parent would want to pay an entry fee?’. Here, she is directly
questioning these parents in a way that could almost be seen as offensive. We
can also comment on the fact that this is a rhetorical question as it is
probably not intended to be answered directly, although similarly will probably
generate discussion and perhaps contrasting views.
We also see examples of where sociolect is used to almost create
relationships between the parents as they discuss topics that they are likely
to have in common. These are clearly identifiable with the text as they are
usually shown using discourse markers such as ‘back in the day’. This is likely
to create some sort of ‘common ground’ between these people in perhaps a way
that brings humour to this particular text. It also suggests that ‘wollyideas’
feels as if she would like to create perhaps a lighter mood and talk about
things they have in common rather than subjects that generate disagreement, in
this case proms.
Due to its form we also see contrasting opinions between people and
although it mainly has negative connotations some people such as ‘muckycarpet’
have positive views. She says it’s ‘one night they’ll never forget. Don’t be a
grump.’ The use of ‘don’t be a grump’ implies she not only has positive views
but disagrees with the other mums. We can also perhaps suggest that she has
children herself which may be why she relates to them more, this is also
suggested by the name ‘muckycarpet’ which implies she has young children.
Despite this she goes on to say ‘although the helicopter is way OTT!’ reflecting
the agreement of this thread and how she perhaps, like ‘wollyideas’ wants to be
liked within conversation.
Analyse how
Text B uses language to create meanings and representations.
Text B is an online article from the Mirror informing the reader on the
new pressures that boys face to look good for prom. I would say that for this
particular text the audience is likely to be families with children, probably
boys, who will be soon to be facing prom.
We get the impression from reading this article that they display girls
in a negative way. For example, within this girls are described as ‘prom
obsessed’ and there is the repletion of the idea that the boys must ‘keep up’
with the girls. This tentatively suggests that this particular newspaper feels
as if the girls are almost to blame for the growing expenditure and number of
‘image- conscious teenage lads’ as they feel they have to meet the preparation
and standards of the girls.
Due to the form, we see examples of where trusted brands such as
’Debenhams’ are used so that the reader can feel like this is a reliable text
and possibly value its information more. We also see many examples of where
facts and figures are used related to its declarative purpose to inform readers
such as ‘an average of £385’ and ‘25% more.’
We could perhaps identify some irony in relation to the graphology of the
article. A picture of Daniel Craig is used as in the article a quote from a Debenhams
spokesman says that boys are ‘taking inspiration from celebrities, such as
David Beckham and Daniel Craig’. The use of the picture although presenting a
role model, perhaps presents unrealistic expectations for boys to follow and
ironically probably isn’t helping with the increasing number of ‘image
conscious teenage lads’.
Compare and
contrast Text A and Text B, showing ways in which they are
similar and different in their language use.
In both texts we see a variety of views on the topic of prom. We suggest
that Text B, although less opinionated than Text A still tentatively proposes
the idea that it shares negative opinions with the use of ‘promzilla’. We can
also say this is due to the fact it is an article that has been written in
majority by one person whereas Text A, the forum is written by a variety of
people who all carry different backgrounds which will have a profound affect on
the way they use language.
We can also see that both texts are written solely around the topic of
expenditure with Text A discussing ‘entry fees’ and ‘extras’ and Text B purely
discussing men’s suits and other clothes and accessories. In relation to this
we can also highlight the fact that Text A is more directed towards women as it
frequently mentions items such as ‘dresses’ and ‘tiaras’ whereas Text B
mentions thins such as ‘tuxedos’.
Text B is written purely in present tense with the use of ‘are ditching
trainers and T-shirts’. We could perhaps relate this to its declarative,
informative purpose enabling the article to have a strong argument. We can
compare this to Text A which uses a mixture of past and present such as ‘went
to prom’ which are used to compare how proms have evolved and changed since
these mums have been.
Text A uses interrogatives such as ‘who are these parents?’ where as this
is not found in Text B. This is purely again, reflecting the idea that Text A is designed to
generate discussion between parents and is a form of communication and
conversation between parents whereas Text B is simply to read and persuade. Techniques
of persuasion can be seen with the use of interrogatives such as ‘see more
stories you’ll love’ which almost encourages the reader to believe what they
are reading.
Both texts use field specific lexis based around the semantic field of
proms and other kinds of formal occasions. In Text A we see lexis such as ‘photographers’
‘wedding’ ‘party’ and ‘disco’. In Text B more frequently with examples including
‘groomed’ ‘fashion’ ‘glam’ ‘posh’ and ‘limo’ which are all low frequency lexis
and would not expect to be used is everyday conversations.
Both texts also create the idea that the writer/writers are shocked at
this revelation. In Text B a list of things including ‘spray tans’ and ‘eyebrow
threading’ is used possibly to display how in the article they find these more commonly
subjective to girls and see it is unusual that boys are now having this done,
the use of a list also emphasises this. In Text we also see the frequent use of
exclamative syntax such as ‘crazy’ and the abbreviation ‘OTT’.
