THE LANGUAGE

ANALYSIS
Presenter: Mrs. Schaaffe - McFarlane

What is the Language

Analysis?

The language analysis is an assessment

of a piece of communication for the use
of language conventions.
For the purpose of your I.A. the specified
pieces of communication are:

A short story
A poem
A drama piece/play

What is the Language

Analysis?

The specified pieces of

communication which will be written
by you the candidate will be
assessed for:

Language Registers
Dialectal Variations
Attitudes to Language
Communicative Behaviours

Requirements

The analysis should not exceed 350 words.

The sample of work must be original.

The analysis should address two (2) of the
language conventions.
A second copy of the reflective piece should
be placed in the appendix of the portfolio.
Additionally, the sections used in the
analysis should be colour coded and a key
provided at the bottom of the page.

Marking Criteria

The language analysis is assessed by the

examiner for:

Content: the analysis of the two elements

selected.
(8 marks)
Expression: clarity and fluency of the analysis
with control of grammar and syntax
(5
marks)
Organization: contains an introduction,
proper development, conclusion and coherence
(5 marks)

The Language
Conventions
Language Registers
Dialectal Variations
Attitudes to Language
Communicative Behaviours

Language Registers

Refer to the kind of English appropriate to a

particular purpose or situation.
They refer to the formality/informality and
tone that are correct for a specific context.
The suitability of a register is dependent on:

The
The
The
The

audience
subject-matter
medium
writers attitude toward the content

Types of Registers

Formal used in formal social settings,

almost always involves the use of S.E.

Casual used in non-formal settings, usually

marked by slangs and ellipses.

Intimate used between people who are

very close, has minimal sentence structure,
ellipsis, non-verbal elements, specialized
words and phrases.

Types of Registers

Consultative used in situations where

the listener is required to give some
form of continuous feedback based on
info provided by the speaker.

Frozen for use in print and public

speeches where no direct response is
expected from the reader or listener.

Dialectal Variation

This refers to the spoken and written

differences in the use of language within
a speech community.

Speech related variation within the

Caribbean may all be located on the
Creole continuum.

Acrol
ect

Mesole
ct

Basile
ct

Dialectal Variation

In commenting on dialectal variation

the student needs to be aware of the
different types of English used and spoken
in the Caribbean. These include:

Foreign English
Radio & Television English
Erudite English
Colloquial English
Rasta English
Profane English

Attitudes to Language

Attitudes to the varieties of English spoken

in the Caribbean result from a number of
factors including historical and social
ones.
Crucial to the attitude one adopts are two
considerations:

The association of Education

Formality and good taste with Standard English
and the question as to whether Creole English
is fitting and appropriate for certain uses.

Attitudes to Language

Positive
Attitudes

Pride
Confidence
Celebration
Acceptance
Approval
Respect
Worth
Trustworthiness

Negative
Attitudes

Contempt
Shame
Ridicule
Disgust
Rejection
Disdain
Scorn
Skepticism

Communicative Behaviours

This refers to communicating

impressions to others without being
aware of doing so (unconscious) and
without even wishing to do so
(inevitable).

Communicative Behaviours

The elements are:

Vocalics
Proxemix
Artifacts
Movement
Chronemics
Our Five Senses

Analyzing a Piece
A Short Story Extract

Tee took longer than usual to get dressed.

Her hand lingered around her puffy nipples
as she slipped on her raffia brassiere and
the tension in her G-string confirmed that her
delicate curves were now fuller. Weeks ago
she had began noticing that every time she
smelled the car fumes at the club she
wanted to puke. Now these changes. At
least Miss D had not noticed. The men who
frequented the Plum Plum Night Club in
Jones Town had only praise for her
increasing voluptuousness.

A wha so? Browning you look sawsy!

Mi say di likkle gal bubbly yu see man she can ride
my boat any time.
The broke-pocket regulars would lust from a distance
or run the occasional rude joke with her. Other patrons
the owners of Bimmers and Escalades also came
to savour the sassy little number from St. Thomas.
Sometimes she would let them buy her drinks and
when she felt like it she would go with them;
sometimes to the back streets and back seats of their
cars, sometimes to their expensive homes in Cherry
Gardens. Conrad always insisted on taking her to a
hotel. At their second conversation when he asked her
why they called her Tee, she told him it was short for
Nefertiti.

Thats a special name for an African Princess, he told

her and from that time she was his special. In his
company, she relished his polished way of speaking to
her and the little gifts he often surprised her with.
Once, after one of their Thursday appointment, he had
given her a genuine Gucci timepiece. He would never
force or rush her like some of the others. Now with
things as they were, she had to tell Conrad. She had
heard he was from a well to do family, had been to
university abroad and now worked with an investment
bank in New Kingston. She had tried to learn more
about him but such attempts always ended in the same
way.

Connie, weve been together now for eight months

and I hardly know anything about you like where you
live or where you work.
Its not about me baby, he remarked without looking at
her. Its all about you princess he assured her as he
got dressed. Later in the Bimmer he told her he had to
travel. No, he did not know how long he would stay away
but sure he would call her as soon as he got back. After
all she knew she was his Thursday Night Special. Sure,
of course he would bring back something for her.
An extract from The Dancing Princess
From Stories my Father Told me and Other Tales
By H. N. McDermott 2000
Pg. 490 493 CAPE Communication Studies

Writing the analysis

Organize your essay by having

An introduction: this can contain a

synopsis of the written piece as well as the
two language conventions to be analyzed.
The body: this should be two paragraphs
at least; one for each convention
The conclusion: this should say how the
conventions identified functioned in the
overall piece.

Writing the Analysis

When analyzing your piece of communication,

you can follow this simple three step process.
1. State the Convention and the specific element
within it that you will be analyzing E.g.
Language Registers Intimate Register
2. Give an example of the element E.g. Alright
Pookie Poo
3. Analyze the element, by looking at its function,
the effect it had, the information it gave etc.
E.g. The use of the specialized term Pookie Poo
serves to highlight the closeness of the
relationship between Ricardo and Sandy.

Analyzing Registers

In the extract from The Dancing Princess the writer

utilizes a number of Language Registers. One such
register is the casual register. Evidence of this is seen
when the patrons said A wha so? Browning you
look sawsy!
Mi say di likkle gal bubbly yu see man she
can ride my boat any time. The patrons use
Jamaican Creole and speak in a casual tone to Tee
because of the type of job she does. Because she is
an exotic dancer, the patrons did not feel that it was
necessary to speak to her in a formal or respectful
manner. Also, the fact that they are likely from the
area, which is an inner city community, means that
they are more likely to speak in Creole.

Analyzing Dialectal
Variation

Throughout the extract, different characters use

a variety of language forms. The acrolectal
variety is used by Conrad when he speaks to
Tee. Its not about me baby and Its all
about you princess. This variety is expected
as Conrad is from a well to do family and is
educated. He uses the acrolect as he is also
trying to impress and assuage Tee and this type
of variation makes him seem more sincere. It is
also in stark contrast to the crude language of
the other men; hence, Tee is led to believe that
she and Conrad are in a relationship.

Analyzing Attitudes to
Language

A positive attitude towards Standard English

is shown by Tee. This is seen where Tee says
about Conrads language that she relished
his polished way of speaking to her.
This shows that Tee takes pleasure in hearing
Conrad speak the Standard English and
prefers this type of language which she
associates with his superior status. This is in
contrast to the other patrons who speak
creole and who she refer to as brokepocket.

Analyzing Communicative
Behaviours

The writer of the extract utilizes the

Communicative behaviours artifacts, movement
and our five senses in the piece. The use of
artifacts is seen in Tees description of the gifts
given to her by Conrad as well as the things he
owns. He gives her a genuine Gucci
timepiece and he drives a Bimmer. He can
also afford to take her to a hotel whenever they
meet. These artifacts serve to strengthen the
idea of Conrad as a rich/well to do man who has
some amount of influence over Tee.