ENGLISH LANGUAGE (20-21)
Topic outline
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Content in this section is applicable for Paper 2, Question 2. This exam question is worth 24 marks and is assessed equally on AO2 and AO3.
AO2 - Demonstrate critical understanding of concepts and issues relevant to language use.
AO3 - Analyse and evaluate how contextual factors and language features are associated with the construction of meaning.
Question: Using your understanding of relevant ideas and concepts, investigate how language features and contextual factors construct meanings in this text.
Hint: For this question, you need to focus on the representation of certain groups, organisations and individuals. You need to consider concepts such as power, humour, gender, rhetoric, technology, etc and how bias, ideology and agenda shape the text.
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Click on the 'Useful Reading for Language and the Media' icon to find the following:-
Chapter by Alison Ross, from the excellent book of essays 'Language - Student Handbook on Key Topics and Theories' (EMC, Various Authors), full of interesting ideas relating to the concept of representation.
'Language and Power Book Theories' is a chapter from 'Language and Power' (Cambridge University Press) by Gary Ives and Raj Rana, running through the main power theories such as influential and instrumental power.
'Language and Power Book Journalism' is a chapter from 'Language and Power' (Cambridge University Press) looking at how subtle and not-so-subtle bias is to be found in newspapers and the media.
'Language and Gender Book Representation' s a chapter from 'Language and Gender' (Cambridge University Press) by Felicity Titjen running through various theories, including the excellent Social Actor Theory and Halliday's metafunction (material and process verbs etc)
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Short multi-choice answers on the first text in the nthology of Newspaper Columns
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A 'working glossary' of some of the media terms and theory that you have studied. The text used as an example is from the text book, pages 173 onwards, relating to the London riots of 2011.
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Short introductory video to a lesson on Language and the media. You will need the textbook, pages 173 onwards, as well as the 'Language and Media Working Glossary'. You can answer the questions on page 176, in relation to text H, on file paper, or you can fill out the blank column in the working glossary, or both.
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Language and the Media Theory Glossary
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Key theories linked to power that will be useful for your 'Writing on a topical language issue' and 'Language in the Media' exam questions.