[Dolphy]

so our english teacher has given us a written task to do on anything we like.. i have no idea where to start it has to be on language in culture or adverisements. i have no idea what my source should be nor what text type to use can anyone help!! please

[*Waldpoesie*]

Are you taking English A Language and Literature? If so, I can offer a few thoughts. Before looking for a text, I think you should decide what exactly you want to do. Otherwise you will be drifting from one idea to another. Keep in mind that the audience and purpose of the texts are of utmost importance. Which task is it? You should make your post a little more detailed. Best of luck.

[Dolphy]

yes i am taking language and literature. i want to focus on cultural influences on language, the task is in language, not lit. thats as much detail as i have. i am so clueless with all this

[*Waldpoesie*]

Fair enough. The challenging bit is that your samples should be all from English-speaking countries (obviously, given the name of the course ). I believe this is Task 2, which focuses on how language and culture are related. Here are some lines from the syllabus:

"Students are encouraged to consider that a text's meaning is determined by the reader and by the cultural context. The interpretation of a text is dependent on various factors, including:
*the reader and producer's cultural identity or identities
*age
*gender
*social status
*the historical and cultural settings of the text and its production
*aspects of language and translation."

So it might be a good idea to consider one of these? I don't know if it is an option for you but you can work on a news article. (i.e: why is it the way it is - style wise - due to religious views, its audience, etc.) You can as well choose to think about how a particular text would be interpreted by two different readers (e.g: by a conservative or a liberal audience). I think it is also possible to work on a piece of text (advertisements or whichever you prefer) that refers to an ethnic minority, for example. I don't think it is a good idea for me to actually give a topic here, but I hope that helps! Like I said, you should always think about these golden words: purpose, audience and language.

[p.anamarija]

Hey! Just to make sure I am talking about the right thing... You have to write something concerning media & language, not work with a text?

My class wrote written tasks about language/media, so maybe this will help you a bit (: First of all, my teacher had a guide, which listed text types and generally described what you need to take into consideration when writing a WT. I recommend asking yours whether they have sth like that, it proved helpful, especially when filling out the cover and writing the rationale.

I would start off by finding something that interests you and then connecting it to the 'language' part of the assignment. I wrote a magazine article about the use of propaganda in advertisements. I had friends, who wrote about (sorry, I cant remember exactly) language & army recruitment posters, media and the portrayal of vegeterianism, tv shows and americanisation, women in media, the use of swear words... There really are plenty of topics. If you really lack ideas, look into the materials handed out during class, they might provide an interesting topic.

As far as form is concerned, I feel like writing an article or an opinion column are the safest ways to go. At least the majority of students in my class chose these. Another tip, which my teacher gave us, was to think of a real, existing magazine that your article could be put into when writing. This can help narrow down your WT's audience and help you find a style you want to stick to (mine, for example, was semi-casual). I dont remember what other forms are acceptable for the language written task, but they should be listed somewhere... Good luck!

[*Waldpoesie*]

Oh, right! This is what I was confused about. I couldn't quite figure out whether your task was the "creative" or the "essay" one. Good advice

[Dolphy]

thanks sorry i a haven't thanked you guys.. been busy writting the task and writting my extended essay.. fun :/
your advice helped loads!!!!!!!!!! thanks a mill

[plooi]

(Original post by p.anamarija)
Hey! Just to make sure I am talking about the right thing... You have to write something concerning media & language, not work with a text?

My class wrote written tasks about language/media, so maybe this will help you a bit (: First of all, my teacher had a guide, which listed text types and generally described what you need to take into consideration when writing a WT. I recommend asking yours whether they have sth like that, it proved helpful, especially when filling out the cover and writing the rationale.

I would start off by finding something that interests you and then connecting it to the 'language' part of the assignment. I wrote a magazine article about the use of propaganda in advertisements. I had friends, who wrote about (sorry, I cant remember exactly) language & army recruitment posters, media and the portrayal of vegeterianism, tv shows and americanisation, women in media, the use of swear words... There really are plenty of topics. If you really lack ideas, look into the materials handed out during class, they might provide an interesting topic.

As far as form is concerned, I feel like writing an article or an opinion column are the safest ways to go. At least the majority of students in my class chose these. Another tip, which my teacher gave us, was to think of a real, existing magazine that your article could be put into when writing. This can help narrow down your WT's audience and help you find a style you want to stick to (mine, for example, was semi-casual). I dont remember what other forms are acceptable for the language written task, but they should be listed somewhere... Good luck!

Hey I'm writing a magazine article too about same propaganda techniques used in advertisements. I was just wondering if you taught your target audience how to detect them or avoid them or did you have a product and used propaganda to persuade them? I really dont know what to write about :/