REVISION! AQA English Language: B - 24th of June 2011

If anybody has any structures for language change i would appreciate it very much.

I would recommend always looking at lexical changes first. Often they have the biggest scope to elaborate on and can lead into how words are formed (compounding, clipping etc - plus you get ao1 & 2 marks for that). Plus after the lexical choice you tend to notice pragmatics...

after that, it's whatever you notice.

Really it is dependant on the text but I personally would always aim to look at lexis first....

Hope it helps

Grammar and Phonology are the highest markers!! Make sure you find some stuff for them

what for acquisition and change?

I'm fairly good with remembering English Terminology, which is lucky as I've only just started reading through them today. I'm going to make a fairly large mind map, as I'm only focusing on Speech [barely on Reading]. Language Change I find to just learn some terminology for words, and how they change. Also it might be a good idea to brush up on AS [Gender - Lakoff].

For structure, I go by frameworks to make sure I cover EVERYTHING, and so I don't flit backwards and forwards. Grammar, Lexis/Semantics, CDS[if applicable], Graphology [again, if applicable, i.e: Reading question], Discourse and Phonology. I go through these when annotating and make relevant points, you shouldn't try to go through and analyse every line, it's best to make fewer points, with detailed explanations as to why, including contextual factors, etc.

I cannot WAIT to get this exam over with.

yes!!! phonology not so much for language change though, but examiners love them both!

oh and pragmatics!! (my teachers on the exam board)

I got told you get the higher marks for Grammar than anything else, so keep that in mind, too! There's ALWAYS a lot with Grammar as they're young kids

And yeah, I find you can generally combine reading and speech together for one instance. I say just remember the key theorists for each, and the terminology can pretty much be applied to any section.

I'm a bit unsure of Language Change, I always run out of things to say. All I know is you pick out words of importance, look at their connotations [then and now], what they denote, and why that change has occured? Idk but there never seems much to talk about. /shrug. I think 2 and 1/2 hours is a bit of a luxury to be honest!

does anyone have any notes for language change? I had an inadequate teacher and have had to basically teaching myself the whole thing lol -_-

yeah with grammar you can go to town with syntax and morphology ect etc...
as with Language change it's lots of denotations, semantic drifts and neologisms, and how our historical context has given us the vast synonyms we have, I think I'll struggle most with Language Change!

I live near Newcastle Uni, and a few months ago there was an AQA language B conference there for a-level, and the exam board people were there, including the writer of the papers! I mentioned how I'd find it harder to write for contemporary language change, like Late Modern English, and she gave me some notes. Also, some concepts for A02. I can try and write them up if you lot want?