The Analytical Piece

The Analytical Piece

Keep In Mind





 As you write your second Reflective

piece…You are deliberately putting in

the FOUR elements which you are

required to analyse in the Analytical

piece.

The Four Elements

 Dialectal Variation

 Language Registers

 Communicative Behaviours

 Attitude to Language

Language Register

 Languages have five (5) language registers—five language styles.

registers/styles … the appropriate use of language is a matter of situation. The use of the

…appropriate register depends on the audience, the topic, and the purpose for the

communication





Frozen Register: Pledge of Allegiance, Lord’s Prayer, Preamble to

Constitution. Unchanging, fixed form

(language that remains fixed/unchanged)



Formal/Academic Register: Interviews, academic language in classroom (lectures,

instruction—mini-lessons), public speaking



Consultative Register: Talking to a boss/supervisor/teacher, lawyer, doctor,

Counselor (asking for assistance)



Casual (Informal) Register: Talking with friends, slang (writing drafts should

allow casual before the formal draft because it “gets

the information out” on the paper)



Intimate Register: Language of lovers, sexual harassment (not for public

information)

Register

 Two Major Registers

 Formal – Standard English

 Informal - Creole

Various levels of Creole

Registers

 Also to be included in your discussion

 The impact of the various registers,

how they operate to influence the

following

 Tone, mood

 Class/Social distinction

 Cultural distinction

 Distinguishing relationship

Language Registers

Examples

 Formal – Ex. 1 – Handout

 Ex.. 2

“Gloria! What does this mean?” Mr. King thundered. He

whipped the sheet from the bed and flung it at the

hapless girl, who cowered in the doorway.

“I sorry, sir, ” she stammered. “ De mistress did tell meh

to bring de breakfast come hurry, so ah did leave off

de beds fuh afterwards.” Her trembling hands re-

arranged her ornhi so that it partly hid her face.

“How you get hired to work in this house, I will never

know! You coolies can’t even talk English.”

“Martin, leave the poor child be,” his wife remonstrated,

pulling the girl almost caressingly toward her.” And

please don’t refer to the servants in derogatory terms.

It’s so demeaning, not only to them, but to us as well.

There, child, he means no harm”

As Gloria hurried from the house in tears, Old Vava

muttered under her breath, “ de jumbie goin tek he

one a dese days, ah fos he weeckeed, oui”

Language Registers

 Formal – Mr. King and wife. Use Standard English.

Establishes social/class distinction

 Informal – Gloria- uses a basilectal Indian creole.

“bring .. Come hurry”. Separates her from Upper

class. Distinguish ethnic difference, peculiarity.

 Informal- Mr. King’s language is not strictly SE. He

uses an acrolectal Creole, so that we can also identify

Dialectal Variation in the piece

 A mesolect is a register whose character falls

somewhere between the prestige of the acrolect and

the informality of the basilect

Try to include when you write your

second piece…

 In situations where a creole remains in contact with

the dominant language, a creole continuum can arise

whereby greater contact with the dominant language

will cause decreolisation and the creole will come to

resemble the standard language more.

 The Mesolect is a register whose character falls

somewhere between the prestige of the acrolect and

the informality of the basilect . The term refers to

any of the varieties that fall in the intermediate

ranges

 The Acrolect is the variety of the creole which is

closest to the standard

 The Basilect is the most distinct variety, furthest

from the standard

Jamaican Creole Examples

 Where is it? SE

A wier i de?Mesolect

A we i de? Basilect

 I didn’t eat any

A in nyam non

Mu na bin nyam non

SE to Basilect- The Range

 I told him_ SE

 I tol’ him –Acrolect

 I tol ‘im- Mesolect

 I tell him- Mesolect

 I tell ‘im – Mesolect

 Ah tel ‘im – Mesolect

 Me tel he - Basilect

 Me tel e - Basilect

 Me tel am - Basilect

Communicative Behaviours

 Slap

 Laugh

 Smile

 He flung it at the hapless girl

 Trembling hands arranged the ornhi

so that it partly hid her face

 Pulling the girl caressingly toward her

Attitudes to Language

 Shows intent of the speaker- to insult, to coax,

to denote particular

relationship

 Shows how the speaker views different

registers, and what impression he hopes to

create by his choice of register in any given

context

 May reveal the speaker’s bias/prejudice in

terms of class/age/religion and other cultural

practices etc

 Is very specifically related to the use of

Language

 Is not one character’s attitude toward another

Attitudes to Language

 Example 1- Handout

 Amélie uses the words “White Cockroach”

to insult Antoinette.The word “white’,

though it would normally, in this context,

be used to identify the upper echelon, tales

on here a pejorative meaning. When linked

to the cockroach, it clearly defines

Antoinette as a less than acceptable

person.

Attitudes to Language

 The narrator uses the term “child” in

reference to Amélie Attitudes to

Language ie, perhaps to signify age

and position in the household, but

Antoinette does not accept this and

see nothing child-like in Amélie’s

behaviour.

Attitudes to Language

 Is present when a word that has a

particular accepted meaning is used in to

mean something else.

 E.g. “Yeah right, I believe you!” This would

be used to mean the exact opposite. Even

with the first two words alone, there is

heavy sarcasm which tell the reader that

the speaker does not believe a word that he

is hearing.