This Paper 1 practice was written using the
outline created in the carousel activity last week. Our group’s text was ‘Australianism’.
The outline for the Perfect Paper can be found on Managebac (‘12_A_SL_Australianism’).
The
given extract is an introduction to a dictionary of Australian slang, or
Australianisms. This text type can be inferred from the heading in bold and the
first sentence of the passage.
The
language of the text informs us that it was written for an English speaking
audience, thus revealing a cultural context. The explanations of what
Australianisms are in lines 1-2, however, imply that the context of the
dictionary is not necessarily Australia. Thus, the text is unique in that it
may have been a Global Edition of the dictionary. This is also supported by
references throughout the text cementing Australianism within a wider
international context, for e.g. in referencing “other British colonies” (line 18).
The
function of an introduction is usually to engage the reader and begin their
journey through a topic. With the dictionary’s usual function of recording
words and conserving a language in mind, we see that this introduction
specifically does this by allowing the reader to reach a better informed
understanding of the themes behind the conservation of a language. Throughout
this analysis, we will see that this extract uses diction and style to present
its readers with a background on Australianism, focusing on how it differs from
English spoken elsewhere, how Australian English came to be this way, and the potential
issues in dealing with its origins – in order to justify the conservation of ‘Australianism’.
Having
understood the general function and cultural context of the text, we can
proceed to its audience and purpose. The given text appeals to the target
audience using their main purpose of explaining the origins and historical
events associated with Australian English. The central audience is comprised of
people interested in linguistics. This can be gleaned from the wordy nature of
its diction, and the choice of long and complex sentences over more easily
understandable alternatives (e.g. the first sentence in four lines long).
Building
off of this, the central purpose of the text is to introduce the audience to
Australianism, focusing on how it differs from English spoken elsewhere, the
reason for its origins, and the potential issues with identifying said origins.
These main points outline the ‘how’, ‘why’, and ‘so what’ of Australian
English. Doing this adds dimension to the dialect, and allows its conservation
to be better justified.
The
purpose of the text is strongly linked to its content and theme. Throughout the
extract, the text provides the reader with historical and background
information regarding the dictionary; explaining the concept of Australianism
and reasons for the creation of the dictionary. The content of the extract can
be split into three main parts, which tackle the topics in the following order:
how Australian English differs from other English and why; the historical
events that led to the creation of it; and the potential issues with
identifying the origins of Australian English.
Clearly
expressed in this text is the theme of conservation. From the earlier summary
of the content alone, we can see that the author is mainly explaining and
justifying Australian English. This links well with the general function of a
dictionary. This theme would have been useful in engaging readers, since it
presents the readers with reasons why they should read the dictionary, by
making Australian English seem multi-faceted and interesting. Justification in
this manner thus serves the introduction’s function of making people read the
dictionary.
To
support the given extract’s objectives of garnering more readers and
reinforcing the theme of conservation, it uses a pedagogical tone to develop a
formal and scholarly mood. The pedagogical tone is expressed in the many
sentences of high modality which are presented as facts. For example, “Australian
English reflects also the composition of the immigrant population…” (line 16).
Phrases like “Most obviously…” (line 9) also imply to the reader that it is not
in order to refute the statements of the dictionary. Finally, the scholarly
mood is also created through the academic language and use of jargon (e.g. “regional
dialect” in line 18), and the referencing of establish dictionaries like the “Oxford
English Dictionary”.
The
tone and mood of the text validate it and make it more creditable, contributing
to its central purpose of justifying and encouraging the conservation of Australian
English. This is also done using stylistic devices. For example, the earlier
mentioned complex sentences give the author credibility, since they are
well-written and perfectly crafted in terms of grammar. The audience may reason
that someone who can write like that is qualified to make statements about
language. This is thus an appeal to ethos.
The
literary device of distinctio is also used in line 36, with “puncher (as in
bullock puncher)”. This explanation of the original term furthers our argument
that this text was intended for non-Australians, to encourage them to be
interested in Australianisms. Alliteration and repetition is also achieved with
the term “special significance”, which was used twice in the text. This
reiterates the uniqueness of Australian English and the author’s attempts to
promote it.
The absence
of literary devices and the focus on style over literature also functions as an
appeal to logos, since their argument seems more objective and less disputable.
The strong structure of the content also makes the introduction seem more ‘essay-like’
and academic. The only stylization of the text is the heading, ‘Introduction’ (line
1), in bold at the top of the page. With this simplicity the text fits in
better with the scholarly community, by indirectly stating that the content is
what matters, not the outward fanciness or appearance of the text. The style
and structure could thus be concluded to show the thought process behind the
ideals of Australianism.
In
conclusion, we have shown how this extract used diction and style to present
its readers with a background on Australianism - specifically focusing on how
it differs from English spoken elsewhere, how Australian English came to be
this way, and the potential issues in dealing with this - in order to justify
the conservation of Australian English. In all, the text generally achieves its
purpose, since it conveys the theme of conservation by adding richness and
depth to Australian English. With this, readers will see the value of
preserving this language, and hopefully do their best to do so by reading the
dictionary.
