Re-drafting the paragraph

In the transcript proper nouns are used a great number of times especially when the barrister is speaking. The barrister refers to other participants by their names for instance ''..according to you Mr Neil(.) this ill feeling(.)this grudge on Mr Peterson's..''. The use of proper nouns rather than pronouns make the barrister seem more formal and intimidating which presents that he is the powerful participant, as he is holding the power over the conversation. The Barrister also repeats the proper nouns several times, constantly referring to Mr Neil by his name adding tension and making Mr Neil feel under more pressure.''Police have been to see you so many times Mr Neil that you can't remember''. Some people may interpret it as a humorous part, which was used to keep the audience interested whereas some may find it more sarcastic. However it perfectly reflects the unequal encounter which was a part of the courtroom conversation. The role of the instrumental power which barrister holds, is to make Mr Neil feel stressed and uncomfortable which will make him feel forced to tell the truth.

''Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-Stars?''- Jennifer Lawrence

What are the important contextual features of this text?

The context of the text is Jennifer Lawrence responding to the leaked news by expressing her opinion after the Sony incident when she found out she earned significantly less than her male co-star workers. At the beginning, Lawrence presents her uncertainty on the topic of feminism: ''When it comes to the subject of feminism, I've reminded ever so-slightly quiet.'' According to her she does not like when the topic is 'trending' which is the reason she did not speak about feminism before. However after the incident, she finally decided to share her opinion with everyone and stand up for herself as well as other women who may not have equal job opportunities or those who may be treated unfairly. ''I don't think I'm the only woman with this issue. Are we socially conditioned to behave this way?'' The rhetorical question and personal appeal, makes the readers think that due to the stereotypes women are being treated less favourably than men. Therefore Lawrence wants to make everyone aware that they have equal rights and should be treated and respected equally.

Comment on the 'male' and 'female' language features in this text. What is their effect on the reader?

Throughout the text I can detect the mixture of trends of male and female language which are part of Lakoff's ideas of the deficit model. Jennifer Lawrence used several swear words such as f**k and a**hole to express her anger on this issue. However these words may simply belong to her every day speech and be a part of her idiolect. The use of swear words might make some readers think that Lawrence has a lack of politeness and it could result in people starting to dislike her since the way she speaks is not ladylike. According to Lakoff's theory, males swear more than females yet in this case it is very arguable as Lawrence clearly contradicted it. Lawrence did not express any sense of humour whatsoever, which supports Lakoff's idea on the female language. However this could have been done on purpose, because she wanted to get her point across and make it easy to understand for every reader. Therefore this can cause a slight confusion for us readers, as we don't exactly know whether the lack of humour was intended. Lawrence did not use any tag questions, empty adjectives or hedges which presents that she did not entirely followed Lakoff's ideas of female language. This might make readers think that this text was against Lakoff's theory as most of the features were not supported by it. I completely agree with this assumption as most of the Lakoff's female theories have not been covered in this piece.

Do you agree with her conclusion?

I do agree with Lawrence's conclusion, because she stood up for herself and shared her honest opinion with the entire world. ''I'm over trying to find the 'adorable' way to state my opinion and still be likeable! f**k that.''  Lawrence presented her bravery and power by saying that all she wants is to get her point across even if this would mean loosing fans. She also expressed her regret and disappointment with her previous actions.''I'm sure they were commended for being fierce and tactical, while I was busy worrying about coming across as a brat and not getting my fair share''. Rather than being angry at the studio for paying her less, she was angry at herself for not being a tough enough negotiator. The reason why Lawrence used this tough and manly language throughout the text, was to present her anger on treating women unfairly and possibly show her personal change, which is 'fighting' for what she deserves.

Change in accents and dialects

Change in British accents and dialects

The United Kingdom consists of a number of dialects shaped by thousands of years of history and change in generation which had influence the language we speak nowadays. English language which is spoken in Britain is divided into different dialects such as Received Pronunciation, Cockney and Midlands English. Received pronunciation is what foreigners may classify as a standard British accent due to the stereotypes of it being posh. In the past, the received pronunciation was only used by people of a higher status, who wanted to emerge and show the power that they have. Margaret Thatcher transformed from a Lincolnshire accent to sounding like the Duchess of Devonshire, to present her power which she had as the prime minister. This also pertains to other famous people such as David Beckham who has changed his cockney dialect into received pronunciation. The reason for this action could have been influenced by the status of his popularity and importance which has increased over the years. The example of David Beckham shows that nowadays people do change their accent to the received pronunciation whenever they want to sound 'posh' or show others that they come from a higher social class.
Possibly the second most famous British accent is cockney which originates in the East End of London. This accent has a number of features which characterises it and makes it recognisable for people living in other parts of England. One of those features is Th-Fronting: The th in words like think or this is pronounced with a more forward consonant depending on the word: thing becomes “fing,” this becomes “dis,” and mother becomes “muhvah.” The cockney dialect also has its own slang- a type of slang in which words are replaced by other words or phrases they rhyme with, for instance apple and pears- stairs. According to one of the BBC articles and a research which found that a new form of accent is replacing the traditional Cockney in some parts of East End. "The majority of young people of school age are of Bangladeshi origin and this has had tremendous impact on the dialect spoken in the area," said Sue Fox, a research fellow at Queen Mary College, University of London. Accents are influenced by the society, as the society changes the accents change too. Midlands English can be divided into East Midlands and West Midlands, however the most famous of these dialects is Brummie which is Birmingham English. The main feature of Midlands English is
a variety of unusual vocabulary where some East Midlands dialects still feature a variant of the word “thou!”. The dialect changes over the years, as there are new words being introduced however some traditional words and phrases are still in use such as Ay up mi duck- hello there.

Why do dialects change?

Many factors influence different dialects and change the way they are. The main factor is age, because as we grow up we adapt our dialect to suit our age. The difference between generations is an evidence of language change. New words are being created and particular dialects are starting to be recognised by them. Young people play a massive role in dialect development and change, as they share those dialects with others, allowing people to learn something new and perhaps make it their idiolect. People moving all around the country or even abroad, they spread their dialect. However some may also try to fit in by changing their dialect in order to make it more similar to the one used in the particular area/country.

Bibliography:
http://dialectblog.com/british-accents/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22183566
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4171644.stm

The barrister transcript

The genre of this text is a transcript which is a part of a cross-examination in a Scottish court. The use of language and its different techniques makes the transcript more powerful as it allows the receiver understand what the conversation was like in real life, and the relationship which each of the participants shared with one another. The use of proper nouns which are 'Mr. Peterson' and 'Mr. Neil' present that the barrister refers to the participants by their surnames. Referring by the surnames shows the profession of his role and the respect which is shown towards the individuals. Perhaps, they could also be used to clarify who the barrister is talking about and avoid any confusion. There are parts of the dialogue which seem to be prepared and practised beforehand, for instance the majority of barrister's speeches. There is a time limit for the trail to be run. Therefore knowing the speeches helps to fit in the time frame and it also seems as if the barrister is well-prepared. The spontaneous parts of the dialogue are those which were said by Mr. Neil.''Er I accidentally (.) bumped it slightly with er the rear of my car'' is an example of the spontaneous speech. The use of 'er' indicates the long-thinking process which Mr Neil has experienced quite frequently throughout the trail. It could also mean that he was unprepared or unsure of what he was going to say. The brief pauses may suggest the beginning of the new sentence or a short break to take the breath back. The spontaneousness of Mr Neil may make other participants think that not everything that is being said is the truth. ''I was prosecuted (0.5) possibly a week or so later I believe'' This doesn't give us a straight forward answer, as the participant took a longer time to think and the answer which he provided didn't specify the date in which he was prosecuted. Therefore this may suggest that Mr Neil was unprepared as no adequate answer was provided. Barrister seems to be the most powerful participant in the dialogue as he has the control over the dialogue and he is the person who keeps it going. ‘’You can’t remember whether they came to see you or not?’’ is a repetition of a question which was previously asked. The use of repetition may suggest that Mr Neil was lying due to the hesitation whilst replying, therefore the barrister has asked him again. Barrister uses complex questions and sentences, to find out as much as he can about the event that has happened, however Mr Neil’s replies are short and blunt often consisting of ‘no’. This also suggests that the barrister has the most power, as he is the one asking questions and making the dialogue flow. One of barrister’s speeches sounds very interesting just as if he was attempting to introduce a bit of humour into the conversation. ‘’Is that because the police have been to see you so many times Mr Neil that you can’t remember what they were up to see you about one incident (.) as compared to another incident?’’ The emphasis on ‘’so many times Mr Neil’’ might make the receiver think that Mr Neil had been in a similar situation previously.