Spoken Language Study: Example of an analytical paragraph

 

Second example of an analytical paragraph:

Whilst many are critical of the modifications to standard English that many, particularly young, people make when they speak and communicate online; I contend that these language effects are in fact lively and effective. They are evidence of the speaker’s fluency with their language in the way they demonstrate their ability to bend the rules to achieve new levels of brevity, clarity, expressiveness and social demarcation.

An example of this fluency in action can be seen in the analysis of the humble logogram “gr8”. Not only do users of this technique show a phonic awareness of their language when using the numeral “8” to replace the long form phoneme ‘ate’, but they’re also, arguably, signifying their belonging to a select group of people who are fluent with this language effect. They’re recognising that speed of communication is an imperative in real-time text communication and reducing the keystrokes required to express the word ‘great’, but more subtly they’re also recognising that much of our written language relies on a phonetic awareness of the spoken language – and they’re extending this by adding new homophones to their repertoire.

Posted by Christopher Waugh

“Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth.” (Katherine Mansfield)

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