Plan and write a response to the texts I will give you, based on the following question and post to your blogs:

By reference to BOTH texts (J and K) and to ideas from language study, describe and comment on what these texts show about language change over time.

Bear in mind the following helpful prompts when planning:

• What are the comparable factors and how do they help you to explore change?
• How are the techniques suitable for the target audiences of that time and how might audiences of the other time react or what might be changed to suit them?
• What are the significant aspects of each text that are worth commenting on and how can you link those to terminology, theory and context?

When writing up, remember to be tentative, evaluative, to mine the quote and to systematically refer to context.

Text J:
'Mistress' is semantic derogation, and it is a broadened word which now has a negative meaning whereas 'master' still has the strong, positive meaning.

This text is very well written and is spoken in a very formal tone - It has a lot of detail and is very opinionated.

It says that gentlemen are surgeons and solicitors(high professions) and you wouldn't expect a woman to have this job. This is like when we automatically presume that women are nurses when lots of men are too.

Text K

This is spoken in a very informal tone, and the writer Caitlin Morgan is very friendly and interactive with her readers by using 'us' and 'we' a lot.

It says 'Part memoir, part rant' - rant has a negative connotation normally so the reader needs to have some pragmatic awareness like that of Charlie Brooker.

Summarising a language change article

For this task, I have decided to read and analyse ‘Too tired to talk – abbreviations’ which is famous children’s author Michael Rosen talking about the abbreviations of today and how they have developed over time, on his special radio broadcast “Word of Mouth” on BBC Radio 4. 

The article in general isn't seriously considering if we, the pubic, are too lazy to say full words – but it is investigating how we use abbreviations and shortening of words in order to make our language feel more personal to us. In fact, there is actually a quote in which Rosen says “we play with language, perhaps, as a way of making words and phrases feel as if they belong to ‘us’ and not ‘them’.” In this instance, ‘them’ is describing the dictionary and creators of the English language. So by making phrases “belong to them” we are just having no fun or creativity with our language and thus we are just following the language given to us.

He ultimately discusses all of the different types of abbreviations we find these days in different circumstances – whether it be referring to the doctor as ‘doc’ or talking about all of the ‘prezzies’(presents) you received for your birthday. He also speaks about different professions and how they use abbreviations relative to their work and the language they find themselves using on a daily basis. For example, nowadays radio presents are found to say ‘mics’ rather than microphones and ‘intros’ and ‘outros’ which are actually known as introductions and postscripts.

And interestingly, instead of just speaking about the abbreviations and shortened words of today – he went in depth to where this language tactic originally formed and early uses of it. The most interesting find was the word ‘gent’ (gentleman) and how not only it has become an abbreviation – but the meaning of this shortened word has changed over time.

The word "Window"

These are the many uses of the word "Window"

Primary definition

A window is an opening in a wall, door or vehicle that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. E.g. it is a screen through which customers are served in a bank, ticket office, or similar building.

Academic uses

In computing, a window is a visual area containing some kind of user interface, the window decoration. It usually has a rectangular shape that can overlap with the area of other windows. It displays the output of and may allow input to one or more processes.

In medicine, the window period for a test designed to detect a specific disease (particularly infectious disease) is the time between first infection and when the test can reliably detect that infection.

In geography, a tectonic window is a geologic structure formed by erosion or normal faulting on a thrust system.

Past Uses

The window tax was a property tax based on the number of windows in a house. It was a significant social, cultural, and architectural force in England, France and Scotland during the 18th and 19th centuries. (Book Source - The absurdity and injustice of the window tax - M. Humberstone, 1841)

Window Dressing - A strategy used by mutual fund and portfolio managers near the year or quarter end to improve the appearance of the portfolio/fund performance before presenting it to clients or shareholders. To window dress, the fund manager will sell stocks with large losses and purchase high flying stocks near the end of the quarter. (Book Source – Window Dressing: The Principles of "display" - G. L. Timmins, 1831)

Present Uses

Windows - A family of operating systems for personal computers. Windows dominates the personal computer world, running, by some estimates, on 90% of all personal computers.  

In Anne Friedberg’s 2006 book “The Virtual Window: From Alberti to Microsoft”, she claims that “the word window has become a metaphor for a screen” and that a screen has become a substitute for a window.

The phrase "window of time" suggests an opening (hence window) of limited duration during which something can be accomplished. This is commonly seen in football when related to the Transfer Window which is a period of time in which teams can purchase, loan or sell their player(s).

Window Shopping is a term used to describe when someone goes about looking at goods in store windows without buying anything.

“Out the window” is a metaphorical term used commonly used when a lot of work or effort is put into something for ultimately no reason. E.g. “All that work gone out the window because my computer crashed!”

It seems that from looking at the past and present uses of the word “window”, it is clear that the word has always been used very broadly. Whilst always primarily being known as the glass structures you have in your house, it seems to have progressively (since the 1800s) obtained more and more definitions and meanings – and used in an increasing range of manners e.g. Window of Time, Transfer Window etc. and it has even now been used as the brand name for one of the most successful companies of our generation – “Windows”.

PEE Paragraph - "I Want A Cat"

This text, aimed at a young audience, helps the child read it through smoothly with a flow. When reading, we are always looking ahead in the text by a micro-pause and this is helped when Tony Ross uses the word "so" at the end of a line in this segment of his story "I want a cat".
The text reads:
"When the teacher saw her cat suit, he shouted so
loudly, she jumped up on top of the blackboard"
By using the word so at the end of the line in the sentence, the child is helped as they find it hard to read the text, whilst also focusing on going into the next line, but by using the word so - the child is able to elongate it for enough time so that they can read and flow into the next line.
Furthermore, by elongating this word, it helps the imaginative side of the story as you think of him shouting very loud - as you read it like "Sooooo loudly".

Overview and 6 Points

In this transcript between Evie and her grandmother, it seems that Evie is currently in her telegraphic stage, so her grandmother selects aspects of the skills in her zone of proximal development to enhance. Even in this short transcript, Evie displays a frequent use of virtuous errors, so the grandmother uses reinforcement techniques to correct and refine her language.

6 Points:

-         - Vygotsky’s theory of the ‘Zone of Proximal Development’

-          -The use of virtuous errors

-          -Chomsky’s theory of Overgeneralisation

-          -The pronunciation development and phonemic symbols used in the text

-          -Skinner’s theory of using positive and negative reinforcement

-          -Setting the agenda of the conversation (Power)

Evaluation/Conclusion for my investigation

So, upon completing my investigation on comparing the two football magazines ‘Four Four Two’ and ‘Match!’ I feel that I can be very pleased with my successful results as my hypothesis was correct. I had initially predicted that ‘Four Four Two’ would display greater professionalism and would be more serious with the text they used in comparison with the children’s magazine ‘Match!’. I did two different experiments to compare the magazines which both involved comparing individual articles.

Using two example articles from the magazines, I proved that ‘Four Four Two’ was using a much more advanced and higher vocabulary by using a lot more polysyllabic words than ‘Match!’, and also within the texts ‘Four Four Two’ proved to provide the reader with much more in-depth analysis – whether it was providing statistics for a football player, or giving specific details to advertise new sporting attire. From the two articles I quantified polysyllabic words for, there were a total of 160. In contrast, ‘Match!’ only used a mere 31 – so you can see that they have avoided using this technique and instead it appears that their approach was to use big, bright, eye-catching pictures and writing in order to catch their younger readers attention – and due to their readers being younger than that of ‘Four Four Two’, they use much less writing in their articles to avoid boring their audience.

This is what I had presumed would be the case prior to commencing with my investigation, and I have proved that I was right.

Also I managed to successfully apply David Ogilvy’s theory when analysing ‘Match’s’ “Hot Stuff!” merchandise page as they use some blatant advertising techniques to their (presumably) easily persuaded audience of children. They primarily use the bright, attractive images of boots and football’s to sell the products, but also use some text to advertise. Using the title “Hot Stuff!” shows that it’s the best stuff out, that you must have.

So all in all, I have managed to find out what I had originally hoped to discover, how these magazines use different their techniques in order to maintain their target audience, and how you can identify that these two magazines are aimed at different aged readers.

Media Text - How to keep a manager's job in football

How to keep a manager’s job in football

Our exclusive step by step guide of what to do in order to maintain your role as the head man.

In this day and age, it has proved to be a tricky task to take on the role as a 'football manager' – and I don’t just mean playing the video game. No matter how big or small the club may be, you're the creative personality that everyone looks up to like some sort of savior sent down to rescue them from the humiliation of relegation. Since this season's English football leagues have kicked off in mid-august, it would appear that some managers are already hanging on for dear life to maintain their role at the club - so what can improve your odds of staying?

From the 9th of September to the 28th of November - in just the top 4 divisions of English football, there have already been a great 13 managers who've packed their bag – or rather had their bags packed for them. It works out to near enough one manager being fired every 6 days! And it could easily be you next if you don't follow our essential essentialities. So how should you come across to your new side? It's important to prove yourself as the big man at the club, and show your critics that you are the irreplaceable gaffer! Of course, getting results are key in improving your chances too, but one thing that will show the board who they've really hired is a strong, confident man leading their team out every week. And this can all be done simply by the use of the right language. 

It’s important to speak to different people you are working with a certain way, so that you can please all of your critics, and don’t accidentally end up calling your boss ‘mate’. The different people you are required to speak to regularly are:

• The football players that you are managing/other staff you are working with

• The board of directors (aka your bosses)

And of course, who can forget the delight of the press?

So firstly when it comes to dealing with your team, whether it's one of your legendary team talks prior to a match or just simply a training session, it is important to maintain the same way in which you talk to them. The main thing you need to know here is that being assertive with them is what you need to be, if you want them to take you seriously of course. That means no jokes, no pranks, and definitely no slacking off training 30 minutes early to play Fifa! You need to talk strongly to them and use quick, blunt sentences to keep them alert and aware, and you can guarantee there won't be anyone slacking off during your team talk. Just remember, you’re their boss and what you say goes - so make sure everyone knows that you mean business.

So, how are you going to speak the board? The bosses of the club – and the people you fear most in the world? Follow these tips and we’re sure you’ll be getting that new contract and pay rise in no time!

The most important thing you need to remember is, before you go into that conference room, leave all of your slang and ‘cool’ words outside. That means ‘yes’ instead of ‘yeah’, ‘I agree’ instead of ‘init’, and most importantly ALWAYS address them as ‘sir’ – not ‘mate’. Aside from this, a major aspect of getting noticed by them is to tell them what they want to hear. They will want you to make BIG changes on a small budget (preferably even no budget) due to the fact that most of them will choose money over matter, and you are the matter in this case unfortunately, so make sure not to request anything too outrageous! If you go in demanding £100 million to buy Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, the chances are you’ll either be laughed out of it, or just flat-out dismissed (unless that’s what they had in mind of course). And ultimately, our best advice would be to just not waste their time. Make sure when speaking to them not to beat around the bush – tell them your ideas and virtually make them notice you. If you blab on for half an hour non-stop trying to make a simple point – the odds are this won’t go down well with them.  Let them know your ideas upfront and go from there – you generally want to talk long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep it interesting for them.

And finally, how should a new manager like yourself deal with the bugging pests known as the press? The media can be the most difficult team of people to deal with depending on the circumstance. If you've won a match it’s easy enough to give your evaluation, but if you've lost – it can prove to be a dreaded task. So how should you look to im-press?