The Journey of Great Courageousness to gain a Recording of a Conversation...

THE FOLLOWING EVENTS ARE TRUE 

                     ...mostly.

It was a beautiful autumn morning, the sun was out and the birds were singing in the trees – and then I arrived, microphone in hand, to harvest the audio of this gentle world.

There! To the north: a gentle throb, the soft whispers of an approaching man. He came into view with a look of shock on his tired face – ‘Microphone’ he mouthed, horrified. I ignored his whimpers and told him to wait; the time would come – not now – but very soon!

The atmosphere was now frosty, not even a snowman could settle his concerns.

It was time to go, I told him, this would not be a sad day.  We boarded our carriage, the number 4 bus, and started our quest to find a conversation. It took many seconds to arrive at our destination; it seemed as though we would never arrive. I almost abandoned any hope of completing this task but then the comforting sound of automated doors filled my ears, I knew... we had arrived!

We stepped out into this metropolis of shops to see the annoyed face of our third amigo. “Why are you late?” he cried with genuine concern.  I gripped him by the shoulder and fell against the bus shelter regaling him with our ordeal on the bus.

He seemed sympathetic to my plight. I looked into his eyes and asked him, “Will you be in my conversation?”

He mopped the sweat from his brow, considering the implications of my proposal. “Yes... Yes, I will.”

I felt the life drain from me. I had fainted with excitement.

<-------<< 10 MINUTES LATER >>------->

I awoke to the sweet smell of fast food. My eyes drifted open and immediately closed again, blinded by a huge white light.

I dragged myself to a seating position, we were sat in a park upon a park bench. Even in my drowsy state, I knew that this was the time - this was where I would get my realistic recording.

I raised the microphone in their directions and then waited - little could prepare me for what then ensued. A plethora of conversation about... about... their favourite films. It was so simple yet so ingenious. The words formed and reformed, their tones shifting and transforming.

A clicking sound.

His hands in front of my face, interrupting me from my euphoria.

"Is that enough?" he asked, non-plussed by the marvel that had just occurred.

"Yes," I said, "Yes, it was perfect."

The quest was complete but the day was not, other tribulations did face us this day: the great money spillage of John Lewis, the thunder storm of surprise and events that can never be read - only experienced. They will all have to wait. All that matters is that I now have a recording.

And as I attempted to play it on my computer, I encountered problems, the file would not convert. The elders of technology were against me. The quest may be over, but an ongoing struggle still remains.

Tune in next week for the next exciting instalment of...

"The Recorder"

Spoken Language

I don't really know what I could do for my Practical Investigation.

I guess that I could do a Gender study because there are a lot of debates about the differences between male and female speech. And it would be interesting to test those. This would basically involve two groups of people, the same age, discussing the same subject, one made up of males and the other females. Then I can do all of the analysis from that. I could also look at the conversations to decide if either gender is better at giving a more succinct view for a more successful line of conversation.

My other idea, is that I could analyse some clips of people from different regions to investigate accent and dialect in a higher detail. This would be under the same conditioning of them talking about the same subject. This, I assume, would allow me to investigate more fully the history of accents and how they have developed. Which would also be quite interesting.

Dictionaries!

The story of the dictionary is truly a fascinating tale. The idea that just over 500 years ago, there were no dictionaries is baffling. Even more baffling is that up until that point no one had even questioned why such a concept hadn't been thought up before. Thank goodness Mulcaster did think up the original concept that became the dictionary, without his pioneering work, I wouldn't be able to correctly spell 'fascinating' earlier in this post.
     But the thing that I would say was the most amazing thing about the history of the dictionary is that it is ever changing. Already the dictionary is so complex due to all of the language change that has occurred since the birth of the English language. That the language will continue to grow and change and distort and become unrecognisable as it is in its present format, is just mind-numbing. Even the dictionary itself is a changing concept. Today, I marvel at the fact that the dictionary wasn't invented sooner, but perhaps in another 500 years another Language student may be researching this same topic and marvel at the fact that we used to have dictionaries in printed and bound books. What about a thousand years in the future... is the dictionary just uploaded into your brain at birth?
     It is just amazing that we as a species have developed so much in what is a relatively small amount of time. That is why I am inclined to agree with the Descriptivists, as language is always going to change, and we must accept that words will never remain the same forever. We have to adapt to the ever changing language, and just go with it. To be Prescriptivist on this subject seems odd. To want the language to remain pure makes no sense when the language that you speak now itself had developed and distorted since its creation already. Language just keeps going, and you have to just live it. It's not like it changes over night, it's a slow change that is easy to follow. That is why Descriptivist is so important, because they just accept that language is changing and they keep up with it.

Different Newspapers - Same Story

The Story: A near miss with a crocodile, that leaped up at a tourist boat.


The Headlines: 
The Daily Mail - Now that’s a holiday snap and a half! Giant crocodile gives tourists a shock as he leaps from water The Sun - That's quite a snap! Incredible jumping crocodile pic The Telegraph - Picture of the day 


Analysis:
The Daily Mail's headline is immediately trying to be humorous as if they count this as just a light piece news. This is also supported by the informal conversational style of the headline. Though as the headline continues it develops to become more descriptive, the use of 'shock' is a great buzz word, ideal at attracting a potential reader. It is also important to acknowledge that until the second sentence their is no real detail on what the story is about.
       The Sun uses a similar style, again applauding the picture in a conversational style. This suggests another laid back and informal style, weirdly the actual subject (ie, the crocodile) isn't mentioned until the subheading. This could be to keep the headline short and sweet, as we are so constantly told is good. The headline here suggests a younger audience with its use of 'pic' and 'snap', abbreviations/popular words trying to appeal to a modern generation, perhaps.
       The Telegraph is very underwhelming, they just see it as another funny picture on the internet and do nothing to sell it in anyway.
       It should be taken into account that any vagueness in the headlines could be due to the large picture attached to all of the articles.


Style/Tone of the Articles:


The style of the Daily Mail's article is on the whole quite laid back. This isn't the most important development in the history of mankind. 'they certainly got their money’s worth' suggests appealing to a more informal audience, so that they feel that it is appropriate to use a spoken phrase in the write up. They also use abbreviation 'crocs' as if we are all familiar with them, this may be an attempt to emulate Steve Irwin. They use the word 'lure' which makes  it sound like the people on the boat are themselves responsible because they lured the crocodile to themselves. At first they use the quotes from the victims for comedic effect and then going to a more serious note to show how shaken the visitors were. The main structure follows as an opening statement which is quite vague leading to a fuller explanation by the fourth. This is then followed by some quotes from a press release and an explanation of these sorts of attacks (obviously the pessimistic side seeping in, the article informs in the penultimate paragraph that people do die because of this).
       The Sun's article is immediately smaller, relegated to just five lines. The article opens immediately with a pun, the same pun in the title, of a snap. Though a less formal term in photography, snap is usually used to describe the biting motion of a crocodile. This paper makes it very clear what happened and where in the first sentence. The sentence gets in all of the key details but also why the incident even happened which was somewhat missing from the Mail's article. The article also points out that this is something that only the friendly crocodiles, of which this one was (it was named after all), do. Also is the obligatory quote, but only from the photographer. The article takes less of a focus on what the situation was like as a whole and just keeps to the narrowness of the photographer only.
       The final article, the telegraph is very concise, keeping all of the important details, in a small block. The article is more formal, not using any abbreviations or modern terminology, just being straight to the book. As this is a picture centric column, the piece immediately goes to the photographer, calling her picture 'amazing'. The article even disagrees with the size of the crocodile. The article goes for more a reaction than a detailed look. The article focusses on the family with the photographer. The article is very patronising to the crocodile (never making him out to be a viscous killer - yeah, I'm not a fan of them, ever since Peter Pan *shudders*).
       The articles change but there are key details that stay throughout, the factors that change the lexical side are mainly to do with target audience and what is acceptable to the reader ship.

Sexism in Advertising

Over the years their has been a change in what society deems as acceptable. This is ever present in the evolution of advertising; the depiction of genders in advertising has had to change considerably. The undermining of some genders in the media still creeps in today, but before actual standards were put in place, anything would be acceptable.


These are the three adverts that I find most shocking:


1 - One - 1 - Un - 1





The advert is for a tinned coffee(?), and is aimed at married women who are scarred of displeasing their husbands. The purpose is to make people want to buy it (not being beaten by your husband and storing the great taste of the coffee are good incentives).


Reason why this shocked me: 
Basically because it's encouraging (or at the very least depicting) domestic abuse as something that happens and is just part of life.


Comments: 
- This advert shows women to be inferior to men, and that they must serve men and face their wrath is ever they make a mistake. Which is pretty extreme, and as an advert, this will probably be in a place where all ages can see it, even children so they too will see this awful message. 
- This ad doesn't even entertain the possibility that a man would buy this product for their wife. The 'you're' has an arrow pointing directly at the woman.It is a 'women's job', that the man isn't expected to do.
- (I know it's early days, but) the advert also doesn't show gay relations, it assumes that the woman will be buying for a man ('he').
- The man is seen to be sitting and relaxing to an extent, but their is no chair for the woman -indicating that he is of higher standing (if you'll pardon the pun) to her.
- 'If you're husband ever finds out' is also an odd phrase, it implies that men and women live completely separate lives within their relationships and that they barely see each other to the extent that they can keep many secrets.


2 - Two - 2 - Deux - 2





This advert encourages people to buy Catsup, it is aimed at no one in particular, but is trying to be inclusive of women.


Reason why this shocked me: 
The way that they show women to be of a lower strength to men. It implies that a women couldn't open a bottle. Huh? Physical strength is clearly all that is required to open a bottle regardless of Gender.


Comments:
- The fact that men are seen to be required in this context, is appalling. That women need a man because of their own inferiority.
- It's quite shocking that the woman seen in this photograph is so happy about this new innovation. It completely embodies the old fashioned mentality of what a woman's role is.
- The woman's hand's are described as 'dainty' as if the idea of a women having muscle or at the very least the strength to open a regular bottle is inconceivable. This is confirmed by the 'women' being highlighted, as if this is major news.
- The question mark shows the stunned nature of all the males. That they can be stunned by such a thing, makes them seem very narrow-minded.


3 - Three - 3 - Trois - 3





This advert is for a mixing-machine, that is aimed at men (from what I've researched so far: "boo!"). The purpose is to convince men to give their wives a gift so that they can be more efficient in the kitchen.


Reason why this shocked me: 
Again, the reason for this was that it encouraged the unfounded stereotypes of women and their role in the family unit and society. 


Comments:
- The fact that it says: 'I'm giving my wife a Kenwood Chef' is so shocking. The word 'giving' connotes a selfless gesture, the gifting of something that will inspire happiness in the receiver.   It gives the idea that a woman of the time would revel in the fact that they had received a mixer for their birthday (other gift giving events are available).
- Of course the main part of this advert is the worst: 'that's what wives are for!' that is so wrong! How can women even function in a society like this where their apparent inferiority is being publicised in all directions. There must come a point where you just accept what you are constantly being told and no longer want to break the reputation.
- The picture is so well shot (for the purposes of the avert). The women with her cooking hat striving to get to the huge heights of her partner. And the man hidden behind the machine but the women in a perfect position to use it. And also they're idealic and colourful universe says a lot about society - "buy are product and you'll be happy! Guaranteed."


This is just really unacceptable. I know it was a different time, but any time where this was allowed to happen unquestioned is just appalling. 

Liverpool Accent/Dialect

1) Influences

The city of Liverpool started as a port town near Lancashire, mainly trading with Ireland. By the 18th century the city was trading on an international scale. This lead to a variety of accents being found there.

2) Origins

The original accent was a hybrid of the local Lancashire accent and the Irish trader's accents. As the port grew and more people were coming there, there were a whole jumble of accents in the city, like Welsh, Dutch, Scandinavian, German and Scottish. These went on to influence the accent further, eventually creating the traditional accent of Liverpool. The accent became known as the 'scouse' accent, possibly because of the, Norwegian, word 'lapskaus', which, in the 19th century, was a meat stew eaten by sailors. This would fit with the city's port roots.

3) Characteristics

The accent is divided with the south side being more lyrical and the north being more gritty. The main aspect of the Liverpool accent is it's rising and falling tones

4) Famous People with the Accent

There have been many famous faces with a scouse accent. In the music industry, perhaps the biggest band of all time, The Beetles. To this day there are still talented musicians from Liverpool, like The Wombats.

And also in TV land, there are people with the Liverpool accent. Like Neil Buchanan a.k.a 'that-man-from-Art Attack'. And the legendary, Paul McGann, the eighth Doctor Who.

5) Map

Merseyside area where the scouse accent originated.

6) Typical Words/Phrases used

Liverpool speakers tend to say 'you' as 'use', say 'me' instead of 'my' and 'Giz' instead of 'give us'. 'made up' is a common phrase used and adopts a different meaning, one of being overjoyed. And 'sound' is used to express being happy/fine: 'I'm sound'.
7) Accent Details

Scouse vowels at times tend to show great exaggeration in words like 'book' whereas the south side would probably use a more RP-style pronunciation. The overall pronunciation of letters is different as well, z and s are used as the same sound also t and d. At the ends of some words k is pronounced like an x. the Irish pronounciation of h is often used in scouse accent.
8) Historical Factors

(I feel like I kind of answered this in 1 & 2)

Language Change

Language's are always changing to accommodate the constant moving of the world. The language spoken today is hugely different from the language used 200 years ago. In some cases, the most common of phrases are outdated by 10 years time.

Some would argue that language should stay the same and remain in it's traditional form, preserved. This would give benefit to other generations who have trouble keeping up with the changes. Though language does need to change, advances in technology and the way we live our lives necessitate the need for new words for these concepts.

I think that language should keep developing, because everyone is living life at the same pace, so they can adapt to the gradual change in language. It's not like it happens overnight.

The most frequent influences on language at the moment will be the ones brought on by popular culture, they have a wider spread and are more likely to be accepted into the mainstream language. Though it would only take one person to start a phrase, to make it part of the language if enough people adopt it.

Modern language is changing all the time, but words can survive if they have a lasting effect. Like smart-phones, a big phrase now, but when the next new type of phone comes along, this will be pushed into the pages of history. If a word has enough of an influence for years to come, then there is no reason why it wouldn't be still around, because people would want to use it.