The Linguistic Differences in the English Language - Essay Example

English Language: Dis in Action. The first (Text L) is from the Labour Party and is en d “Join Labour” while the second is en d “Get involved” with a subtitle “Join Us”, from the Conservative Party (Text C) . Both texts have a clear purpose in that they are designed as recruitment pages, complete with application forms, which viewers can complete and submit, if they want to sign up for affiliation with the political party in question. From the outset there is an element of persuasion in both texts, which starts with the headings “Join Labour” (Text L) and “Join Us” (Text C) which use simple imperative forms of the verb “join.” There can be no ambiguity in the urge to follow this instruction, but Text C supplements the bare command with the use of the inclusive pronoun “us”, and the supplementary heading “Get involved.” The difference here is one of emphasis, whereby Text L stresses the recognition factor of its party name “Labour” and Text C stresses the element of belonging to a group. The connotations are political for Text L and personal for Text C, which indeed reflects the philosophy of collective and historic activism on the left, and individualism on the right. The most obvious linguistic difference between the two texts is the register of the preliminary introduction . Text L has an informal style, starting with an open question “Do you feel the same way we do about the kind of Britain you want to live in?” The question addresses the reader directly and suggests implicitly that a “yes” response is required. The next paragraph consists of three phrases separated by semi-colons and arranged as if they were a sentence unit. There is no main verb in this unit, however, and so it does not qualify as a proper sentence. This style is reminiscent of spoken language, where less attention is paid to the rules of formal grammar. The intention here is no doubt to make the process of joining the Labour party appear to be a casual, everyday event, which does not require any deep thought or special preparation. These three follow-up phrases make use of the rhetorical device of repetition, in a sequence: “A Britain where there is…; where education is…and where you and your family…” (Text L) This usage is reminiscent of the speech-making techniques of former Labour Leader Tony Blair, whose personal style, no doubt heavily influenced by professional script writers, included many such non-grammatical phrases The informality of Text L continues with a further command, expanding the title of the page and making use of alliteration on the letter “j”: “Join us and be part of our journey.” (Text L). This alliteration, along with the parallel stress pattern on the words “Join us” and “journey,” adds emphasis to the metaphor of a journey, making the joining process sound like something at the same time simple and important. Four phrases beginning with the words “Maybe you…” address possible motivations for joining. In contrast to these four repetitions there is a very brief statement using the contracted form of the verb “We’re asking” instead of the full form “We are asking” which again is reminiscent of spoken language. The overall effect of this appeal to join the party is one of a personal set of questions, with a clear instruction couched in everyday language. In contrast to the brief appeal in Text L, the language of Text C is more formal. It used a further modification of the main title in the phrase “Join us today” and has two further instructions, “Join as a Member” in and then “Join as a friend.” These levels of membership are distinguished by the fact that the former is capitalised while the latter is in normal lower case, suggesting that there is a hierarchy in these two forms, even though the introductory text suggest the opposite: “Both are great ways to show your support, so choose the one that’s right for you.” (Text C). The opening sentence of Text C takes the form of a statement, and the use of the colon to introduce further explain the meaning of the first part of the sentence makes demands on the reader to pay close attention to the written text. The second sentence links two main clauses, linked by the word “so”, without the inclusion of a conjunction, and using the contraction “that’s.” In later paragraphs contracted forms such as “you’ll” and “you’re” are also used. These are features reminiscent of spoken language. Despite these informal touches, the text retains many of the features of formal written language. The layout uses bullet points, with capitalisation, and there are no direct questions to the reader. When the second person is used, this is often with modal verbs, depicting the hypothetical situation that a person will be able to enjoy if/when he or she becomes a member of the party, for example: “you’ll be able to: Decide…Vote… Attend… In addition you’ll receive:…” (Text C). On two occasions complex sentences using “if” clauses are used: “if you wish to do so please contact..” and “If you’re keen to show your support but don’t want to be a full Member, becoming a Friend is the perfect way to join.” (Text C). The second of these two examples inserts a “but” clause between the “if” clause and the final implied “then” clause. This is complex structure which is more suited to written style than spoken style. It requires more attention from the reader, and a relatively high level of English language competence. This contrasts sharply with the simple and informal style of the Labour Party appeal. The use of denotation in Text C is very marked, with no use of figurative language, and very little in the way of rhetorical techniques. The text is matter of fact and business-like, with a complete focus on the process of joining the Conservative Party. The Labour Party text is more imaginative, and although it uses fewer words, it creates a more vivid impression of what the Party believes in, and why membership of that party is important. This reveals a fundamental difference in the two texts. Text C concentrates on the process of joining. It does not attempt to add deeper levels of meaning and does not engage the imagination of thereader. That is why the reference of the text is specific and unambiguous. An important feature of Text C is its tacit assumption that the reader is already familiar with the systems and processes of political party membership in Britain. Reference is made, for example, to “your local Association’s AGM,” (Text C) but there is no indication what exactly this Association is, or what the abbreviation “AGM” refers to. The concept of an Annual General Meeting will be familiar to many middle class and professional people, and to those who are older, but there is a good chance that many readers, such as people whose first language is not English, teenagers, and people who have unskilled working experience or are unemployed, will not have had experience of such an institution. This reveals a hidden bias in the text towards certain desirable applicants for full membership of the party. The instructions for joining as a “friend” are more user-friendly, as indicated by the exaggeration implicit in the phrase “Becoming a Friend is a perfect way to join.” Text L, on the other hand, makes less use of denotative language, and tends towards vagueness. An example of this is found in the phrase “the kind of Britain you want to live in” and “the country’s future.” (Text L) This vagueness is deliberate, because the intention is to include as many people as possible in the vision that the party has for the future. By leaving the details blank, the text encourages readers to supply their own details. This creates a sense of belonging and familiarity which builds on the reader’s own interpretation of what is necessary in British society at the present time. Once this initial inclusive step has been made, the text invites applicants to consider formulaic phrases such as “a health service free at the point of use” and “education is always a priority.” These phrases are snippets from the Labour party’s policy agenda. The latter recalls Tony Blair’s famous slogan “Education, education, education” and encourages the reader to think of the reason why joining the Party is important. This reveals that Text L is a continuation of the Labour Party’s education and outreach programme. The text is not just a practical application form, which people should use when they have already decided to become involved with the party. It is itself a means of persuasion, urging readers to make this particular political choice. In short, therefore, the Labour Party joining page concentrates on why a person should join, in vague and idealistic terms, while the Conservative Party joining page concentrates on how a person should join, and what practical benefits this will bring, and the language of each reflects these different priorities. References Conservative Party Website. (2012) Page entitled “Get Involved”. Available at: http://www.conservatives.com/Get_involved/Join.aspx Labour Party Website. (2012) Page entitled “Join Us.” Available at: https://www.labour.org.uk/join/ Read More