Technology language:

I have looked at the following piece of text, to study how the language used helps to describe the regarding technology.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24986263

'The system' sounds distanced, maybe to show how technology has developed from where its origins started. It also shows the power that technology consumes over its users - we know the non-standard words and phrases used (its lexical field) without hesitation for a definition.

When talking about its subject of 'Twitter' it uses lexis like 'Tweets' - this termonogly is only suited to people who know and understand about that particular service, meaning many are excluded from the text.

Terms like 'developed' are mentioned this reflects and emphasises the progress of the growing world of technology, so connotations are perceived by the readers (like about similar technologies).

Transcript

A: In the top left corner (3) draw (0.5) a rectangle (3) it has to be portrait (.) land (.) landscape (.) no (.) a portrait rectangle

B: Yeah

A: With a circle on top (.) so like an I (1) a lower case I

B: Okay (0.5)

A: But make sure it’s in blocks

B: Has it got a gap in between the circle and the rectangle?

A: Yep (1) and that’s it (.) yay (laughs)

 

A sense of confusion is portrayed through the half-finished words ‘land’ and repetition of ‘portrait’ – showing how the conversation was present and continuous, discarding the pauses and fillers that create the realistic vibe. However the fluidity of speech highlights the clarity of the subject.

Draft for travel writing (500 words):


Kilimanjaro

I'm here. Home. Finally. After my deadly decent from Kilimanjaro. The air here is somewhat different, more fragrant, more cool, more...appealing and welcome from up in the lairs of the mountain of Kilimanjaro. It splashes at my face - calming my expression instead of lashing at my face, burning me with its bitter charm. But this positive aspect is rudely being interrupted by constant unwanted pondering of thoughts and shivers as I replay fragments of my journey...

It’s my first dreary day and it’s hammering down. The rain feels like glass bullets piercing my soul increasing my lack of reality. Time has no meaning. I feel disorientated, out of control, seeping power to the mountains. Each step I take – I feel instantly weaker, my passion for climbing getting ever more deflated as it gets drained from me and replaced by what feels like a chain of disbelief and a lock preventing me to succeed.  I try to trooper on despite the negativity the weather has unleashed onto me.  But all I can see into the distance are trees, trees and more trees plastered in every direction, gradually decreasing in size due to the mountain perspective. I feel trapped in a maze, each course of action I take I am bounded by the same surroundings – it’s boring, no longer scenic and it’s only the first day of my three day trek! The wind has picked up rapidly (to my honour); it sends strands of my soaking wet hair gushing around in the wind, slapping me in the face every once in a while – for good measure I'm sure… My clothes are steadily disintegrating to my horror; they are torn, muddy and drenched – all qualities you aspire for in clothing that is meant to prevent you from over grown brambles, dirty material and water, at a minimum.  I lower my head, look at the floor and start to ascend the mountain (distances can be deceiving) – I can do this, I know I can!

My necks starts to feel strained, so I lift my head with hesitation and slight pain of motion. However the pain is put aside, when my attention is thrown towards the time of day it is presently. Night. Last time I looked up it was light out – day. I suddenly feel lost, disorientated; I must have got into a strict pattern of thought and action. But how can you be that oblivious to the change in light intensity? I must be dehydrated. I rummage through my rucksack to search for my water bottle but to my dismay its remains unseen. I need to find a water source - anything: a lake, a river, a puddle. Quick. As I abruptly search for water, my newly adapted night vision focuses in on the sky. It’s a calming, tranquil sky, full of colour and hope. It somehow soothes me, I continue to stare at its beauty... Although the sun had already set, gorgeous washed out streaks of purples and pinks remain; however attractive they are they’re being over powered by the ebony black canvas coating the ceiling above, but over staking the colour of the sky are the stars - they shimmer like diamonds, bringing life to the sky and to me.

Draft for my Newspaper Article (500 words): I will add pictures and the correct format on my final piece.

Don’t let the BRIZZLE, drizzle dry out of our region!

‘The accent is degrading and looks like our fellow citizens have not been educated correctly – bringing down the status of the area.’ A private school English teacher strongly states.

Many disagree.

The Bristolian accent is being demolished. Claims that people are frowning upon the “common” words and pronunciations Bristolians today use, has gone viral and has influenced a vast range of people’s opinions on the matter.

Whereas some want to disown the accent others are rather sentimental about its presence, mainly as its origin floods back to our ancestors and our history.  Miss Smith, aged 87 gives us an insight to what she perceives: “I have been around for many years and all through my time, so far, I have been surrounded by the sounds of the Bristolian folk. Whenever I am away from home and hear the sweet sound of the bristolian accent I kindle in the joy – a sense of security and homeliness is created just from the words spoken – oh I do love the feeling of belonging in a community.” A lady of a similar age, who wishes to keep her identity hidden, is part of the opposition; she explains, “There are numerous negative aspects about being tied in to a group – for instance a Bristolian stereotype being that we are badly educated and common. Not everyone fits into the stereotypical category so points made could be offensive and harmful for those ‘seen’ to be part of it."

She continues… “I for one don’t want to be categorised. I'm an individual, not a clone!” Quotes like the previous have started off sparks of rivalry between citizens of Bristol and people from elsewhere.

A recent on-line survey has been completed by a wide sample of people regarding the on-going debate, 500 people took part. The results show - 80% of people believe that the Bristolian accent is an important part of their identity, 15% thought that the accent demoralises their intelligence and 5% say the accent quarrel is pity and pointless.

Apart from the statistics, merchandise shows how the Bristolian accent is ‘mint’ (gorgeous) to the residents of Bristol and for tourists who visit. A well known brand, named ‘Beast’ is a popular business which sells products with Bristolian words/phrases on them, for example – ‘gert lush’. This shows how the Bristolian accent is loved by large amounts of people, recognised and how the accent has become an icon for the city. However this could be seen with negative vision due to the fact that tourists arrive in Bristol probably with hope and false pretences that everyone in Bristol will have a strong accent but this is not the case (the Beast stock could be seen as misleading).

Phrases and words Bristolian’s are ‘seen’ to have, are some of the following: ‘All right me luvver’ (How are you?), Hark at ee (Listen to yourself) and ‘casn’t’ (Can’t you...). Although the definition was placed alongside them, many could have hazarded a guess at what they mean because of the simple structure and similarity to what’s known as ‘proper’ English.

theguardian

 

TECHNOLOGY BLOG

Twitter is twittering its way up to the top…

 

Above is the Twitter logo, which captures our hearts and controls our screens


There is a rise in the amount of Twitter users, more and more people are signing up to join the millions of people who like to post comments about random topics, including their thoughts and feelings. This is due to simple accessibility in which Twitter can be retrieved - through devices like phones or apps like Facebook.

But ‘tweeting’ has bad aspects like the possibility of anonymous viewings, by people who you don’t know because “this is asymmetric, unlike Facebook, which requires you to confirm a friends request before they can see your status updates”.

Although there are numerous bad points about using Twitter, the popularity is growing “There are 100 million active Twitter users.” besides the duration of time spent on Twitter – “50% of these 100 million users log in every day.” This continuous attention means that Twitters popularity and recognition is getting more superior, competing with big companies (for instance ‘Facebook’)  – creating competition between the social networking sites.

 

Travel Writing

Sun, sea, sand. Portugal.  I've just stepped off the plane and immediately I am rummaging through my bag to grab my sun glasses – the sun is scorching yet welcoming even though it’s just beginning to set. The vivid purples and deep pinks are captivating me - making my smile even wider! My ears zone in on the laughter and chatter of holiday goers, they breathe a happy sigh as they realise the crisp view plastered in every direction the eye can see.  I join them for another quick glance before stepping into the refreshingly cool interior of the airport, prior to trying to locate my suitcase (like a needle in a haystack), they must have known the weather would be great, I chuckle to myself, of course it is Portugal! By the time we get to our villa, it is late. The stars are out, shining as bright as ever, like glittering diamonds –even at night Portugal is scenic! As lovely as it is, I can’t wait for the morning, I have my first outfit planned and am ready to hit the beach for banana boating!

The water is cold. *Burr* freezing in fact – such a contrast to the temperature on shore. Swim, I suddenly conjure, that would warm me up but every stroke sends salty water splattering into my face and eyes, partially blinding me. As my blur vision comes to an abrupt end, my sight focuses in on what is upon me. The banana boat. DUN DUN DUN. After we hoist ourselves up onto the boat, the engine roars, sending shivers to my spine – or is that the bitter water... This is it! The boat starts to move in quite a tranquil matter (this banana boating lark is easy), oh its gathering speed... Suddenly we hit a sharp corner, frantically we hold on as the water tempts you to fall in.  

Banana boating is fun; tomorrow I'm thinking water tubing!

THE GUARDIAN

NOTHING IS SOMETHING WHEN IT HAS A DEFINITION!

Talking about nothing. It’s actually harder than one may think, because when are you talking about nothing, even nothing has connotations... empty, boring, plain. So practically speaking ‘nothing’ isn’t actually nothing, is it? See I see you thinking, your scratching your wise old' heads, bums perched on seats gazing at this article in amazement - 'oh yeah' (true) you all chorus together.

                       - that is a variation of the term 'nothing'. Clever. You like? Of course you do! Here’s another nothing - ‘nothing’. The thing is, although nothing isn’t the answer to many things it is a powerful word and has many different language variations, for instance ‘unknown’ – this is crazy as the word means nothing, so why do you have variations of nothings? It beats me.

I took an extract from a Roald Dahl story - 'The Witches'.

"I cannot permit mice in

my hotel, madam," he said to my grand-mother.

"How dare you say that when your rotten hotel is full of

rats anyway!" my grandmother cried.

"Rats!" cried Mr Stringer, going mauve in the face.

"There are no rats in this hotel!"

"I saw one this very morning," my grandmother said. "It

was running down the corridor into the kitchen!"

"That is not true!" cried Mr Stringer.

"You had better get the rat-catcher in at once," my

grandmother said, "before I report you to the Public

Health Authorities. I expect there's rats scuttling all over

the kitchen floor and stealing the food off the shelves

and jumping in and out of the soup!"

"Never!" cried Mr Stringer.

"No wonder my breakfast toast was all nibbled round

the edges this morning," my grandmother went on

relentlessly. "No wonder it had a nasty ratty taste. If

you're not careful, the Health people will be ordering the

entire hotel to be closed before everyone gets typhoid

fever."

"You are not being serious, madam," Mr Stringer said.48

"I was never more serious in my life," my grand-mother

said. "Are you or are you not going to allow my

grandson to keep his white mice in his room?"

The Manager knew when he was beaten. "May I

suggest a compromise, madam?" he said.

I found that unreliable techniques were shown through the use of a fake anecdote that the grandmother uses in this extract "I saw one this very morning," my grandmother said. "It

was running down the corridor into the kitchen!", so I incorporated this into my text. Also I discovered that punctuation was key, in showing deception - the grandmother uses exclamation marks frequently to show this. I used ellipsis to highlight the dishonesty instead. The 'Witches' includes a sentence 'The Manager knew when he was beaten.' this shows how despite the lies, he didn't have the energy or time to argue, this sentences meaning fits into my text so I added something similar...

(Talking to herself in the mirror) I can not believe I'm a millionaire, I'm living the dream... I'm so glad I bought that scratch card . I said to myself, Margaret that card has your name on it, by it girl (smiling ferociously) and I WON, I'm a winner, W, I, N, N, E,R what does that spell (ding-dong, the door bell rings) Winn...

(Margaret opens the door, in her old scruffy clothes before embarking on her proposed shopping spree  for this afternoon)

‘Oh... Hey Julie’

‘Hey Margaret – I was thinking today if your not busy, did you want to raid the charity shops and find some new clothing delights, like we did last week? Before you say no, have you seen that tea stained, threading top you are wearing...  I think its time you bought some new clothes and I know you're broke, so don't worry this shopping trip is on me!’

‘Oh I...’ (she ponders, wondering whether to tell Julie of her new found fortune)

‘Come on treat yourself! I want to help you, it will make me happy, come on you know you want to put a smile on this old girls face?’

I cant lie... but then if I just ‘forget’ to mention that’s not a lie, surely... I'm making her happy if I go (knowing she's beaten she agrees)

‘Sure that will be greeeeat... I'm in desperate need of new clothes’

‘Yay, so I was thinking how about we have a £10 spending cap between us, meddle up some bargains, my treat? I am answering before you can say no , yeah sounds great – you totally saved my savings for food this week’

‘Oh right, thanks... Yeah you totally did... I had a jar full of coppers just waiting to be spent on food, I was really worried that I might have spent it and not have had enough money for the essentials – oh its a hard life...’

‘Just call me your hero from now on!’ (she said beaming)

 

This is a monologue written by Gabriel Davis as a piece of comedy about divorce, its from a play named 'Goodbye Charles'.

I Ate the Divorce Papers Monologue
Comedic female monologue from the play Goodbye Charles
By Gabriel Davis

(Monologist stands in front of her soon to be x-husband)

I ate them. That’s right. I ate the divorce papers, Charles. I ate them with ketchup. And they were good...goooood. You probably want me to get serious about our divorce. The thing is you always called our marriage a joke. So let’s use logic here: If A we never had a serious marriage then B we can’t have a serious divorce. No. We can’t. The whole thing’s a farce, Charles – a farce that tastes good with ketchup.

 

This text has taken a serious situation of divorce and given it a twist of humour through extreme measures (eating divorce papers)… giving it an entertainment factor.

Just from reading this tiny segment from the above monologue, you can tell that Charles wants a divorce whereas she does not; this as readers makes you think about why this is, why they can’t resolve their problems and why they both don’t aspire for the same thing?

You can tell that ‘she’ is angry about their proposed split due to the really short sentence structure –punctuated throughout with full stops – ‘I ate them. That’s right.’ She uses his name ‘Charles’ instead of naming him ‘you’, that you think she would if she wanted to be rude, hurtful and personal, like you would expect, but she still loves him, so saying his name is almost like she is trying to hold on to him, trying to kindle their forgotten love…However she has a backup plan –eating the divorce papers with ketchup – this is put into a humorous context to show how deeply upset she is, how pathetic she could be portrayed as and how she is failing with trying to make their scenario light hearted (light hearted - contrasting with how she really feels).
The way that the text has been written, gives it an almost insane aspect, as she is constantly arguing with herself ‘we can’t have a serious divorce.No.We can’t’ – this has been written to either make her look desperate for him or slightly delusional about how far they have drifted apart.

The audience isn’t really obvious or specific, but due to the clues in title of the monologue, I could hazard a guess that, people who have an interest in comedy, plays or people who can relate are the main target.

I like how the text has been written with a joke aspect and how the writing style connotes him (his jokey personality), their marriage and her behaviour. A list has been used to emphasize her thoughts and to maybe give Charles something to reflect about. 'A farce' has been repeated twice in the same sentence and linked with a dash, I would say that this is because she is showing how everything links back to things being rubbish 'A farce'. However to keep the play light hearted to fit the bill of a comedy (to make the audience to laugh) constant silly lines have been added 'I ate them.' and miss-spelling good 'goooooood'.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/09/10/nations-favourite-biscuit_n_3898188.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-food 

A blog I found fascinating is named ‘Nation’s Favourite Biscuit Revealed – Could It Be Shortbread, Chocolate Digestive Or Custard Cream?’ this screamed out to me as I was skimming through various blogs due to the appealing subject of BISCUITS and the rhetorical question about the proposed revealing of the matter.

I really liked the informal colloquial language used, as it meant the text was legible to understand and therefore to follow -keeping its audience (of anyone with an interest of food?) engaged. I especially liked the play of language in the following ‘It's here. The moment we've all been waiting for - *coughs* - the numbers are in, the ballots are closed and the nation's favourite biscuit is about to be crowned.

And the winner is... the Chocolate Digestive.’

Suspense is continually created, by short sentences (‘It’s here.’), tempting terminology ‘is about’ and use of ellipsis before enlightening us with the result – just to give a realistic vibe (‘*coughs*’) and to give the impression that this question and answer is of a very important affair – this is also highlighted by the imagery formed by the term ‘crowned’, a status of royalty springs to mind. I would use techniques from this blog into mine, because it makes text very captivating, still preserves the informative function but also adds an entertainment purpose, hence the fun read!

An aspect that I can see that may not work for this blog, is in the sentence ‘The moment we’ve all been waiting for’  - for many this is not the case, they may have just read the article with no real intention expect for the love of food, so maybe they cannot relate on this personal level and subject... making them feel distanced to the article... this could jeopardise the target audience of ‘people who like food’ maybe it should be for people who have a proper passion for specific delicacies.   

Immediately, just from glancing at the title, I could guess that this poem is written by someone from America. This is because of the varied dialect from English – they say ‘Potato Chips’ whereas we would say ‘Crisps’.

Something that caught my eye, was the surprising intimate register between the poet and the chip ‘I love it’s funny wrinkles’. I found this interesting due to the contrast between line one and three, line one uses language that sounds as if the subject is petty, minuscule, random by using the word ‘something’ to describe it and then in line three, the poet selects qualities ‘quirks’ that’s admired by them-self - ‘funny wrinkles’. The word ‘funny’ could cause offence unless used in a close friendly format which by the use of ‘love’ (a word with strong connotations) it is – that’s why this poem could cause confusion.

Armstrong and Miller RAF pilots ‘D-Day’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt--2ASTg7k  

This comedy sketch is hilarious due to the words and phrases these two men from a past era use – they use common slang from the present tense like ‘blood’ – this is somewhat ironic because they are unaware that they are going to war where blood will be shed. Another lot of dramatic irony is shown when one of the men say ‘classic’ in a slang format but the definition says otherwise.  You could say that the register is wrong for that period of time but that’s what makes the clip so funny – it makes them stick out like a sore thumb but if we put them in today’s world, they would be unnoticed, apart from their posh accent.

They constantly use similes without intention ‘like that…’ the word ‘like’ meaning to be used as a filler (like today’s dialect) but as a result to their accents, it sounds almost clever, like they are comparing things continually.

The two time genres are constantly being compared and contrasted, for instance, the head officer uses low frequency lexis (formal speech) – using the word ‘chaps’ whereas the two guys repeatedly use non-standard grammar, resulting in the massive speech variety.

Transformation of texts...

Chocolate nests recipe

Ingredients

·         225g/8oz plain chocolate, broken into pieces

·         2 tbsp golden syrup

·         50g/2oz butter

·         75g/3oz cornflakes

·         36 mini chocolate eggs

        Preparation method
     1.  Line a 12-hole fairy cake tin with paper cases. 
       2.  Melt the chocolate, golden syrup and butter in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, (do not let the base of the bowl touch the water). Stir the mixture until smooth.
       3. Remove the bowl from the heat and gently stir in the cornflakes until all of the cereal is coated in the chocolate.
       4. Divide the mixture between the paper cases and press 3 chocolate eggs into the centre of each nest. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour, or until completely set.

      

        TRANSFORMATION...                                                                                                                                                                             

        Susan: Right babe, to make these yummy chocolate cake thingies, you are going to need to get out the grub. 

      Emily: Yeah I'm on it, dude! What was it I need again?

     

      Susan: *Sigh* I can’t believe you don’t remember – you've been trying not to eat the ingredients for the past few days...

Emily: Mate, you know my memory is dodge – I'm like your goldfish ‘Goldie’!

Susan: You are worse than Goldie! Right you need to get out: those gorgeously tasty mini eggs, the Milka chocolate and butter from the fridge, the golden syrup, which you tried to use up on your pancakes and the box of cornflakes on the table – which you must have forgotten to put away!

Emily: Um excuse me those pancakes needed that extra something – it’s not my fault, I'm not the one who makes uber dry pancakes! As for the cornflakes, I left them there because I knew we were going to need them... obviously...

Susan: Obviously...

Emily: Okay, well I have rounded up the stuff – including the equipment you forgot to mention, so what’s next boss?!

Susan:  Aww thinking on your own –I like it! We need to grab those pretty cake cases, shove them into that tin and then melt the ingredients.

Emily: Thinking for myself again! But surely, we don’t melt ALL the ingredients – hello melted cornflake’s, that’s nasty!

Susan: Hahah, no I meant: the chocolate, syrup and butter. Plant it in that bowl over there and put it above the pan of hot water –that I just put on- but don’t drop the bowl in the water and keep stirring it until the mixture isn't bumpy – we don’t want any catastrophes!

Emily: Gee, it’s given me serious arm ache stirring this mixture!

Susan: It’s your gym workout, as you didn't go this week – you left me alone with sweaty Betty! Any ways, move the bowl from the heat and add the cornflakes – make sure they are nice an’ chocolaty! Then scoop the mixture into the cases and plop some eggs on the top!

Emily: OOOO they look so nice! When can we eat them?

Susan: They have to set in the fridge, so, we have to wait an hour! I can’t wait to try them!

Emily: Me neither!

A bit about me

Me.  A single word, containing of just two letters, titles each and every one of us but how can the definition be so different for us all… Although the scientific answer still remains a mystery, the word ‘me’ means the following to myself:

Dear Diary,

Saturday 7th, September, 2013

5:00am

I can’t sleep any longer, I’m just too exhilarated!

6:00am

In just 2 hours I will be in the fields of Forest of Dean, beneath a canopy of vibrant, emerald, green leaves and above the shining, bright, blue lake, doing the high ropes, again…

I love, the perfect perspective of the world below, all matter; all problems seem so tiny from up high in the tawny trees.

I love, the way that the sun reflects the scenic surroundings across the glossy lake.

I love, the way the fresh, crisp air ruffles your hair, as you take a deep, daunting breath and plunge yourself from your current, safe podium, across the forest and just for that moment your flying, your flying on a giant rope swing, releasing your inner monkey.

I love, the idea of an obstacle course up in the air – pure genius…

I love, all out door pursuits from the high ropes, to canoeing, to quad biking – they all posses qualities that give you that excited, yet owner of butterflies fluttering in your stomach feeling…

6:01am

One minute has passed! Only one proxy minute! I’m very impatient and super ready to go and do the high ropes!!! I have had my breakfast, a nice piece of fruit as a starter, followed by a hot buttered piece of toast, finishing with a sausage sandwich and washed down with a glass of fresh orange juice - I like my food and I’m already mentally planning what to have for lunch…

6:02am

Maybe I will watch some television that will pass some time.  Hmm but what to watch?

6:03am

Flickering through the channels, I see NEW GIRL on repeat, I can’t believe I missed an episode, it’s my favorite program.

6:35am

It just finished L But on the positive side, we are leaving now, as it takes an age to get there. Although the journey may drag and I may drive everyone in the car crazy, as I sing the whole way, the knowing that I will be soon be climbing in the trees, keeps my ear to ear smile fixed – the forest of dean awaits and I’m on my way! J

Why I chose this extract…

Spy Society – Robin Benway:

‘Maggie Silver likes her unusual life; travelling the globe with her spy parents, cracking safes, beating the bad guys…what’s not to love?’

Living on the edge, a frequent change of identity, this book has it all. This lively quote reflects the crazy life of Maddie – a teenage spy- whose character is portrayed with a young vibe to suit the teenage audience (i.e. me)!

The long sentence with constant commas, connotates how mad, rushed and different her life is and gives an insight to her world. I chose this extract as it is a so called unique life style, which the majority of people won’t get the chance to live, so it instantly grabs the reader’s attention.

The rhetorical question used at the end of the sentence ‘what’s not to love?’ sends a powerful meaning to the reader, a message about her hidden doubts and about the possible negative side to being a spy – leaving the audience in suspense.

It is an exciting read, which will get the heart pumping and adrenaline rushing...