‘Texts Do Not Exist in Vacuum; They Are to Be Interpreted Within a Particular Context.’

English Language Essay
By Jake Wheeler
‘Texts do not exist in vacuum; they are to be interpreted within a particular context.’
The context is very influential on the style within the text, because it can determine the direction that the conversation moves in, such as how long it is spoken about, the topics which are included and also the formality and respect within it. The style can also be influenced by the way the conversation is spoken such as the grammar used and any slang or informalities spoken and pronounced. This essay will explain how a few different contexts influence a regular text and the way its style is structured.
One of the most noticeable aspects of a piece of transcribed text is the discourse of it, the way a conversation flows and how the speech and the meaning of words relate. People often use words in sentences knowing what they mean when if used singular or out of the present context it would not make sense such as “Like, ya know that time when Jazza did that monster skid and all those wheelies in his Ute mate? That was sick aye.” A lot of these words would not be treated as suitable language in different contexts such as in a job interview or writing an essay for English Language, however if two people are having a chat about how Jazza drove around in his vehicle then it is perfectly fine. However, if something happened while Jazza was doing these tricks, for example if he had died, then I would presume the conversation would go in a completely different direction and the prosodic features would differ with how the topic is spoken about and how it will be expressed.
Another way in which the style of text is influenced by present context is the lexicology of it, the way the text is used; such an example would be the use of ‘internet language’ or ‘SMS language’. It is common for people to create and use abbreviated versions of words like ‘OMG’ for ‘oh my God’ and ‘ROFL’ for ‘rolling on floor laughing’. This is completely acceptable among the majority of people and frequently used, though it is restricted to internet use and text messages. If someone were to use a sentence such as ‘I rekon u shoud hire me bcause im a fntstic wrker’ in a resume then it is highly likely that they will not be seen as presentable or erudite enough for the job and as having lousy reasoning skills as well. They would know what is meant by the unnecessary abbreviations, but would assume that the writer is not sophisticated enough for the job.
Within different contexts and scenarios both the sound patterns we make with our words and our dialects can change. One example of this would be with Bairnsdale Secondary Collages teacher Trung Nguyen. Susan Convey told our class that he can be difficult to understand and that his speech is a problem, this would not be the case if he was in his original country speaking English to another person there, but for our school he is required to speak English more understandably and to say words in a way that would be clear to comprehend. He would be required to change his dialects to a more fathomable pronunciation for it to be appropriate for teaching at this school.
These are just a few examples of how the context of a piece of text or spoken conversations changes under different styles through the formation of the structure and the meaning behind words used and also how a conversation differentiates between situations and the way you would speak under the circumstance surrounding the topic and also the influences on the prosodic, lexical and phonological features.