QUESTION: Linguistic analysis of Text A (Evelyn) and Text C (Jones) The two texts I am analysing are both exerts from diaries. However while text A is from John Evelyn’s personal diary in 1684, text C is a fictional entry from Bridget Jones’ Diary in 1996. This would create a difference in the intended audiences as text A is private and written to be viewed by the author alone, while text C is written to be viewed by a large audience of mainly females. The subject of text A is the freezing of the River Thames in 1684 and the ensuing festival which was held on the ice. The subject of text B is Jones getting prepared for a night out. Text A has a single purpose of being the author’s means of recounting events. However, Text C needs to appear as though describing events whilst attaining its primary purpose of entertaining its audience. Text A is written in the early modern period and shows distinguishing features of the time. Text C shows a clear progression of the English written language to a modern combination of spoken and written features, or the third way as David Crystal has labelled the mixture. The structure of both texts clearly shows the change in the English language between the twp pieces. Text A is written in a linear manner as the author describes events from start to finish in a structured and chronological manner. Text C uses tines to help the reader differentiate between the events and show the progression of the fictional author’s day. Text A is written using one large paragraph, with a heavy use of punctuation. The use of colons and semi-colons would help identify the age of the text as modern texts mainly use them very little if at all, this is shown in text C as they do not appear. Text A also uses many commas which create long complex sentences. Text C although using many commas uses far smaller sentences as the author tries to keep the audience entertained. The lexis also helps show the changing English language. In text A we see a relatively formal manner used throughout, for example we see ‘ladys’, ‘vessels’ and ‘printing presse’ used which indicate the author although writing a private account of events is still using a register which shows them to be educated and is indicative of the time compared to modern day. The mere fact that the author can read and write when the text comes from 200 years before education was compulsory would indicate that the author is probably of wealth and writes as they speak using Standard English. In text C we see a far more informal register being used, for example we see ellipsis in ‘Am going to get weighed’ and abbreviation in ‘approx’. This helps show the third way being used as the author brings in features of spoken English to add informality and shows a more modern form of writing informally. Semantic fields are used in both texts to add continuity. In text A we see a semantic field of religion with ‘judgement’ and ‘perishing’ which would be indicative of the time. In text C we see a semantic field of farming being used as an attempt at humour as the author links women’s daily rituals to the rigours of farming, for example we see ‘harvesting’ and crop spraying’. We see emotive lexis used in both texts. In text A we see lexis which indicates the severity of the freeze with negative connotations in the lexis such as ‘perishing’ and ‘lightning-strock’. In text C we see negative connotations through emotive lexis aimed at creating humour as the fictional author attempts to show her distress at being alone, for example we see ‘panic’ and ‘ruin’. We see far more figurative imagery used in text C than in text A. However, in text A we do see the simile of ‘as if lighting-strock’, which helps give imagery to the text to describe the scene. In text C we see simile also with ‘blind as a bat’ as an attempt at humour. We also see the metaphor of ‘like harvesting and crop-spraying’ as another attempt at humour by likening women’s rituals to farming. The use of hyperbole is also see to help and unite the fictional author with the intended female audience with ‘is it any wonder girls have no confidence’. In text A we see euphemism being used to help the author bring a more appropriate register to the text with ‘lewder places’. In text C we also see the use of reported speech as an attempt at gaining the support of the reader for the main character as she is stood up by a seemingly arrogant man, for example ‘Look Jones’ appears condescending from a man using a surname towards a female. We also see listing used in both texts to help speed the text along and add emphasis, for example in text A we see ‘Bull-baiting, Horse and Coach races, Pupet-plays and interludes’ while in text C we see ‘legs to be waxed, underarms shaved, eyebrows plucked, feet pumiced, skin exfoliated and moisturised’. In text C we see the use of field specific lexis showing the changing English Language as we see the use of corporate speak with ‘presentation’ and ‘spreadsheets’. This also shows lexical change in the form of compounding as two existing words have been placed together to form a new meaning with ‘spreadsheets’. We see many features of archaisms in text A which help indicate the text to be far older than text C. We see archaic elision with ‘twas’ and ‘seem’d’. This may show the author writing in the manner of how the words were spoken at the time as although the author is educated they may not have been taught how to spell. We see other features which could indicate the spelling is reminiscent of speech, for example ‘onely’, ‘skeetes’ and ‘strock’. We also see an extra letters added to the end of many words such ‘printing-presse’. As the text is written after the introduction of the printing press in 1476 and the great vowel shift of the 13th to 15th centuries it is possible that the extra letters show the authors own idiosyncratic style of writing as the standardisation of spelling had already begun. The irregular capitalisation of common nouns would indicate that the author had little knowledge of the grammatical rules of the English language and simply capitalised all important nouns, for example ‘Cattell’ and ‘Ballads’ can be seen. We see the archaic inflection in ‘whilest’ which would further indicate spelling reminiscent of speech. The interchanging of Y and I is common in archaic texts and can be seen in text A with ‘yce’. This is a common feature left over from Middle English showing through this text that the feature had not yet been lost to the English Language over 500 years after it ended. We also see archaic lexis in the text with ‘bacchanalia’ which further shows the author to be learned as they use Latinate lexis to describe what kind of fair they had attended. This may be because of the time of writing being towards the end of the Renaissance and the reinvigoration of Latin culture and language. The use of archaic social views is also evident as the author refers to women as though second class and beneath men with ‘where the people and ladys took a fansy’. The mild taboo used in text C shows the difference in social beliefs as modern women are thought of as equal and able to use language such as ‘bloody’ without being discriminated against. In grammar we see some similarities between the two texts. In both texts we see the use of abstract nouns which help give the text emotion and help give visual images to the author’s words, for example in text A we see ‘humour’ and in text C we see ‘confidence’. We see both text using proper nouns, in text A we see ‘London’ and ‘Thames’ indicating where the events are taking place and in text C we see ‘Daniel Cleaver’ used where the surname takes on its own meaning showing the characters nature of being a cold and inanimate object. However, we see far more uses of descriptive adjectives used in text C to help give visual images to the reader of the characters feelings, for example we see ‘flabby’ and ‘curly’. Text A has no adjectives which could help indicate that adjectives are used in text C to help keep the reader interested as it is a fictional piece. We see the use of dynamic verbs in both texts to indicate the amount of action taking place, for example in text A we see ‘sliding’ and in text C we see ‘plucked’. We see intensifiers used in both text to add extra emphasis and emotion to the texts, for example in text A we see ‘very seas’ and in text C we see ‘even worse’. In text A we see no pronouns as the piece is written for the author’s eyes only and they feel no need to seek any form of solidarity with the reader. However, in text C we see the use of many first person singular pronouns as the character appears to be distance themselves from the reader and attempt to gain feelings of contempt towards Daniel Cleaver as they seem to be lonely, for example ‘I’ is used throughout. Text C also uses the hyper-formal first person pronoun of ‘one’ when regarding the fictional author, this would help the reader gain the knowledge of the characters social status. In text A we see many forms of long complex sentences as is seen in the opening lines, this could indicate the author’s intellect. However, it could also indicate the author’s lack of knowledge regarding grammar and the use of punctuation. In text C we see the use of far more simple sentences, such as ‘he might have bloody well rung again’. These are seen more often in text C to break up the longer sentences forms and to keep the text entertaining. In sentence functions we see the use of declaratives used in both texts to help convey information, for example in text A we see ‘no vessels could stir out, or come in’ and in text C ‘he is on top-level job’. Declaratives are the only forms used in text A which is typical for a diary as the author simply states what has happened. However, in text C we see interrogatives through the use of rhetorical questions with ‘what’s wrong with me?’ These are used to help involve the reader in the story. In text C we also see imperatives in ‘must be complete in oneself as a woman of substance’. This helps give depth to the character as they attempt gaining an emotional link with character and reader.
QUESTION: Linguistic analysis of Text A (Evelyn) and Text C (Jones) The two texts I am analysing are both exerts from diaries. However while text A is from John Evelyn’s personal diary in 1684, text C is a fictional entry from Bridget Jones’ Diary in 1996. This would create a difference in the intended audiences as text A is private and written to be viewed by the author alone, while text C is written to be viewed by a large audience of mainly females. The subject of text A is the freezing of the River Thames in 1684 and the ensuing festival which was held on the ice. The subject of text B is Jones getting prepared for a night out. Text A has a single purpose of being the author’s means of recounting events. However, Text C needs to appear as though describing events whilst attaining its primary purpose of entertaining its audience. Text A is written in the early modern period and shows distinguishing features of the time. Text C shows a clear progression of the English written language to a modern combination of spoken and written features, or the third way as David Crystal has labelled the mixture. The structure of both texts clearly shows the change in the English language between the twp pieces. Text A is written in a linear manner as the author describes events from start to finish in a structured and chronological manner. Text C uses tines to help the reader differentiate between the events and show the progression of the fictional author’s day. Text A is written using one large paragraph, with a heavy use of punctuation. The use of colons and semi-colons would help identify the age of the text as modern texts mainly use them very little if at all, this is shown in text C as they do not appear. Text A also uses many commas which create long complex sentences. Text C although using many commas uses far smaller sentences as the author tries to keep the audience entertained. The lexis also helps show the changing English language. In text A we see a relatively formal manner used throughout, for example we see ‘ladys’, ‘vessels’ and ‘printing presse’ used which indicate the author although writing a private account of events is still using a register which shows them to be educated and is indicative of the time compared to modern day. The mere fact that the author can read and write when the text comes from 200 years before education was compulsory would indicate that the author is probably of wealth and writes as they speak using Standard English. In text C we see a far more informal register being used, for example we see ellipsis in ‘Am going to get weighed’ and abbreviation in ‘approx’. This helps show the third way being used as the author brings in features of spoken English to add informality and shows a more modern form of writing informally. Semantic fields are used in both texts to add continuity. In text A we see a semantic field of religion with ‘judgement’ and ‘perishing’ which would be indicative of the time. In text C we see a semantic field of farming being used as an attempt at humour as the author links women’s daily rituals to the rigours of farming, for example we see ‘harvesting’ and crop spraying’. We see emotive lexis used in both texts. In text A we see lexis which indicates the severity of the freeze with negative connotations in the lexis such as ‘perishing’ and ‘lightning-strock’. In text C we see negative connotations through emotive lexis aimed at creating humour as the fictional author attempts to show her distress at being alone, for example we see ‘panic’ and ‘ruin’. We see far more figurative imagery used in text C than in text A. However, in text A we do see the simile of ‘as if lighting-strock’, which helps give imagery to the text to describe the scene. In text C we see simile also with ‘blind as a bat’ as an attempt at humour. We also see the metaphor of ‘like harvesting and crop-spraying’ as another attempt at humour by likening women’s rituals to farming. The use of hyperbole is also see to help and unite the fictional author with the intended female audience with ‘is it any wonder girls have no confidence’. In text A we see euphemism being used to help the author bring a more appropriate register to the text with ‘lewder places’. In text C we also see the use of reported speech as an attempt at gaining the support of the reader for the main character as she is stood up by a seemingly arrogant man, for example ‘Look Jones’ appears condescending from a man using a surname towards a female. We also see listing used in both texts to help speed the text along and add emphasis, for example in text A we see ‘Bull-baiting, Horse and Coach races, Pupet-plays and interludes’ while in text C we see ‘legs to be waxed, underarms shaved, eyebrows plucked, feet pumiced, skin exfoliated and moisturised’. In text C we see the use of field specific lexis showing the changing English Language as we see the use of corporate speak with ‘presentation’ and ‘spreadsheets’. This also shows lexical change in the form of compounding as two existing words have been placed together to form a new meaning with ‘spreadsheets’. We see many features of archaisms in text A which help indicate the text to be far older than text C. We see archaic elision with ‘twas’ and ‘seem’d’. This may show the author writing in the manner of how the words were spoken at the time as although the author is educated they may not have been taught how to spell. We see other features which could indicate the spelling is reminiscent of speech, for example ‘onely’, ‘skeetes’ and ‘strock’. We also see an extra letters added to the end of many words such ‘printing-presse’. As the text is written after the introduction of the printing press in 1476 and the great vowel shift of the 13th to 15th centuries it is possible that the extra letters show the authors own idiosyncratic style of writing as the standardisation of spelling had already begun. The irregular capitalisation of common nouns would indicate that the author had little knowledge of the grammatical rules of the English language and simply capitalised all important nouns, for example ‘Cattell’ and ‘Ballads’ can be seen. We see the archaic inflection in ‘whilest’ which would further indicate spelling reminiscent of speech. The interchanging of Y and I is common in archaic texts and can be seen in text A with ‘yce’. This is a common feature left over from Middle English showing through this text that the feature had not yet been lost to the English Language over 500 years after it ended. We also see archaic lexis in the text with ‘bacchanalia’ which further shows the author to be learned as they use Latinate lexis to describe what kind of fair they had attended. This may be because of the time of writing being towards the end of the Renaissance and the reinvigoration of Latin culture and language. The use of archaic social views is also evident as the author refers to women as though second class and beneath men with ‘where the people and ladys took a fansy’. The mild taboo used in text C shows the difference in social beliefs as modern women are thought of as equal and able to use language such as ‘bloody’ without being discriminated against. In grammar we see some similarities between the two texts. In both texts we see the use of abstract nouns which help give the text emotion and help give visual images to the author’s words, for example in text A we see ‘humour’ and in text C we see ‘confidence’. We see both text using proper nouns, in text A we see ‘London’ and ‘Thames’ indicating where the events are taking place and in text C we see ‘Daniel Cleaver’ used where the surname takes on its own meaning showing the characters nature of being a cold and inanimate object. However, we see far more uses of descriptive adjectives used in text C to help give visual images to the reader of the characters feelings, for example we see ‘flabby’ and ‘curly’. Text A has no adjectives which could help indicate that adjectives are used in text C to help keep the reader interested as it is a fictional piece. We see the use of dynamic verbs in both texts to indicate the amount of action taking place, for example in text A we see ‘sliding’ and in text C we see ‘plucked’. We see intensifiers used in both text to add extra emphasis and emotion to the texts, for example in text A we see ‘very seas’ and in text C we see ‘even worse’. In text A we see no pronouns as the piece is written for the author’s eyes only and they feel no need to seek any form of solidarity with the reader. However, in text C we see the use of many first person singular pronouns as the character appears to be distance themselves from the reader and attempt to gain feelings of contempt towards Daniel Cleaver as they seem to be lonely, for example ‘I’ is used throughout. Text C also uses the hyper-formal first person pronoun of ‘one’ when regarding the fictional author, this would help the reader gain the knowledge of the characters social status. In text A we see many forms of long complex sentences as is seen in the opening lines, this could indicate the author’s intellect. However, it could also indicate the author’s lack of knowledge regarding grammar and the use of punctuation. In text C we see the use of far more simple sentences, such as ‘he might have bloody well rung again’. These are seen more often in text C to break up the longer sentences forms and to keep the text entertaining. In sentence functions we see the use of declaratives used in both texts to help convey information, for example in text A we see ‘no vessels could stir out, or come in’ and in text C ‘he is on top-level job’. Declaratives are the only forms used in text A which is typical for a diary as the author simply states what has happened. However, in text C we see interrogatives through the use of rhetorical questions with ‘what’s wrong with me?’ These are used to help involve the reader in the story. In text C we also see imperatives in ‘must be complete in oneself as a woman of substance’. This helps give depth to the character as they attempt gaining an emotional link with character and reader.