June 2010 FA Cup Final

Text I is an asynchronous article from 1934, in contrast, text J is an article on the popular BBC website. Both texts differ in a variety of different aspects from grammar to lexical choices, I will explore and analyse these differences. Be clear about what synchronous means and why this is relevant.  You need to use the information from the exam question and expand to include a perceptive awareness of context.

Good - you are using a systematic approach - you have a topic sentence.   In terms of graphology, it’s evident Text I is a dated article, I can assume this because the font is old fashioned and hard to read. This would suggest it reflects the old time period in which it was published, which reinforces how language has changed in terms of appearance.  In comparison, Text J has a far clearer font structure with more white space which would suggest it’s a more recently published article due to the technology available. In comparison, text I lacks white space which further makes it difficult to read, I can assume this is due to printing costs at the time; writers would try and cram as much information is as they can, to ensure they are making the most out of the cost to print the article. Good - a nice AO2/3 comment. Technology in text J allows for endless writing with minimal costs, therefore the layout is far easier to read, and nicer to read for the reader. This is a clear representation in contrast between the two articles as it represents how technology allows for changes in language. You could include attitudes of readers today.

Furthermore, text I makes use of certain lexical choices that are not so commonly used in today’s language, for example, spelling ‘tonight’ as ‘to-night’. The use of the hyphen does not tend used in today’s language, therefore this would suggest the article is older as the language does not reflect how we would speak today. Text j does not include old language; therefore it’s easy to identify the contrast in language in terms of the lexical choices. You need to have your lexical/semantic change handout in front of you - use the correct terminology.

Similarly, the texts can be contrasted further through lexis, and also grammar. This can be contrasted through the differentiations in the levels of formality. Text I adopts a higher level of formality than text J appears to do. For example, text I quoted that the team ‘thoroughly’ deserved the victory. The use of the lexical choice ‘thoroughly’ is arguably not so commonly used in today’s language, which represents a clear contrast in the language of both texts in terms of the word choice. You could extend this to include attitudes towards class. Text J appears to take a less formal approach and its more to the point, this is present through its use of elliptical sentence structures for example, ‘but we’ve done everyone proud’. The sharp sentences can represent the spontaneous aspects of the article, and the way language is changing in terms of how we speak and how much we speak. Whereas, text I consists of more complex sentence structures as they are assessing the whole game, rather than text J assessing certain aspects of the game. Here, you could talk about the spontaneous aspects of Text J and what impression the writers are trying to create. 

Furthermore, the two texts use grammar through the use of first person pronouns. However, these pronouns are used in different ways, for example, text j quotes, ‘a slight mistake cost us. But we’ve done everyone proud’. In comparison, text I quotes, ‘I thought they were remarkable’. (this is a third person plural pronoun) Text J represents how in today’s society, people commonly address teams and actions made as one of their own; this is through the use of the plural personal pronoun of ‘us’. Whereas, text I which is an older article doesn’t refer to the teams in the same way, the article makes use of the singular first person pronoun of ‘I’, as well as referring to the team as ‘they’. This creates a sense of separation in text I; however text j represents a level of togetherness and unity in terms of relationships between the teams and the public. This could be due to the influence of technology, for example watching football games on television; this can make the players more recognisable to the public, therefore enabling a more distinctive relationship. A nice comment.

The two texts can further be contrasted in relation to the power of gender. Taking into consideration the context at the time, Text I was published in a time period in which women did not play a significant role in society. This is represented through the absence of women opinions throughout the article; it only contains those of men. Good, you are showing an awareness of Gender. Whereas, text J which was published in present day, was actually written by a woman called Caroline Cheese. This represents how over time, genders have balanced in roles in society, and women are considered more significant and important, than they previously were in the earlier 1900s. In addition to this, the two texts can be contrasted in relation to the names present. Text I consists of common English names such as ‘Gilson’ and ‘Alexander’. Whereas, text J consists of names which are considered less popular, for example, ’Kanu’. The differentiation in names present in the articles represents the influence of other factors such as migration and ethnic diversity. Language in terms of names is changing as we travel through time; foreign individuals in relation to football are having a greater influence and impact than perhaps they did previously. This emphasises the impact of migration and the increasing ethnicity taking place in England.

In conclusion, it’s clear both texts differ in language, from lexical differences to grammar ones. Text J represents an up to date reflection of language, this is heavily due to the influence technology has made. Furthermore, text I is a dated article, which reflects older English, and differs in many different areas from text J, for example in the formality and general layout.  It’s important to further consider the context at both times and the influence that has on the language present also. In your conclusion, discuss why language has changed - through technology, through travel etc...