Discuss some of the ways in which new technology Essay Example

is typically considered the natural approach as it aligns the discourse structure with the event structure. However, news stories seldom adhere to chronological order and instead possess a intricate time structure.

The text explains that news stories are different from personal narratives in terms of structure and content. The main objective of news stories is to capture the reader's attention and maintain their interest, utilizing techniques like suspense and gossip. William Labov's analysis of personal narratives can help identify these differences. Personal narratives typically consist of six elements, including an abstract, orientation, complicating action, evaluation, resolution, and coda. However, news stories deviate from this structure in various ways, particularly in terms of order and omission. News stories have their own order and specific reasons for including or excluding certain elements. For instance, the lead sentence in a news story may not follow a chronological order or set the scene, instead evaluating events and guiding the story in a specific direction.

There are other features worth noting like lack of cohesion; the use of words like "then," "therefore," "however," and "and"; and there are false endings in stories - often to allow editorial chopping to reduce length without affecting the sense. One of the most noticeable features must surely be the inclusion of texts from elsewhere in the composition of a story. News is produced against the clock; it is not a solo performance but a composite - what Mikhail Bakhtin [1981] calls heteroglossia: the mixing of many voices. This can be in the form of interviews, conferences, speeches, documents, press releases, earlier stories etc.

There are a few noteworthy effects on the use of English resulting from

the evolution of news reporting. According to Bell, news production has transformed into a serialized format, similar to popular television genres like soap operas and sitcoms. Rather than simply summarizing daily events, it now focuses on continuous updates, with TV adopting the practice of hourly bulletins commonly seen in radio broadcasts (Bell, p. 25). The second effect stems from the increased speed of relaying and printing news (W., p. XX).

Carey (Reading C, p.25) describes how the wire services have stripped language of its local, regional, and colloquial elements. They have demanded a more scientific language that strictly denotes facts and controls the connotation of utterance. This statement was originally made about American news, but it can also be applied to a significant extent to British news. However, in the past twenty years, television broadcasting in Britain has popularized regional accents and moved away from the formal BBC received pronunciation.

In conclusion, I have included an article from the Independent on September 8th to demonstrate the influence of news on language's use and form. We can observe some of the deviant features mentioned earlier. Firstly, the title lacks any reference to time and fails to provide an abstract element according to Labov. It does not inform us about the content of the story. Secondly, the lead sentence is evaluative but chronologically inaccurate as the article discusses divorce. Thirdly, there is no resolution in the article, which ends with a point about Mrs Wildenstein's lack of access to the kitchen. Lastly, there is no indication about the likely next event in the proceedings.

The use of commentary in television and radio for recorded and live events is closely related

to news-making. Stephanie Marriot discusses the new contexts in which English has evolved, different from the standard grammatical ones. Previously, written responses and public utterances were carefully considered and assessed before being read or heard. Marriot highlights the use of deictic expressions in TV commentary, such as "I," "you," "this," "that," "here," "there," "now," "then," "today," "yesterday," and "tomorrow." These terms are used by speakers who share a spatio-temporal context.

Sometimes, the speaker describes live action, while other times, the action is prerecorded with added commentary. In most cases, the audience can distinguish between the two. Typically, the commentator is not seen on screen, as in the case of snooker, where they might say "And I think Steve is just checking if that top red will go into the right-hand corner pocket." (Reading D [p. 33]). Marriott describes this new form by using a language that mixes tenses to describe a context that could be a past event known to the audience.

The commentator, Rob Owen from Wembley, describes Gascoigne's action in the present as he dribbles wide of the Moldavian defender. However, he then mentions the miss of the all-important shot in the past. Owen speculates that Gascoigne will receive some ribbing for this mistake, possibly hinting at future events. Commentators have the ability to reflect the mood of the sport they are covering. This can range from a hushed and reverential tone during snooker matches to a wildly hysterical style when covering football games. Welsh rugby commentary tends to be hyperbolically fantastical. Stephanie Marriott, in an interview, uses the nature program "Bird in the nest" to further emphasize these differences. Marriott explains that intonation in

commentary resembles spoken language, with frequent use of "ands" and "thens" to create a lively effect.

In terms of the narrative structure, prescripted commentaries often employ the simple past. Additionally, captions are commonly used in conjunction with the commentary. On the other hand, live commentaries incorporate different tenses and direct address to the audience, creating a sense of intimacy. For instance, phrases like "I'd expect you'd like to know... " or "As you can see... " are frequently used. Moreover, occasionally, we can see the commentator, which further enhances the perception of a genuine conversation taking place. In chapter 2 of the course reader, Sharon Goodman explores the significance of visual English and literacy in late 20th century society.

Texts in English are adopting multiple modes, using a variety of devices to simultaneously communicate different messages to diverse audiences. According to Dondis (1973, p7) and (ch2, p. 42), in today's media landscape, visual elements play a dominant role while verbal components supplement them. Despite this shift towards the iconic, print is still alive and will continue to exist. However, our language-centric culture has noticeably embraced the use of visual communication. In a society driven by consumerism, private companies are under pressure to convince people to purchase their products. Consequently, written and spoken English are combined with both still and moving images in order to inform, entertain, and ultimately persuade.

In the reading titled "A, The semiotic construction of a wine label," it is evident that many of the points mentioned previously can be observed. David Graddol first highlights the transitory quality of numerous texts, as well as how the assortment of signifying mechanisms extends beyond language and visuals

to encompass touch and smell. Labeling is multimodal, targeting various recipients such as retailers and consumers, while conveying a variety of messages. The advent of technology has made it effortless for designers to produce a wide array of fonts, each capable of conveying a particular atmosphere or message.

On my bottle of Chilean red from Tescos, when I rub the picture of the grape with my thumbnail, I can smell the ripe blackcurrants, oak-aged, with their vanilla aroma bottled therein. I look at the name: Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon in 'Caslon 3' font which somehow conveys the mood of the South American new world with a touch of 'just achieved' sophistication. The label is red, hinting once again at a warmth and softness of the wine; the logo and pattern on the label is subtle, a pattern that westerners associate with the Aztecs and Incas.

The remaining details are less romantic as they pertain to the region, date, company name, importing firm, alcohol content, and quantity. The font used is more professional-looking, possibly a smaller version of Times Roman. Currently, we are exploring the field of graphosemantics, which involves not only the content of writing but also its appearance and the connection between the two. The form of letters - fonts - falls under the domain of typography. Many centuries ago, scribes and clerics turned handwriting into a highly individualistic practice.

After the invention of the printing press, typography became more constrained in its range and application. However, this century, with the advent of commercial and private desktop publishers, there has been a significant increase in the possibilities for displaying lettering. When I look at the back

label, an assortment of heteroglossia catches my attention: there is the retailer's barcode, the health warning in a clinical Helvetica font originating from Switzerland in 1957, which seems fitting for this type of text with its German realist roots.

The wine label uses the 'Tojours' font which is suitable for describing the wine and its association with the Mediterranean. The label demonstrates various genres and the connection between visuals and text. Goodman further explores the use of visual alliteration, puns, alphabet iconicity, and the interaction between verbal and visual elements in newspapers, advertising, and cartoons. On the next page, there is an advertisement for Boddington's Gold that heavily incorporates gold color and relies on the shared knowledge and cultural understanding of the Midas narrative.

The advertisement itself has a poetic narrative style, incorporating alliteration and internal rhyme in the initial line. It resembles a quiz genre, divided into three verses. The tone is casual and targeted towards a male audience, using abbreviations like "haven't," "Boddies," and "mates." It directly appeals to the reader and is likely part of a series of similar advertisements. Consequently, this type of advertisement has taken on the characteristics of short stories or serialized content, capturing people's interest as they await the next installment.

The emergence of computer ownership and internet connectivity has brought about a new way of using and shaping the English language. Individuals can easily and quickly experiment with creating their own "advertisements" through desktop publishing. Although they don't produce traditional advertisements, they do so indirectly by designing their own web pages, where they sell themselves as a product.

Like mentioned before, new texts and genres are being pursued in cyberspace. The

process of writing has changed, with authors being able to easily include pictures and graphics, as well as edit and revise texts quickly. Simeon Yates makes a relevant observation about writing with a pen versus writing on a computer screen, emphasizing that both are technological methods. While computers are more complex and fragile than pens, it is not possible to isolate ourselves from technology by reverting to older forms of writing. The manufacturing process of pens and paper also requires sophistication.

The language literacy required to use this "pen" involves coordination, keyboard skills, icon recognition, and mathematical logic. British users are often faced with an English language that is largely influenced by American forms. For example, we use "program" when referring to computers but still use "programme" when talking about TV. Saving texts as ASCII files without realizing the importance of the American Standard Committee for Information Exchange code further exemplifies the influence of American English in the computer world. It is likely that the dominance of the United States in the computer industry will result in the global spread of American English.

Certainly, the language characteristics on the Internet differ from more formal usages of standard English in print. Surveys generally indicate that email texts possess features similar to spoken language. They typically also consist of the same inaccuracies found in spoken language, as the authors do not have time to revise their statements. The author's creation may also contain embedded text, including information generated by the software or from previous texts. Bolter further mentions the new relationship between writers and texts, as each culture and era has its unique economy of writing.

In his book, Bolter

examines the interconnectedness of materials, techniques, genres, and usage in writing. He emphasizes the relationship between materials and techniques, as well as their impact on the genres and usage of writing. Bolter further delves into the concept of distancing between readers and writers through computer-mediated communication. This is particularly intriguing when reflecting on Stephen Fry's experience with the modem and Internet, and how it affected his communication with loved ones.

According to Yates, the ability to communicate at a fast pace but not in real time is advantageous. The distancing aspect has proven useful for him and others who lack personal charm or rhetorical abilities. Online communication enables individuals to manipulate and explore different identities. This process is described by Yates as destabilizing traditional power dynamics, where factors like gender and race are no longer significant. Ironically, typing speed takes precedence in determining who gets to speak first at a conference.