Dialect, Identity and Power

Oswin Rodrigues and Dahlia Shatila

Text 1:
1. The language that the narrator used was very confusing. It was very complex. She has a good rhythm in the choice of her words. Overall the diction is sophisticated. She breaks a few grammar rules by starting sentences with 'and'. The language implied reflects more of auditory, for instance some of her sentences would suit the purpose of a speech rather than a written piece. The text makes us wonder why Paul's songs had "too much power for the little house chores."
2. It is poetic. It also contains rhyming words since he is portrayed as a man who likes 'to sing his heart out'. Also, there are many slang words in his lyric. These slang words seem to suggest that he was a 'common man'.
3. He sings one song as oppose to another because the lyrics convey the kind of lifestyle that he has. The songs that he sings reflect his past (the slavery that he went through "whip my captain") and his present (resetting table legs "hard work ain't greasy").

Text 2:
1. In this passage Morrison is speaking to the reader.
2. The language is complicated. What is the point of saying "it is not without effect.." why not just say 'it is with effect.' Morrison speaks of a language that is similar to the language used in Newsspeak and she is worried that our language is going to reach such an extent.
3. The language, as Paul said, is simultaneously formal and academic. It's creative, poetic and expressive. There's loads of literary devices, especially metaphors ("suit of armor polished to shocking glitter").
4. Language can be stolen in the way that 'Ingsoc' stole words from the vocabulary of the population. Stolen language can restrict the capacity of people to 'express themselves'.

Text 3:
1. We we able to understand all the language.
2. This song reflects the lifestyle of a gangster/hustler . It also talks about the pride and honor of being a rapper.
3. This song was written for people who are fond of the rap genre and therefore, it is marketed to the same people. This is evident through its use of language. People who listen to classical music for example, are not going to be interested in this kind of music. This would be done by the recording and producing company who would determine their main target audience.
4. It goes along with society. This is because today's community listen to rap and hip hop more than they do to country music. So, it is giving people what they want.