Psyxwar's EngLang Question Thread

[ealam2]

In the sentence "the girl saw some ducks", would "saw some ducks" be considered a verb phrase that can further be broken down into the verb "saw" and the noun phrase "some ducks", or would I be better off just saying "saw" is a verb phrase and that "some ducks" is a noun phrase?

A verb phrase only consists of verbs. (even though that really contradicts the idea of a phrase having no verbs ) Therefore "saw" is the verb phrase and "some ducks" would be the noun phrase as an object of the verb "saw". Noun phrase consists usually of a determiner + adjective + noun.

Hope that helps and correct me, anyone, if I'm wrong.

[psyxwar]

Hi, just putting it out there that, in 3/4, you do not have any need to memorise the IPA, or really have much knowledge of it. For the more advanced student, perhaps memorising the IPA of certain words could add something extra to an essay when discussing vowel sounds, accents for example. Have a grounded understanding of its function and purpose.

Thanks.

And ealam, that isn't quite right. A VP can be broken into a V and a NP; I'm just curious if it's better to say it's a verb phrase as opposed to a verb phrase and a noun phrase.

[ealam2]

Thanks.

And ealam, that isn't quite right. A VP can be broken into a V and a NP; I'm just curious if it's better to say it's a verb phrase as opposed to a verb phrase and a noun phrase.

Oh sorry then. I didn't know that because our teacher told us otherwise.

[psyxwar]

A question regarding essay structure: if it's an expository essay do I need to follow "TEEL"/ have a topic sentence at the start?

[Random_Acts_of_Kindness]

"TEEL" is simply a model that your teachers have probably been reinforcing to you since you were in Yr 7 and so is quite a primitive way of looking at expository pieces, nonetheless, it is still one of the ways of writing one should you wish to use it.

I am lead to believe that all expository pieces should have a topic sentence at the start of the body paragraphs.

[hardo]

Following what Random_Acts_Of_Kindness said, TEEL as an approach is a good starting point however you can still write a stellar essay with a good topic sentence, some discussion and EXAMPLES. In English Language, whenever you make a point, back it up! Happy to proofread any essays too.

[psyxwar]

Just a few things:

Am I allowed to use "bogan" in an essay? If not, what's a suitable replacement/ how would I describe a bogan delicately?

Is using "cunt" acceptable? I don't particular want to use it but it's too great of an example to let slip by for my essay.

[lzxnl]

cu** would be fine. I always use f*** in that form in my essays and my teacher never complains.

Can't see why bogan isn't ok.

[psyxwar]

cu** would be fine. I always use f*** in that form in my essays and my teacher never complains.

Can't see why bogan isn't ok.

Thanks.

How about in the context of say: "Profanity may have very different connotations depending on the speaker - the term 'cunt' has become one of endearment amongst 'bogans', but in a business context would be seen as offensive and completely inappropriate."

Is it appropriate to use a slang term in an essay like this?

[lzxnl]

For cunt, I wouldn't mention it explicitly, but referring to it is fine.

[hardo]

I used it explicitly in my essay in the exam and got full marks. Obviously I don't know how they took it, but the examiner didn't take offence enough not give a mark. I think as long as whatever you say is relevant (as in, any 'taboo' or slang), go ahead and use it. Don't stay within polite barriers; show them what you know with flair, and don't be afraid to fully engage in linguistic discussion.

[psyxwar]

When using the IPA, what is the difference between square brackets [ ] and forward slashes / /?

I read up on it and it said square brackets enclose entire phonetic transcriptions and that slashes represent a single phoneme, yet this doesn't seem to be consistent with what I see on some internet sites.

[psyxwar]

So I'm reading a book (Moore's The Story of Australian English) and it mentions the following examples as being important sounds that distinguish the Australian accent from other accents.

The /eɪ/ diphthong being mispronounced as in [teɪjəl] -> [taɪjəl]

The /aɪ/ diphthong being mispronounced as in [maɪnər] -> [mɔɪnər]

Now I've never actually heard any of these in real life, and the example is cited from the early 1800s, so I was wondering if these sounds are still important to the Australian accent?

[psyxwar]

Another question:

Can someone explain the difference between phonetics and phonology, and between phones and phonemes?

[lzxnl]

So I'm reading a book (Moore's The Story of Australian English) and it mentions the following examples as being important sounds that distinguish the Australian accent from other accents.

The /eɪ/ diphthong being mispronounced as in [teɪjəl] -> [taɪjəl]

The /aɪ/ diphthong being mispronounced as in [maɪnər] -> [mɔɪnər]

Now I've never actually heard any of these in real life, and the example is cited from the early 1800s, so I was wondering if these sounds are still important to the Australian accent?

I would have thought the /eɪ/ diphthong would have sounded like ɔɪ to be honest, as in g'day moite
I've heard the second one though; some have pronounced "time" like "toime", although that's a fairly Broad pronunciation.
As for the first one, that sounds closer to Received Pronunciation to me; someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Another question:

Can someone explain the difference between phonetics and phonology, and between phones and phonemes?

Phonetics is the study of sound production, but phonology is the study of sounds in different languages. You'd say "Chinese phonology", for instance, to refer to the study of sounds that appear in Chinese languages.

A "phone" is just a unit of sound, without regards to any language's phonology. A "phoneme", however, is the set of sounds that are considered identical in a particular language's phonology. So for instance, the "k" consonant in "skill" and "kill" varies (think about it) but it's considered the same phoneme.