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March 29, 2024, 06:48:34 am

Author Topic: VCE English Language Question Thread  (Read 151436 times)  Share 

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RubyH

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Re: English Language Question Thread
« Reply #45 on: September 05, 2017, 11:07:32 am »
+1
This is my first anything so I don't even know if I'll get an answer but anyway...
My school has a problem with english language, well actually it's not even the school it's just the principal. I've worked my arse off to try and get it to go ahead (rounding up students and getting support from teachers, the head of english is all for it), but the other day I was talking to my principal around the school and he said 'I can't understand why you want to do it and why you're trying so hard to make it go ahead.' I'm very annoyed and stressed because I don't think it will go ahead and I don't think I could get a decent score in standard english. The decision lies with him but he doesn't believe that anyone would get a good score in it because we're not a top school. It went ahead in past years and been fine but they refuse to run it anymore because a group of students one year treated it as a complete bludge.
My older sister does english language at another school and absolutely loves it. I have a general idea of what it's about but could someone please tell me more about the subject? I understand that it can be quite hard but the students I rounded up are more than capable. Can you tell me all the good things about it so that I can use them against my principal? :)
Thanks, Ruby
Year 10 

Joseph41

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Re: English Language Question Thread
« Reply #46 on: September 05, 2017, 12:18:34 pm »
+4
This is my first anything so I don't even know if I'll get an answer but anyway...
My school has a problem with english language, well actually it's not even the school it's just the principal. I've worked my arse off to try and get it to go ahead (rounding up students and getting support from teachers, the head of english is all for it), but the other day I was talking to my principal around the school and he said 'I can't understand why you want to do it and why you're trying so hard to make it go ahead.' I'm very annoyed and stressed because I don't think it will go ahead and I don't think I could get a decent score in standard english. The decision lies with him but he doesn't believe that anyone would get a good score in it because we're not a top school. It went ahead in past years and been fine but they refuse to run it anymore because a group of students one year treated it as a complete bludge.
My older sister does english language at another school and absolutely loves it. I have a general idea of what it's about but could someone please tell me more about the subject? I understand that it can be quite hard but the students I rounded up are more than capable. Can you tell me all the good things about it so that I can use them against my principal? :)
Thanks, Ruby
Year 10 

Hey Ruby,

Welcome to ATAR Notes! Great to have you here. :)

That sucks about your situation. I think it's pretty common; a lot of schools are hesitant toward EngLang (and Lit). :-\

How many students do you have who are interested at the moment? I really applaud you for working hard for it.

Regarding what English Language actually is, here's a brief overview. For context, I went through English Language 1/2 and 3/4, and then went on to major in Linguistics at uni. The reason I say that is that English Language should really be called Linguistics, because that's what it is. For that reason, English Language is, perhaps, the most relevant subject of them all; language is all around us every single day.

English Language Units 1/2 (Year 11)
Unit 1
In Unit 1 AOS 1, you consider that nature of language, and what differentiates human communication systems from those of other animals. You look at how language results in meaning (super interesting IMO), how language is used for different purposes and in different ways (such as spoken, written, or signed), and how context impacts our language choices. You'll also be introduced to some "metalanguage" (language we use to talk about language): terms like morpheme and lexeme. This type of metalanguage is really important (particularly if you go on to study Linguistics), and is excellent if ever you want to teach English.

In Unit 1 AOS 2, the focus is mostly on language acquisition; that is, how we develop language proficiency. There are stages of child language acquisition, which you'll consider in some depth (again, super interesting). Development can vary between "subsystems" of language, too (basically, the five main areas of language) - and you'll learn about this in terms of phonology, morphology, lexicology, syntax and semantics. There'll further be discussion centred on differences between learning language as a child and an adult, and also differences between monolingualism, bilingualism and multi-lingualism. In an ever-globalised world, this last point is surely of particular importance.

Unit 2
IMO Unit 2 is absolutely fascinating. There's a big emphasis here on the nature of language change, and how English has developed as a language over time. In AOS 1, you look at the development of the language from Old English to contemporary English. This includes things like why the language changed, and what influence it's had on us as citizens. There's also a section on the relationship between English and other languages, and how they may have diverted from the same roots in the past. Further, there's a bunch of stuff on the concept of "Standard English" (very important in Linguistics), plus attitudes toward language, word addition and word loss.

Unit 2 AOS 2 sees more of a focus on the impact of language contact; that is, when languages "collide". Particularly relevant is how English is becoming one of if not the world's most dominant language, and the impact that that will have on us. You will also consider how new languages are formed, including pidgins and creoles. The relationship between language and culture is also considered, which, as you can imagine, is pretty important in today's world.

English Language Units 3/4 (Year 12)
Unit 3
Unit 3 is split in halves, with those halves basically considering informal and formal language. AOS 1 looks at informal language, including key characteristics, the impact of context, stylistic features, and how and why informal language is used.

AOS 2 is essentially the same, but for formal language.

Unit 4
Unit 4 AOS 1 looks more at language variation within the Australian context, including variation along geographical, national, regional and cultural axes. Standard and non-Standard English is again important, and you also consider the nature of accents.

Finally, Unit 4 AOS 2 considers the inherently intertwined (at least IMO) relationship between language and identities: both individual and group. Language variation is again a factor, this time due to personal factors (age, gender, occupation, interests, aspirations, education etc.). The concept of prestige also arises.

P.S. You can find a lot of this information in the English Language study design. :) Please keep us updated with how you get on; I'm really passionate about this!

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EulerFan102

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Re: English Language Question Thread
« Reply #47 on: September 05, 2017, 12:36:02 pm »
+4
[ dang J41, you beat me to it, but I'll just post my response anyway... :P ]

Hey Ruby!
First of all, welcome to the forums :)

Yeah, English Language seems to have a tough time getting into some schools. At my school, it had only been done for a year or two before I did it, and it only got into the school because there was one teacher who was very passionate about spreading the joys of EngLang.

First of all, I applaud you for the effort you've put in thus far. I think EngLang is a really awesome subject, and definitely worth doing. It seems crazy that your principal is against it, especially since you've got the support from students and teachers. Surely the principal of a school should be encouraging passion and enthusiasm for learning. And it's strange that he doesn't think that you'll get a high score, because (a) he should really be supportive and trying to raise his students up, and (b) surely the effort you've put in simply trying to do the subject is very reflective of the effort you'll put in actually studying the subject.

... could someone please tell me more about the subject? I understand that it can be quite hard but the students I rounded up are more than capable.
I was going to write a long spiel but Joseph41's done a beautiful job  ;D

What I will say is that, in my opinion, EngLang is a really powerful subject, and can change the way you look at language. Obviously we use English every day, and studying EngLang (and now linguistics at uni) has made me super aware of all the fascinating uses of language that I see and hear everyday. And besides that, EngLang is just a really fun subject  :D

Best of luck!  ;D

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Re: English Language Question Thread
« Reply #48 on: September 05, 2017, 06:07:38 pm »
+4

This is my first anything so I don't even know if I'll get an answer but anyway...
My school has a problem with english language, well actually it's not even the school it's just the principal. I've worked my arse off to try and get it to go ahead (rounding up students and getting support from teachers, the head of english is all for it), but the other day I was talking to my principal around the school and he said 'I can't understand why you want to do it and why you're trying so hard to make it go ahead.' I'm very annoyed and stressed because I don't think it will go ahead and I don't think I could get a decent score in standard english. The decision lies with him but he doesn't believe that anyone would get a good score in it because we're not a top school. It went ahead in past years and been fine but they refuse to run it anymore because a group of students one year treated it as a complete bludge.
My older sister does english language at another school and absolutely loves it. I have a general idea of what it's about but could someone please tell me more about the subject? I understand that it can be quite hard but the students I rounded up are more than capable. Can you tell me all the good things about it so that I can use them against my principal? :)
Thanks, Ruby
Year 10

My school doesn't run it so I'm doing it by distance ed (it took me a year to convince them to let me but now I'm studying the subject I want). If you really want to do eng Lang, consider distance ed if your school won't run it. Distance isn't easy, but I don't regret my decision and if you're as self motivated as you seem I don't think you would either.

RubyH

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Re: English Language Question Thread
« Reply #49 on: September 06, 2017, 09:36:23 am »
+3
First of all, thankyou all so much for replying!!!
This subject sounds amazing and your comments make it even better.

I have rounded up 14, not many but they said we need 12 to have a class... now they're saying it's not based on numbers. I could tear someones head of for this because I actually worked up the guts to send an email to the 200 kids in my year level saying 'hey there's this magical subject they don't tell you about. We should all do it!' We got 14 because our school has this stupid rule that you have to do standard english with english language to help us with pr grammar. Proof that my principal has no idea what we normally do in english. I am an exception because I do french, as well as a few others. I had about 20 replies from people who said they would do it if they didn't have to do 2 englishes. It really sucks.

Anyway, I will keep you all updated. I think it will go ahead based on the fact that I think my principal fears what I will do if it doesn't. Everyone's just kind of waiting to see what I'll do next, hopefully this works in my favour. :)

mtDNA

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Re: English Language Question Thread
« Reply #50 on: September 08, 2017, 09:23:14 pm »
+4
First of all, thankyou all so much for replying!!!
This subject sounds amazing and your comments make it even better.

I have rounded up 14, not many but they said we need 12 to have a class... now they're saying it's not based on numbers. I could tear someones head of for this because I actually worked up the guts to send an email to the 200 kids in my year level saying 'hey there's this magical subject they don't tell you about. We should all do it!' We got 14 because our school has this stupid rule that you have to do standard english with english language to help us with pr grammar. Proof that my principal has no idea what we normally do in english. I am an exception because I do french, as well as a few others. I had about 20 replies from people who said they would do it if they didn't have to do 2 englishes. It really sucks.

Anyway, I will keep you all updated. I think it will go ahead based on the fact that I think my principal fears what I will do if it doesn't. Everyone's just kind of waiting to see what I'll do next, hopefully this works in my favour. :)

Hey RubyH,

Just to add my two cents: generally, schools are a lot more receptive to parents’ concerns than students. As such, it would be wise for you to seek some sort of parental intervention, given the school declines your request. However, in terms of promoting your case, I would perhaps juxtapose your school’s limitations in subject choices to other (successful) schools as a means of persuading him/her, as well as reinforcing the sense of enthusiasm from the cohort. In this circumstance though, you can understand your school’s reluctance to let this pass due to the mistakes of previous classes, so I would sort of negotiate a way for letting your principal to accept your request - whether that be to restrict the students in applying (so students must take english + english language, or perhaps students who do a LOTE or science subjects are preferentially picked) or some other means. Finally, another (sorta cheap but who cares lmao  ;) ) selling point is the fact that eng-lang is the highest scaling English subject, so it would be silly for your school to neglect the subject, particularly due to the rewards one may reap from it.


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QueenSmarty

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Re: English Language Question Thread
« Reply #51 on: September 16, 2017, 10:14:19 am »
0
Would AAE be considered an ethnolect?

EulerFan102

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Re: English Language Question Thread
« Reply #52 on: September 16, 2017, 10:53:41 am »
+2
Would AAE be considered an ethnolect?

Yes, Australian Aboriginal English would be considered an ethnolect. An ethnolect is a variety associated with a particular cultural or ethnic group, and this is true of AAE. However, keep in mind that there are a number of varieties within AAE.

peanut

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Re: English Language Question Thread
« Reply #53 on: September 16, 2017, 02:27:33 pm »
0
Is Broad, General and Cultivated Australian English examples of accents or varieties of English?

Bri MT

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Re: English Language Question Thread
« Reply #54 on: September 16, 2017, 02:29:19 pm »
0
Is Broad, General and Cultivated Australian English examples of accents or varieties of English?
Accents

CoreyW

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Re: English Language Question Thread
« Reply #55 on: September 20, 2017, 07:47:22 pm »
0
Hi All!
Does anyone happen to have any specific Australian examples on doublespeak for the Exam? Anything will be much appreciated.
Thank you!

DailyInsanity

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Re: English Language Question Thread
« Reply #56 on: September 24, 2017, 01:07:59 am »
0
Hi everyone,

How much emphasis should be placed on studying and preparing (quotes, examples etc...) for essays prompts not linked to identity (assuming that I want to write about identity and language in the exam essay given the chance)? Seeing as that the exam basically always has at least one prompt relating to that area. It seems distracting to focus on other areas, but also extremely risk - any advice?

babushka818

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Re: English Language Question Thread
« Reply #57 on: September 24, 2017, 06:04:54 am »
+5
Hi everyone,

How much emphasis should be placed on studying and preparing (quotes, examples etc...) for essays prompts not linked to identity (assuming that I want to write about identity and language in the exam essay given the chance)? Seeing as that the exam basically always has at least one prompt relating to that area. It seems distracting to focus on other areas, but also extremely risk - any advice?

It's never possible to predict what you're going to get in the exam. Often all prompts will ask you to relate your response to the Australian context or use Australian examples, but the topics will largely vary. I think you'd make a wise decision to prepare more for identity than formal and informal language, since these areas are already assessed in short answer and AC. You can pretty much count on having at least 1 or 2 essay topics from unit 4 though. Definitely have some examples in mind for all topics, quotes probably not so relevant, as you will still get some examples and quotes from the context provided and the examples are what really makes the foundation of your essay, while quotes more so tie things together which you can do on your own with linking sentences if you don't have quotes for the topic. :)
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Mapleflame

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Re: English Language Question Thread
« Reply #58 on: September 28, 2017, 03:46:52 pm »
0
So our teacher gave us a massive metalanguage list, and I'm concerned about one of the examples; I've attached it below. I'm not sure that 'blue' is an abstract noun?
Could someone explain why it is/isn't for me please?
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Re: English Language Question Thread
« Reply #59 on: September 28, 2017, 05:53:13 pm »
+1
So our teacher gave us a massive metalanguage list, and I'm concerned about one of the examples; I've attached it below. I'm not sure that 'blue' is an abstract noun?
Could someone explain why it is/isn't for me please?
~A.E.H

Colour doesn't physically exist, it's just the way that we percieve certain frequencies of light.