ATAR Notes: Forum
VCE Stuff => VCE English Studies => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE English Language => Topic started by: Bhootnike on August 10, 2012, 08:54:28 pm
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O Hello There,
What is that you ask?
What is English Language.. ?
Oh, of course.
The question that seemingly no one can construct a definitive answer to, and the subject that many people do not conceive properly!
So lets begin from the nitty grittys of this subject!
What IS English Language?!!!
English Language is VCAA's name for a field in English studies known as Linguistics.
You may have heard of this term from words such as 'lingua franca' or 'linguistically speaking' or 'I am bilingual!" Clearly the word has something to do with language! That's a no brainer!!
So in simple terms, Linguistics is essentially the scientific study of the English language.
People who study linguistics, unsurprisingly, are known as linguists.
A linguist can specialise in a plethora of fields, from sociolinguistics to the English of Law.
Language as a whole is just so diverse, that in turn, linguistics is just as diverse.
VCE English Language was initially started in 2000, and has since gone some changes in the course, notably the change in course at the end of 2011, which was implemented for 2012 - i.e. this year! Lucky me!
Year 11, units 1/2:
From now on, I'll refer to this subject as English Language, not linguistics.
Just because VCE students are a special bunch!
Unit 1: The Nadir of English Language studies
In math, before you embark on learning on say... calculus, you need to know what a function is, what a gradient is and what different notations mean!
English Language is no different! You start off by learning basic linguistics - how to talk about language, or more specifically, the Metalanguage.
Yu learned some good ol' grummar!
It's really important to have some knowledge of grammar in English Language. ( as you do in any english !)
You study the different parts of speech, e.g. nouns, pronouns, verbs, tenses, modals, articles, sentence types etc etc.
You study how Language is important in life, and the different modes of language: spoken, written and signed.
You look at the influence of technology in language and how e'speak or netspeak has established, and how this influences our language use in everyday life (e.g. when people actually say.. "LOL" - so gay..)
You look at Child Language Acquisition and how babies learn language in their early developmental stages.
You learn some theories about this and you analyse some 'baby speak'.
One interesting topic you cover is the concept of 'Wild kids' - pretty much, children who grow up with animals and have no human contact!
If you get time, you may get time to look at spoken and written language, not in depth but fundamentals. - more on this later (unit 3)
Unit 2: Let's look at the History of English!
You study the history of the English language and how it has changed over time. Did you know that at one stage, English was the language of the lower class, whilst Latin was the prestigious language of academics?
You look at where our alphabet originated from, where our words came from, the history, or etymology of words, and also the grammar.
You look at globalisation of langauge.
Also, Australian English is touched on - things like the influence of American Language on Australian English.
Some stuff that to be honest, I don't know where it belongs include:
The notion of a standard English
New Englishes (E.G. singlish, hinglish, etc )
Creoles & Pidgins
Slang
Euphemisms
Dysphemisms
Tasks for 1/2:
Short answer tasks, extended response tasks, essays, maybe some power point presentations...
Frequently asked questions:
"So, do we watch a movie? Or do we a read a book?"
No! You look at articles, or extracts from a movie transcript, song, book, column, whatever!
The beauty of English Language lies in the fact that, this subject analyses the language, NOT the characters or the story.
This is the essential difference between normal English, Lit and EngLang!
"I heard that people who are good at maths and science, or who are a bit 'musically minded' are better suited to this subject?, is this true?"
They say that English Language 'suits' students who are strong in math and science because these subjects require analytical skills and the ability to pick out discrete details and patterns in their respective fields. You may need a set formula or approach to solving something.
They also say that these students enjoy the fact that they find most of their answers in the textbook, and do not necessarily require good creative writing skills, or skills which require their own interpreation of a text.
Having said this, people who enjoy music, or have a inept ability, or simply love language, will be suited to English Language.
In my opinion, you need to really enjoy the subject. You need to have a sense of excitement about the subject and that you're a linguist! You must love words!
"umm do I have to write Essays?"
OK.
First things first. If you decide to do English Language because apparently there's no essay, you're in for hell!
'Cos believe me! The essays you end up doing are going to be absolute kick ass essays! So good that normal English essays will look like kids play! Heck, I could find all these linguistic elements in a article my friend was about to write an essay on ; it was about the persuasive techniques incorporated in the text! He didn't understand all these ideas and I was thinking O my GOD. No WONDER VegemitePi hates Physics so much!
So, in English Language, instead of writing creative writing (which I actually was good at and liked!), and essays on characters and stuff, you write expository or opinionative essays based on the content of the course. E.g "Swearing has different functions in different contexts. Discuss." or "Corporate language is making its way into our simple and ordinary things, which in turn, makes our world seem much more complicated than it really is. Do you agree? "
The rest of the Unit 3/4 exam are short answer, and an analysis piece.
"Is English language harder than Lit or English?"
The skills you need in order to do well in English Language are quite different to those required for English or Lit.
It is fair to say however, and no, NO BIASED OPINIONS, - that English Language is considered more 'harder' , 'competitive' and/or academically challenging than English.
HOWEVER.
Please read on!
When I say it is harder, it really is a subjective opinion. One person may say its easy, whereas another may say, NO! ITS HARD!.
VCAA reckons its harder, hence why they give us +2 for scaling! They say its harder for many reasons - the depth of the subject, how broad you can venture into the linguistic world. In other words, there's really no 'scope' in the course/study design. You are not limited to what you can discuss. I.e in chemistry, if you started talking about quasistatic processes in a equilibrium question, rather than directly answering it in the vce way, chances are you probably aint gonna get a mark!
Consider this subject to be a big big big expedition, and you are a hiker. You can go anywhere you like! (as long as the topic/issue your talking about is relevant to your work!)
I personally don't find it hard, no way, I enjoy it as a subject. And if you enjoy a subject, being 'hard' doesn't come into the equation!
So, please, dont be put off by 'harder'.
If you enjoy the content covered in this subject, and if you atleast find it appealing, - more than the stuff covered in other englishes, chances are, you will find English Language EASIER! and I can definitely say this is what has happened in my case! I chose the right one, and in turn, I haven't had any regrets over my choice, because I know that this is the English I can do best at, and knowing English counts the most in my ATAR, I am convinced that my choice was appropriate!
"Does it scale up?!"
Yes. By two! :D
Why? Look above ^. It's comparatively 'harder' than other Englishes. If you enjoy the subject, it won't be hard, and in the end.. it'll be a bonus +2 ! woo!
"Can I do both English, and English Language in VCE?"
Yeah! Go for it, if you're unsure about which English suits you, for sure.
English is your most important subject, so make sure you choose the right one!!
More to come.
Just a tad tired now goiz.
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great guide
EL is a much more substantial study compared to normal english imo, some conventions of the language discussed can even be incorporated into the everyday life, if you're mindful you could learn alot about how language works as a functional tool in society. It's somewhat like language analysis, except you're looking deeper, beyond persuasion
slang, euphemisms and dysphemisms seem to be part of unit 3. I shall leave a shortcut to the exact words of vcaa http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/englishlanguage/englang-sd-2012.pdf
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great guide
EL is a much more substantial study compared to normal english imo, some conventions of the language discussed can even be incorporated into the everyday life, if you're mindful you could learn alot about how language works as a functional tool in society. It's somewhat like language analysis, except you're looking deeper, beyond persuasion
slang, euphemisms and dysphemisms seem to be part of unit 3. I shall leave a shortcut to the exact words of vcaa http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/englishlanguage/englang-sd-2012.pdf
exactly my sentiments.
its helped me realise certain things, especially in spoken language...
when someone says:
haaha yeah
ooo k
K.
cool
ye
sweet
nice
most of the time, this is a minimal response showing disinterest..
now i think.. that person is showing disinterest! RAGE!
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Now I understand why you keep saying "I don't think she is interested in me".
Your OVER THINKING IT DUDE!
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Now I understand why you keep saying "I don't think she is interested in me".
Your OVER THINKING IT DUDE!
huh? wtf
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I like the guide! +1. With the bit about it scales by two and why, I think because it's 'competitive' as opposed to 'harder' would be a more appropriate word. Even though they're sort of one in the same, it's just clearer do any possible ELang students :). Just a suggestion though.
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I like the guide! +1. With the bit about it scales by two and why, I think because it's 'competitive' as opposed to 'harder' would be a more appropriate word. Even though they're sort of one in the same, it's just clearer do any possible ELang students :). Just a suggestion though.
Thanks :)
I added the former point :) and i added something to the harder bit, cause I think yeah, some people may read that line and think 'oh no, its hard, not doing it..'
Regarding 'harder', I'll leave the word there because I think people who consider doing this subject should know that this isn't a bludge subject, in fact it requires a lot of work and it is comparatively harder than normal English.
Having said that, if the content covered in English Language is something a person finds interesting and enjoys, I reckon in the long term, for them it is easier than other Englishes !
So it's not something to be afraid of, 'Try it!' would be my advice to the skeptics, because honestly, you can't tell which is better until you do it!
Personally, I find it more enjoyable, and because it suits me better, I know that I have been better off in picking EngLang over English because Its the right one for me :)
So people, don't be put off by 'harder'
Thanks for the suggestion!! :Dð
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Your guide is so persuasive, so appealing, that I now wish I had done English Language instead of normal English. If I was in year 10, and wasn't too sure about whether to do English language in year 11 for 1/2, your guide would have helped me so much. Now that I know what it's about, I would have picked it, but the facts about what the subject entails had never been spelled out to me before :( Oh well, normal English isn't all that terrible!! :)
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;)
aw, but you're in Year 11 yeah?
You COULD still do Language in year 12!
Watch my updated edit on my original post, theres still more to come! cause i speak about the idea of skipping 1/2 and doing just 3/4! :p
But yeah, this thread aims to project a more accurate and hopefully more appealing idea of what this subject really is! thanks for your comment!
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Stickied.
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;)
aw, but you're in Year 11 yeah?
You COULD still do Language in year 12!
Haha - I don't want to risk it, or stress myself out next year :)
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Hehe fair enough :)
if you do ever wanna do something related, most unis offer degrees or subjects related to linguistics!
Melb Uni for e.g. gives linguistics and some related subjects as breadth! :D :D W00t!
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Hehe fair enough :)
if you do ever wanna do something related, most unis offer degrees or subjects related to linguistics!
Melb Uni for e.g. gives linguistics and some related subjects as breadth! :D :D W00t!
I've actually got my heart set on Monash, but I'll keep that in mind :P
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;)
aw, but you're in Year 11 yeah?
You COULD still do Language in year 12!
Haha - I don't want to risk it, or stress myself out next year :)
You can pick up English Language 3/4 in year 12, it's possible. Know someone personally who did it, ended up with 45.
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I only did unit 3/4 and I got 46. It is possible. I found that I wasn't disadvantaged by not doing year 11, there were several people who hadn't in my distance ed class.
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yeah, so for anyone whose in year 11, you can still change over if you reckon this english is better for you!
the only disadvantage you would have, imo, would be not knowing metalanguage.. !
which is as mentioned in OP, just 'jargon' of linguistics.
the rest you can pick up!
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yeah, so for anyone whose in year 11, you can still change over if you reckon this english is better for you!
the only disadvantage you would have, imo, would be not knowing metalanguage.. !
which is as mentioned in OP, just 'jargon' of linguistics.
the rest you can pick up!
I only did unit 3/4 and I got 46. It is possible. I found that I wasn't disadvantaged by not doing year 11, there were several people who hadn't in my distance ed class.
;)
aw, but you're in Year 11 yeah?
You COULD still do Language in year 12!
Haha - I don't want to risk it, or stress myself out next year :)
You can pick up English Language 3/4 in year 12, it's possible. Know someone personally who did it, ended up with 45.
hmmm...I'll think about it. I still have a couple of months left to decide - I'll talk to teachers at my school and see how I go with my English grades this semester, and then I'll get back to you. But thanks for the help ;D
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hmmm...I'll think about it. I still have a couple of months left to decide - I'll talk to teachers at my school and see how I go with my English grades this semester, and then I'll get back to you. But thanks for the help ;D
Actually, i would recommend switching into a EL 1/2 class now to see what it's like; depending on how serious your school treat unit 1/2 subjects. Having done more than half a year of normal english should be enough insight to english 3/4 (assuming all 3 essay types have been covered), if you are interested in EL then it would be good to compare the experience before you make the decision.
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hmmm...I'll think about it. I still have a couple of months left to decide - I'll talk to teachers at my school and see how I go with my English grades this semester, and then I'll get back to you. But thanks for the help ;D
Actually, i would recommend switching into a EL 1/2 class now to see what it's like; depending on how serious your school treat unit 1/2 subjects. Having done more than half a year of normal english should be enough insight to english 3/4 (assuming all 3 essay types have been covered), if you are interested in EL then it would be good to compare the experience before you make the decision.
Compare the pair.
Same age. Same income. Same super contribution. :P
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Starfish, if you get study periods at your school in year 11, and there's a english language class, try that even if your worried about that :)
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Starfish, if you get study periods at your school in year 11, and there's a english language class, try that even if your worried about that :)
Okay. But honestly, I don't have a craving for English Language, and am not going to jump off the West Gate Bridge if I don't get/reject the opportunity to study it next year. I'm perfectly happy with doing normal English, and am in my comfort zone. There is a possibility that your guide has made English language seem more appealing, and thus, I'm thinking I might score higher if I take that subject. But I also think I can score quite high in normal English, so realistically speaking, it's not the end of the World. :P I feel as though we are making a hue and cry about my taking English language :D !! Appreciate the concern, and I'll give EL a trial with the study period idea this term.
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(http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/24779763.jpg)
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Starfish, if you get study periods at your school in year 11, and there's a english language class, try that even if your worried about that :)
Okay. But honestly, I don't have a craving for English Language, and am not going to jump off the West Gate Bridge if I don't get/reject the opportunity to study it next year. I'm perfectly happy with doing normal English, and am in my comfort zone. There is a possibility that your guide has made English language seem more appealing, and thus, I'm thinking I might score higher if I take that subject. But I also think I can score quite high in normal English, so realistically speaking, it's not the end of the World. :P I feel as though we are making a hue and cry about my taking English language :D !! Appreciate the concern, and I'll give EL a trial with the study period idea this term.
hehe sorry to come across as sounding forceful/compelling! :p wasn't my (or anyones for that matter!) intentions!
But yeah, go for whatever feels best for you !
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Just remember as well, this is VCE English/English Language. If you have a passion for or interest in linguistics but don't get to study it next year, it's no great loss. There's plenty of casual literature which will well inform you on the subject or you could take it as breadth/major in it at university.
Do what you feel comfortable doing next year. Talk to the teachers, talk to former students at your school, and try to weigh up the options. I know you've said that you won't be distressed at not being allowed to do English Language but take comfort in the fact that mainstream English is very, very easy to score highly in.
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Just remember as well, this is VCE English/English Language. If you have a passion for or interest in linguistics but don't get to study it next year, it's no great loss. There's plenty of casual literature which will well inform you on the subject or you could take it as breadth/major in it at university.
Do what you feel comfortable doing next year. Talk to the teachers, talk to former students at your school, and try to weigh up the options. I know you've said that you won't be distressed at not being allowed to do English Language but take comfort in the fact that mainstream English is very, very easy to score highly in.
This is what drives me to do normal English :P
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Just remember as well, this is VCE English/English Language. If you have a passion for or interest in linguistics but don't get to study it next year, it's no great loss. There's plenty of casual literature which will well inform you on the subject or you could take it as breadth/major in it at university.
Do what you feel comfortable doing next year. Talk to the teachers, talk to former students at your school, and try to weigh up the options. I know you've said that you won't be distressed at not being allowed to do English Language but take comfort in the fact that mainstream English is very, very easy to score highly in.
Hmm, I disagree with the notion that English is very easy to score highly in. I think that to score very highly in English you need to have that natural flair/skill in writing that someone people (like myself) don't have, which is part of the reason I chose English Language. To some people, English is very easy to score in, but if you're like me, you'd be struggling a heap.
I think it's a matter of what your analytical style is. Do you find that you have natural flair in your writing, that is conducive to English? Or do you have a sharp analytical mind and can argue points very logically, although your writing style may be plain and perhaps sometimes vapid - English Language doesn't look at flair so much, it looks simply at clarity and insight.
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Do you find that you have natural flair in your writing, that is conducive to English? Or do you have a sharp analytical mind and can argue points very logically, although your writing style may be plain and perhaps sometimes vapid - English Language doesn't look at flair so much, it looks simply at clarity and insight.
If that question is directed at me...
I don't believe I am particularly outstanding at either skill (analytical versus flair), but I do believe I am capable of both. Therefore, being equally balanced at both skills raised the question as to whether I should do EL or English :) I chose English.
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Do you find that you have natural flair in your writing, that is conducive to English? Or do you have a sharp analytical mind and can argue points very logically, although your writing style may be plain and perhaps sometimes vapid - English Language doesn't look at flair so much, it looks simply at clarity and insight.
If that question is directed at me...
I don't believe I am particularly outstanding at either skill (analytical versus flair), but I do believe I am capable of both. Therefore, being equally balanced at both skills raised the question as to whether I should do EL or English :) I chose English.
Haha fair enough! :)
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Yeah I don't like the notion that Engilsh is easy to score well in. Theoretically it's the most competitive subject. I s'pose if your idea of 'well' is greater than 30 then yes, it probably wouldn't be too difficult at all. But, easy to score well in the most enrolled subject with no predetermined answers I wouldn't be so sure about. If it was that easy, you'd think Rohit and Paul would've busted out 50s along with the hard math subjects. But yeah, there are a select few that are just naturally good at English and perhaps wouldn't have to work as hard as some to get the same score, but that goes for any subject.
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^the only reason Paul didn't get a 50 or close to it is because he messed up the Language Analysis section of his exam.
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I've always heard that for Maths/Sci students, Eng Lang is MUCH easier than normal English. That's just what I've heard for a few maths/sci students who did both.
I didn't do it because it wasn't offered in my year - but I'm not complaining, I think to have the full VCE experience you've just got to man-up and sit the 3hr English exam with just about everyone else in the state. Don't wuss out!
edit: 8000th post o.O
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Hmmm, I don't know Rohit, I've heard from some people, who like maths and science, that English is actually easier. But then and again, "easiness" is a subjective measure, do what you enjoy more. Like personally, I wouldn't do English Language because I love to write, even though I like maths and science as well.
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I think to have the full VCE experience you've just got to man-up and sit the 3hr English exam with just about everyone else in the state.
That's what the GAT is for!
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Hmmm, I don't know Rohit, I've heard from some people, who like maths and science, that English is actually easier. But then and again, "easiness" is a subjective measure, do what you enjoy more. Like personally, I wouldn't do English Language because I love to write, even though I like maths and science as well.
You have to write in EL too, you know! ;)
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The point is,
English requires different skills to English Language.
I actually don't know much about the English exam - are there any short answer questions?
What I do know is that in English Language, you have just 2 hours to analyse a spoken language transcript, written language transcript, and write an essay.
English Language doesn't look at flair so much, it looks simply at clarity and insight.
^this.
EngLang doesn't look at how creatively you write.
But, my teacher says, in the end it is a English, and also in the criteria, you're judged on how cohesive and coherent your own work is.
So to get awesome marks, I guess you need to be able to write well!
Thushan, you obviously are well talented in analytical writing!! :) 50 in this subject is NO EASY FEAT!!!!!!
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I wish I did 3 English subjects in VCE. Should've picked EngLang over Geography or friggin' Physics.
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I wish I'd dong Eng Lang instead of Methods or Media or Politics :/
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I love English Language, but I feel it should be known as 'Linguistics' just to add a tingle to the subject title.
Definitely looking forward to this subject next year, and having done English Language in year 11,
I recommend this subject to anyone with a passion in linguistics - SO FUN!
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I only did unit 3/4 and I got 46. It is possible. I found that I wasn't disadvantaged by not doing year 11, there were several people who hadn't in my distance ed class.
Wonderbunny, you only did 3/4, and by distance? Was it very difficult picking it up without being in an actual classroom? I ask because I am thinking of starting English Language next year, but my school doesn't offer it so I would have to do it by distance. I am doing Literature right now, and love it, but would like to pick up another English subject. Mainstream English just bores the hell out of me, and I've always been interested in linguistics. Is there anything you learn in unit 1/2 that would be difficult to pick up in 3/4?
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Hi guys,
My experience with Englang was one that was much better than english. Since I did both English and lang 1/2, I found that lang was definitely easier to study for and more orientated towards analytical and science students that like structure and most importantly answers. I guess the only thing I'll point out is that whilst there are some great lang teachers out there, a majority of them are either new to the course or can't get the content across in a way that engages students. Thus, I have found that a number of my local high schools are phasing out lang as a subject due to the teachers.
And Whatever4321, I think with hard work 3/4 lang should be okay to pick up. There are a whole heap of students that don't do 1/2 and definitely still get by!
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What sort of writer is best equipped for this subject? I'm more of a creative writer and I was wondering if I would have potential to do well in this subject. :P
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What sort of writer is best equipped for this subject? I'm more of a creative writer and I was wondering if I would have potential to do well in this subject. :P
There are two types of 'essays' you'll have to do for this subject. One type (which is not much of an essay but more of an extended response) is mainly analytical, i.e. you'll be required to analyse language use in articles, speeches, fiction, etc. The actual English Language essay involves a prompt, usually based on language use in society, which you will have to discuss (using the metalanguage in the course) as well as providing factual evidence and quotes from various sources. As far as creative writing goes, there's not much of it but if you're good at analysis then you're definitely suited for this subject.