ATAR Notes: Forum

HSC Stuff => HSC Subjects + Help => HSC English Stuff => Topic started by: Ayyddaan on July 18, 2016, 07:23:50 pm

Title: Metalanguage
Post by: Ayyddaan on July 18, 2016, 07:23:50 pm

I was reading some feedback from the marking centre marking for Module A (M & 1984), and noticed that markers stated: "use complex literary terms or metalanguage with understanding.
Could somebody please explain what metalanguage is and provide some examples to go with it?

Title: Re: Metalanguage
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 18, 2016, 08:05:33 pm

Quote from: Ayyddaan on July 18, 2016, 07:23:50 pm

I was reading some feedback from the marking centre marking for Module A (M & 1984), and noticed that markers stated: "use complex literary terms or metalanguage with understanding.
Could somebody please explain what metalanguage is and provide some examples to go with it?

To make sure I was on the right track I did a quick google  ;)

metalanguage: a form of language or set of terms used for the description or analysis of another language.

So, and I've not heard this term used in this context before, metalanguage is just the words that we use to describe the language/form of the composer. Techniques, forms, all those sorts of buzzwords (EG - "simile" is, to my understanding, metalanguage)  ;D

Title: Re: Metalanguage
Post by: elysepopplewell on July 18, 2016, 08:16:17 pm

Quote from: Ayyddaan on July 18, 2016, 07:23:50 pm

I was reading some feedback from the marking centre marking for Module A (M & 1984), and noticed that markers stated: "use complex literary terms or metalanguage with understanding.
Could somebody please explain what metalanguage is and provide some examples to go with it?

This is a great question!

Metalanguage features in the VCE syllabus a fair bit, so someone has asked this same question on the VCE side of ATAR Notes! Take a look at the response, it has some great examples!