Looking toward 2017: ask your English Language questions here

[Joseph41]

Hello.

I completed EngLang in 2012, and have since completed a First Class Honours degree in Linguistics. If you're studying EngLang this year (or plan to at some point in the future) and are confused about any of the content, feel free to ask questions here. If all goes well (no 100% guarantees, I guess hahaha), I plan to respond to each and every question - and hopefully others will be able to chime in, too!

So if you fancy getting a head-start for EngLang 2017, this is the place!

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NOTE: To post in this thread, you'll first need to register an ATAR Notes account. It's free, and should take like four seconds! Then, just scroll down to the bottom of this thread, and ask your questions in the "Quick Reply" box, as shown below.

[tasmia]

How do I prepare the most efficiently throughout the summer holidays? :p

[peanut]

How do you recommend gathering language examples and quotes? What kinds of articles and quotes should I be looking for? Just any language related articles/quotes?

[Wota]

what do you do to prepare for the exam?

[Joseph41]

How do I prepare the most efficiently throughout the summer holidays? :p

Hey, tasmia!

Good question. I think this one might actually change a little from student to student, but generally, I'd suggest getting up-to-date and confident with metalanguage. In particular, this metalanguage here, specified very clearly on pages 17 and 18 of the study design.

There's quite a lot of it, and you'll doubtlessly go over some of it in class, but IMO it's a great foundation for a successful year in English Language.

That aside, I'd highly recommend simply being aware of the language all around you. If you're watching the news and something linguisticsy strikes you as odd, make a note of it. Collect newspaper articles related to language (I promise, there will be a lot of them). Read online articles from prominent linguists, such as those of Kate Burridge on The Conversation. These will very likely come handy as examples later on in the year.

How do you recommend gathering language examples and quotes? What kinds of articles and quotes should I be looking for? Just any language related articles/quotes?

Hey there, peanut!

I don't think there is any hard restriction on the sort of examples and quotes you should be accumulating, but there are, of course, preferences:

- preferably from a decently well-known linguist or public figure;
- preferably contemporary (the more recent the better, really); and
- preferably trackable (that is, there's some source of it online or elsewhere).

As for how, I read both of the major newspapers (the Herald Sun and The Age) from front to back each morning, but that's obviously a little burdensome. Your best bet, I think, is to simply search for things (online) in the news relevant to the EngLang course. So if you take some major themes (taboo, euphemism, identity) and couple those themes with language, you'll be well on your way.

I mean, I just searched for "language taboo" on Google News, and some great stuff came up.

what do you do to prepare for the exam?

Good morning, Wota!

I found revision for EngLang slightly harder than other subjects due merely to a relative lack of resources. But that shouldn't constrict you, really. There are three sections to the exam, and each is quite different. To mix things up, I generally focused on one at a time, before trying to combine all three later in the year (closer to the exam).

Practice exams, of course, are good for revision (for all three sections), but otherwise, I really recommend making your own questions. There's nothing stopping you from looking around you, grabbing a language example, and analysing it (great for Section B!). I mean, you could grab a bag of chips and analyse the marketing or whatever; it doesn't have to be extensive. Google "Prime Ministerial speeches" or something and there'll be a heap of stuff you can use.

As for the essay (Section C), I went into the exam not knowing word-for-word any essays, but having a very good idea of what I would write for certain topics. As you progress through the syllabus, it will become apparent that certain themes come up over and over again. So instead of trying to memorise full essays (a bad idea IMO), I memorised rough essay structures (and examples), and that was very helpful for me.

[peanut]

How old should my oldest language articles/examples be? Considering my exam would be in November 2017, would it be acceptable to refer to articles written in 2016 or even 2015? Obviously, I should aim to get the most recent articles, but I've searched online and I can find plenty of examples from 2015/2016. Is it okay to use them?

[ekay]

How old should my oldest language articles/examples be? Considering my exam would be in November 2017, would it be acceptable to refer to articles written in 2016 or even 2015? Obviously, I should aim to get the most recent articles, but I've searched online and I can find plenty of examples from 2015/2016. Is it okay to use them?

i'd say aim to mainly use examples from 2017 (shows you've done your research and looked at how language is being used today), but 2016 examples should be ok as well, preferably from the later half of 2016. having said that tho, if you find a really really good example from 2015/2016 i don't think there's anything wrong with using them, that's still relatively recent! but for most examples you find in 2015/2016 you should be able to find examples that are pretty similar next year (e.g. there's always articles talking about racist tirades on public transport using 'chink', 'gook' etc)

[Joseph41]

How old should my oldest language articles/examples be? Considering my exam would be in November 2017, would it be acceptable to refer to articles written in 2016 or even 2015? Obviously, I should aim to get the most recent articles, but I've searched online and I can find plenty of examples from 2015/2016. Is it okay to use them?

Yeah, I largely agree with ekay^, here. I mean, a slightly dated example is better than no example at all, but a 2017 example will equally be better than a 2016 example. So to answer your question, yes, it would be acceptable to use 2015/2016 examples, but it would be preferable to have examples from 2017.

That obviously means that you'll need to collect them throughout the year, but that shouldn't be too burdensome. Do you think you'd benefit if we had a thread where users can collectively find contemporary examples?

[Locinator]

Hi Joseph,

I am unsure on how to approach, or study for, English Language. Having done two humanities this year, where notes could be structured purely on the key knowledge outlined in the study design, English Language appears other-worldly. Would an effective strategy be to write notes around the key knowledge for each AoS, and then apply this knowledge in practice peices?

Thank you

[exit]

What is some useful non-metalanguage vocabulary that I may not know that can assist with explanations. Thanks!

[peanut]

Yeah, I largely agree with ekay^, here. I mean, a slightly dated example is better than no example at all, but a 2017 example will equally be better than a 2016 example. So to answer your question, yes, it would be acceptable to use 2015/2016 examples, but it would be preferable to have examples from 2017.

That obviously means that you'll need to collect them throughout the year, but that shouldn't be too burdensome. Do you think you'd benefit if we had a thread where users can collectively find contemporary examples?

Yes, that sounds fantastic

[peanut]

i'd say aim to mainly use examples from 2017 (shows you've done your research and looked at how language is being used today), but 2016 examples should be ok as well, preferably from the later half of 2016. having said that tho, if you find a really really good example from 2015/2016 i don't think there's anything wrong with using them, that's still relatively recent! but for most examples you find in 2015/2016 you should be able to find examples that are pretty similar next year (e.g. there's always articles talking about racist tirades on public transport using 'chink', 'gook' etc)

Yeah, I largely agree with ekay^, here. I mean, a slightly dated example is better than no example at all, but a 2017 example will equally be better than a 2016 example. So to answer your question, yes, it would be acceptable to use 2015/2016 examples, but it would be preferable to have examples from 2017.

That obviously means that you'll need to collect them throughout the year, but that shouldn't be too burdensome. Do you think you'd benefit if we had a thread where users can collectively find contemporary examples?

Following on from this, I assume "recent media examples" and "quotes" are distinct from each other? Am I correct in assuming that quotes do not have to be as recent as media examples, rather, the quotes should be from reputable linguists?

[Individu]

Following on from this, I assume "recent media examples" and "quotes" are distinct from each other? Am I correct in assuming that quotes do not have to be as recent as media examples, rather, the quotes should be from reputable linguists?

Yes that is correct, quotes from linguists do not have to be recent. Try to at least remember the linguist's last name so you might say something like there is a "natural connection" between language and identity (Kramsch). Also note that you don't have to quote whole sentences, you just have to include key words. Paraphrasing is not only easier but many times also flows better. E.g. As aptly put by David Crystal, texting has added a "new dimension" to language.

[Joseph41]

Hi Joseph,

I am unsure on how to approach, or study for, English Language. Having done two humanities this year, where notes could be structured purely on the key knowledge outlined in the study design, English Language appears other-worldly. Would an effective strategy be to write notes around the key knowledge for each AoS, and then apply this knowledge in practice peices?

Thank you

Hey there, Locinator!

That's a great question - EngLang can seem very foreign at first. And you're right in saying that it is a little different to content-heavy humanities subjects. I don't think it's something to be afraid of, though, and I promise you that it will become more intuitive as you progress through the course.

I think your proposed strategy is pretty solid. My top priority at this stage would definitely be learning the metalanguage. When you feel comfortable enough with that (you can sort of learn as you go), then yeah, start incorporating it into practice pieces (and remember here to analyse a wide range of texts). Then, throughout the year (particularly for essays), you can incorporate contemporary examples and quotes.

To answer your question directly, I think writing notes for the key knowledge is a fine place to start. I had a workbook that outlined each of the five subsystems in some depth, and I found that very useful.

Does that answer your question?

What is some useful non-metalanguage vocabulary that I may not know that can assist with explanations. Thanks!

Howdy, exit!

I'm not sure I quite follow the question (explanations of what?), but to be honest, you don't need much else. Examiners won't be marking you highly for using fancy words; they'll be marking you highly for being clear.

Of course, part of that will involve reducing repetition, for which you may find this thread useful: Daily Vocab Questions Thread

Yes, that sounds fantastic

Great! I'll get onto it soon. Looking forward to some contributions!

Following on from this, I assume "recent media examples" and "quotes" are distinct from each other? Am I correct in assuming that quotes do not have to be as recent as media examples, rather, the quotes should be from reputable linguists?

Yes that is correct, quotes from linguists do not have to be recent. Try to at least remember the linguist's last name so you might say something like there is a "natural connection" between language and identity (Kramsch). Also note that you don't have to quote whole sentences, you just have to include key words. Paraphrasing is not only easier but many times also flows better. E.g. As aptly put by David Crystal, texting has added a "new dimension" to language.

IMO Individu has pretty much nailed it; quotes don't need to be contemporary (as in, from 2016 or 2017), as is preferred with the language examples. I'd probably try to chuck in the year of the quote, though, if possible.

[Joseph41]

Yes, that sounds fantastic

The new thread is here: English Language 2017+: a collation of quotes and language examples

It also links the old thread in the opening post. No examples yet, but I'll get onto it - and hopefully everybody here can contribute!