Tutorial letter 202/2/2017

ENG2601/202/2/2017 Tutorial letter 202/2/2017 Applied English Language Further Explorations ENG2601 Semester 2 Department of English Studies CONTENTS 1. FEEDBACK FOR ASSIGNMENT 02. 2. EXAMINATION GUIDELINES. Define tomorrow Studies: Dear Student FEEDBACK LETTER FOR ASSIGNMENT 02 SEMESTER 02 FOR ENG 2601 Thank you for submitting your second assignment. W h i l e a number of you dealt competently with the questions and provided well- substantiated responses, others found them challenging. This assignment was based on Study Units 1, 2, and 3 of your Study Guide. In these study units, you learn about rhetorical analysis, genre and register as well as the role of language in meaning making. This assignment was based on texts that were provided. You were expected to read the texts carefully before answering the questions. The questions were based on ‘Cohesion’, ‘Register’, Language Structures’ and ‘Writing Academic English’.     The Marking Grid and Mark allocation for this question. (5 marks for identification of each of the cohesive devices) (5 marks for a valid explanation) (5 mark for justification from the text: students are supposed to use textual evidence)  (5 marks for expression/language) PLEASE NOTE: The discussion provided below is an example of how you could have approached your discussion/Analysis. Thus, it is by no means exhaustive. Only some of the possible aspects that could have been explored in your analysis are included in the discussion that follows. QUESTION 1.COHESION 1.1 You were requested to use specific examples from the text to discuss the relevant cohesive devices that the writer used to create meaning. In attempting to answer this question, the following could have been privileged: • Your definition of cohesion, or your observations on what makes the text coherent and logical. • words that serve as cohesive devices, or those that link words (e.g. and, then etc). If these words are removed from the text, it either loses meaning or it becomes ambiguous or incoherent. • how the words (cohesive devices) used by the writer create a coherent and logical meaning throughout the text. ANSWERS TO QUESTION 1.1 Below are some of the cohesive devices and their categories you were supposed to have identified from the text: 2 ENG2601/202 Conjunctive cohesion • • • • And: ‘…, it too begins to attract negative connotations and needs to be replaced in turn’ Then: ‘They may then be replaced by other words..’ As: ‘This process is known as deterioration or pejoration’ Unfortunately: ‘Unfortunately, once the new word becomes associated with the concept’ Repetition • Words/ word Antonym cohesion/ lexical cohesion • • Pejoration Ameloration Reference cohesion • • It too: ‘…it too begins to attract negative connotations…’ Brought about by: ‘change of meaning brought about by the associations a word may have’ QUESTION 1.2 REGISTER AND LANGUAGE STRUCTURES 1.2 You were requested to discuss the genre and context of the text. In attempting to answer this question, you could have drawn from the following points: • • The meaning of genre. A kind of a specific discourse/ literary work or a category of literature. (e.g Medicine and Law are two different genres because they respectively use specific domain terminology such as ‘chemotherapy’, ‘a defendant’ etc. Words such as these designate the genre to which a text belongs. The context refers to the atmosphere or the situation surrounding the information in the text. (where this is taking place) The second and last thing was to identify the genre support your answer by using relevant examples from the text (e.g maybe by looking at the terminology used in a particular text) ANSWERS TO QUESTION 2 Question 1 • You could have begun by identifying the genre, the context of the text, and presented supporting evidence from the text to support your answer. Substantiating your views could have that your marker you have a clear indication of what to expect in the analysis that you were about to present. Your analysis could have focused on how the writer uses linguistic features to convey genre and context of the text. 3 What follows are some of the key points that you could have explored in your analysis. • This extract, which is drawn from the internet, about relationships, and thus falls within the ‘relationship discourse’ or literature. Having identified the ‘category of literature’, you could have looked for the terminology/lexes in the text to support your answer or your category choice. The information gathered would have helped you in explaining and justifying your choice. Question 2 One of the things that you needed to focus on was the ‘style of the language used in terms of the level of formality and informality’. You could have first and foremost established the difference between a text that is formal and the one that is informal. For example, academic writing requires that texts be formal (e.g no use of contraction: use of don’t instead of do not), while informal and casual writing makes use of contraction and perhaps in slang words (e.g can’t instead of cannot). Informal or casual writing can also be detected by the usage of things such as capital letters anywhere in the text (sometimes in places where is not necessary). The writing is more like spoken language. All these elements would have been enough to answer that question. ANSWER This is an informal text or piece of writing. It is depicted by words such as ‘punking’, ‘spazzy’, ‘Sup’, ‘Um’, ‘You’ve’ etc. Question 3 You could have identified examples from the text which convinced you or the reader to agree with the writer. Words such as ‘sure’, ‘you will hate yourself..,’ ‘you won’t be able..’ do not give the reader an opportunity to think different from the speaker. In other words, the reader is being coerced into accepting without questioning. This text does not elicit the reader’s opinion. The reader’s opinion is not considered in this text. This is one of the ways in which you could have approached the question. Feedback on Question 3: Writing Academic English In this assignment, you were asked to write an academic discursive essay. Discussion Credit was given to students who wrote effective introductions and conclusions, who maintained topical unity within the paragraphs and who ensured logical development throughout the whole discussion/analysisIn your introductory paragraph, you were expected to: • • 4 clearly indicate that you were aware of the purpose of the your discussion, i.e. to analyse the given texts with a specific focus on the specified aspects; present an overview of the main ideas and structure of your discussion; ENG2601/202 • use key sentences that help achieve the above e.g. “The purpose of this discussion is to analyze the given text based on…”; “The analysis will focus on the following aspects…”; “Further, the discussion will provide evidence from the text in order to support the analysis…”. In the main body of your discussion, you were expected to: • address all key aspects of the question; • identify clearly defined points within each paragraph; • provide and analyse relevant citations from both texts as supporting evidence. In the conclusion of your discussion you were expected to: • indicate that you were making a transition from analysing the texts to concluding your argument/statement; • highlight the key points of your analysis. Considering the following can improve your essay: • • • • • • • • • • Did you understand the topic that you chose? In other words, did you understand what the topic was about? Did you understand what you were required to do? In other words, did you understand what was expected of you? Did you analyse your topic carefully and understand what you were required to write about? You were expected to write an argumentative essay about one of the three (3) given topics. In other words, you were supposed to argue and defend your stand point (decision) regarding the topic you chose. Did you write a clear introduction which immediately addresses the topic, outlines your argument or gives a general overview? Did you support your thesis statement? Did you divide your essay into well-developed paragraphs which deal with separate issues in support of your stance? Did each paragraph have one main idea with adequate supporting ideas? Did you use topic sentences, signpost words or other cohesive devices? Did you argue comprehensibly for or against the topic? Did you balance your points while taking a firm position? Did you have a conclusion which draws the threads of your argument together in a convincing manner? Did you edit and proof-read your essay checking for any grammatical errors? Tips to help you improve on your discursive essay Begin by establishing your target audience. Brainstorm your essay. 5 With this in mind, you should do the following: • • • • • • write a clear introduction which immediately addresses the topic, outlines your argument or gives a general overview; divide your essay into paragraphs which deal with separate issues arising from the topic; use topic sentences, signpost words or other cohesive devices; argue for or against the topic; balance your points while taking a firm position and supporting your thesis statement; end with a conclusion which draws the threads of your argument together in a convincing manner. Once all of the above is done, do the following: • • • • • Read the essay twice. The first reading should focus on content and the second on expression. Content includes the ideas (relevance, weight, originality) and their organisation (introduction and conclusion; paragraphing; cohesion; logicality). Expression rates a candidate's control of standard academic English, particularly as reflected in sentence structure, diction and correctness. Proofread and edit your final version. EXAMINATION GUIDELINES The examination is two hours long. It consists of TWO sections, and you must answer all questions from each section. You will have to answer questions on the following aspects of the module: • • • • • Cohesion English language use and variation Genre and register Language use and context Academic English The examination for ENG 2601 counts for 75% of your final mark. Your assignments count for the remaining 25%. It is therefore in your interest to be well prepared for the examination. In Section A, you will be required to read extracts from different sources and answer questions demonstrating your ability to read closely and with attention to the details of the texts. Section B is an essay-type question. 6 ENG2601/202 Use the following guidelines to help you prepare for the examination: • • • • • Read your study guide and the prescribed book. Make notes of the important features of each genre of writing. Understand the specific terminology used in this module. Analyse and interpret texts provided in your study material. Write notes on each of the texts, outlining the different language features and strategies that are used in the texts. Pay attention to the way language usage creates different meanings and purposes. Practise the writing of sample essays in order to develop your ability to write in a style appropriate for academic purposes. Good luck with your studies! THE ENG2601 TEAM All the best ENG2601 Team 7