Language Investigation, Language Production, Commentary - Coursework Example

Language Investigation, Language Production, Commentary Annotated front sheet Thompson, Clive. "Teenagers and social networking – it might actually be good for them." Saturday 5 October. 2013. Web. 6 Feb 2014. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/oct/05/teens-social-networking-good-for-them Thompson gives insight on the raging debate on the impact of social networking on traditionally accepted face-to-face relations. The article delves into issues of social networks at the predisposition of teenagers and the wide use of online communication as opposed to physical exchanges. Thompson speaks from the perspective of a parent who has two boys and is therefore exposed to the negative effects of social media use amongst teenagers. The article is angled towards elucidating the misconception of the negative attributes of social media, which Thompson paints on the positive attributes. Niemer, Ellen. "Teenagers and Social Media." September. 2013. Web. 6 Feb 2014. http://www.alive.com/articles/view/23615/teenagers_and_social_media Niemer addresses issues related to social media on a neutral perspective with a balanced view representing the positive and negative attributes of social media. She analyzes different reports with differing findings conducted on varied scales. Her analysis is segmented into different aspect that shapes the debate on social media ensuring an in-depth analysis. Apart from just addressing the issues emanating from the widespread use of social media, she moves a step ahead to consider the possible solutions to some of the issues such as age. McCann, Austin. "Negative Impact of Social Media on Teens." web log post. Austin McCann. 28th May 2014. Web. 6 Feb 2014. http://austinmccann.com/2013/05/28/negative-impact-of-social-media-on-teens/ McCann writes an article that delves into the negative aspects of social media on teenagers. She refers to the social media as being hyper-connected and in the process enslaving the lives of teenagers. She links the social media to the trend by teenagers being always connected while at the same time increasing the comfort and reducing the sensitivity of users. Interest in the topic The topics under discussion in the three articles are interesting because of the various views expressed by the three authors on issues related to social media. The social media has proven to be one of the controversial tools of communication developed over the last century. The social media separates different generations with teenagers becoming increasingly absorbed in form of communication leading to a paradigm shift in socialization. Remarkably, effects of social media based on research are importance as opposed to issuance of blanket judgments lacking factual support. This is point clearly stands out in the three articles where two of the articles that include a supporting and neutral article rely on factual basis as opposed to the general assumptions presented by McCann without scientific research to back up her claims. She makes assertions based on personal experiences and this is open to bias as opposed to the other writers who refer to previously conducted research work on the same topic. The three texts offer an interesting perspective when it comes to language investigation. The texts use varied styles of writing, but with some minor similarities in the choice of wording. They are appropriate for language investigation analysis due to their presentation of information in small and clear passages, which have been clearly established to illustrate the underlying issues in the intensive debate. The first text by Thompson exhibits strong characteristics of grammatical as well as lexical cohesion. The grammatical cohesion is based on the structure of the text that is presented in prose form with well-developed paragraphs. The paragraphs build on each other with well-constructed thoughts completing the lexical cohesion of the text. The opening paragraph tackles the issue of texting amongst teenagers and the views of different people, which builds to the second paragraph describing the views of a scientist. This format develops throughout the article with one thought building to the next and the author disclosing the positive aspects of social media. The second article by Niemer offers an excellent base for linguistic scrutiny owning to the cohesion and general arrangement of the article. The article is aimed at expounding on the positive and negative features associated with social media and this is broken down into different subtitles covering different aspects of the topic. The subtitles are arranged systematically advancing the views of the author supported by previous research work. The author approaches different aspects of the topic through research questions that have determined answers. The points indicate different views on the positive and negative attribute of social media. The use of phonology is emphasized by the short and precise sentence structure adhered to in the text. McCann’s article has little structure visible from the general outlook as it is divided into large paragraphs divided to support differing aspects of the debate. Review of “That Awkward Moment”- language production That awkward moment can be described as an awkward movie that provides a comic representation of the romantic lives of three friends. Notably, it is of interest in that the movie’s main character, Jason, played by Zac Efron is a contrast of the expected comic side as he is portrayed as a sociopath. The interesting aspect that arises in the movie relates to the three lead characters that have significant deficiencies in their love and romantic life. Jason is portrayed as a ruthless player who does not care about his actions and the harm caused to the women he is involved with a case that is almost similar to Daniel’s played by Miles Teller. Daniel is partly a goof, but like his friend Jason, he is a player. The third character in the movie who is married is found in the middle of a sour end to his marriage upon discovering that his wife is having an affair. The three friends lead a similar life with Jason and Daniel being afraid of being entangled into a serious relationship and this leads to what is referred as “the awkward moment.” The moment arises when one person dates a woman for several weeks leading to the question, “where the whole thing is headed”. The two friends dread that moment and this contributes to the short-term relationships they get involved in with the fear of commitment. The two perceive dating as a source of increased fun while this is contrary to their inner convictions, which expose their fear of commitment. Mikey, their friend seeks a divorce from the failed marriage in which his wife was unfaithful and Jason and Daniel to get involved in a serious relationship can link this to the fear. The two men, contrary to their outer beliefs have soft sides when it comes to dating and soon they get involved with women who expose their weakness. The two develop an attachment in the process of dating as they indicate a caring attitude. Jason meets Ellie and certain actions indicate his soft side and the drive to quit his womanizing behavior. He is concerned over Ellie, but is torn on whether his actions betray his emotions. In one instance he is torn on attending, the burial of Ellie’s father with the fear that it could indicate their relationship was serious. The movie presents the picking of women from bars seems an easy task and is appalling that the character of Jason is given heroic credit despite his disregard for women. The love scenes draw viewers to the character of Poots, Ellie, and a publisher who is in love with the leading character Jason. Jason is portrayed as a character whose sole interest lies on bedding different women up to the point where a question is raised on the direction of the relationship. That question mark the end of what would have been a romantic relationship as it leads to Jason dumping the girl. The comic aspects of the movie are reduced by the pride exhibited by the lead character after he dumps a girl. On the other hand, Daniel relies on the help of his friends and a girl who hides here crush on him to the disappointment of viewers. The two friends are interested in pulling Mikey into their circle by re introducing him to dating. The movie is not an ordinary romantic comedy as it lacks the fluidity and accessibility as with other romantic comedies. The comedy has some rough edges that do not appeal on the overall as would be expected as viewers find themselves developing distaste for the lead character, Jason. Commentary The writing process of the language production was an intensive one with consideration placed on the main aspects of the movie. The movie is R rated and by description a comedy, but this assertions are subject to deeper scrutiny in understanding the major theme of love and fear of commitment. The writing process is informed by the key elements of the movie that involve the portrayal of the major characters as playboys, which is contrary to the reality. The style chosen in writing the language production piece follows careful consideration of the target audience, which is largely comprised of young people and specifically teenagers. Teenagers form the bulk of internet users in different social platforms while at the same time they form the bigger audience for the film. This informs the simple structure of the review for the movie analyzed in simple paragraphs. The paragraphs give insight into the different aspects of love life emanating from the movie. The characters are responsible for the development of the story in the movie and their importance is underlined in their inclusion in all the paragraphs. The structure of the analysis involves a lot of emphasis on the fear portrayed by the two leading characters in the movie. Emphasis on the fear of commitment is important in ensuring viewers do not interpret the movie otherwise. The portrayal of the playboy characters is not genuine, but rather a cover up for weak emotional aspects of the lead characters. The structure follows both lexical and grammatical cohesion. The buildup of thoughts in the analysis contributes to the grammatical cohesion of the review. Grammatical cohesion is an important component in ensuring that viewers interpret each scene as portrayed. The other key element of the style chosen in writing the article relates to the wording and length of sentences. The sentences form a matrix structure dominated by short sentences in the delivery of the message. The writing process involved watching the movie over different sessions to get a deeper understanding of the underlying message. This entailed in-depth analysis through note taking to ensure that the major highlights of the movie were captured in writing. These small pieces of crucial information led to the development of a comprehensive review that included every aspect of the theme of love and fear of commitment. The movie offers an intricate case for analysis that proves to carry immense importance in overruling critics of the quality. Works cited Mccann, Austin. "Negative Impact of Social Media on Teens." web log post. Austin McCann. 28th May 2014. Web. 6 Feb 2014. . Niemer, Ellen. "Teenagers and Social Media." September. 2013. Web. 6 Feb 2014. . Thompson, Clive. "Teenagers and social networking – it might actually be good for them." Saturday 5 October. 2013. Web. 6 Feb 2014. . Read More