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Refer to Exercise 22, p. 36: “Sport Talk”
Find examples of Mr Trippler’s language features.
- inclusive words/ generalisation: “We all know that it’s a man’s game”;
- words with positive connotations / euphemisms: the “incident”; “attention”; the assault is simply the consequence of the “impact nature of the sport”; and
- appeal to tradition: it has been a “man’s game” for the past “50 years”.
Write a paragraph focussing on Mr Tripler’s depiction of the supporters:
Mr Trippler uses positive terms to praise those who enjoy the “man’s game”. He appeals to tradition and the “spirit of the game” to support his argument that football should be played in a rough and manly manner. Euphemisms such as “attention” and “incident” have positive connotations and deliberately downplay the nature of the assault. Depicting AFL football as stereotypically a “man’s game”, offensively assumes that only men can tolerate the rough nature of football. It seems this writer deliberately employs this generalisation to consolidate support among (male) football supporters.
Words relating to those who complain:
- exclusive/ colloquial terms to attack opponents: It is a “man’s game”; “wusses”; “cry babies”;
- figurative expression: “bubble-wrapped cry babies”; and
- indignant and exasperated tone: “If you’re so distressed, put your tissues away and watch lawn bowls instead.”
Mr Trippler deliberately uses harmful and offensive language to isolate the “wusses” and sooks” who complain about the harsh treatment meted out to Nick Riewoldt. He also uses a figurative expression such as “bubble wrapped cry babies” to suggest that those who complain are weak-willed and over-emotional. Such opponents are further threatened and demeaned by the exclusive use of the second person pronoun, “you”, as in “if you can’t take it, don’t watch it”. The purpose of these terms is to shame those whom he believes are not capable of enjoying football the way he thinks it should be played.
How does Mr Crocker depict the AFL fans who condone the violent assault?
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