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Essay Sample: “Language has the power to expose outdated values and influence social change.” Discuss.
Formal language and social purpose
- Essay 1: Formal language is mainly used to clarify meaning, but it can also be used to obfuscate.
- Essay 2: Does political correctness unite us or divide us?
- Essay 3: Freedom of speech is a double-edged sword
- Essay 4: Formal language can both promote and prevent social harmony. To what extent do you agree?
- Essay 5: How have changing social attitudes influenced language use in Australia. Discuss.
- Essay 6: “All euphemistic language, including doublespeak, is at heart a lie to conceal truth and as such, should play no part in effective communication”. Discuss, referring to at least two subsystems in your response.
- Essay 7: Using language to negotiate positive and negative face acts
- Essay 8: Language is a tool for building but it is also a weapon
- Essay 9: Language is a powerful tool that influences social attitudes
- Essay 10: Discuss current social attitudes towards taboo language and swearing. How are these attitudes exemplified by modern language use?
- Essay 11: Formal Language and Power: formal language favours those in positions of power and influence. Discuss.
Offline and online forms of communication
Essay 1: The nature of digital communication, for better or worse, is changing the way we use the English Language.
Informal language and social purpose
- Essay 1: Informal language has a variety of functions in Australian society. What do you see are some of the crucial roles of informal language in contemporary Australia?
- Essay 2: Profanity is an emotive communicative tool which plays a variety of roles in contemporary Australian society. Discuss.
Identity – standard and non-standard varieties
- Essay 1: Some varieties of Australian English are more prestigious than others.
- Essay 2: Contemporary Australians use a number of overt and covert language norms to construct their identity.
- Essay 3: Standard Australian English must remain the most prestigious variety of English.
- Essay 4: An understanding of Standard Australian English is needed to be able to communicate in all contexts in contemporary Australian society. To what extent is this true?
Identity – individual and group identities
- Essay 1: Social identity is constructed primarily through language. Discuss referring to at least two subsystems.
- Essay 2: The language choices we make reflect who we are and the social groups to which we belong.
- Essay 3: Language is shaped by social attitudes
- Essay 4: Covert linguistic features help to establish solidarity
- Return to: Essays and contemporary examples 2021 for language variation
- References to linguists and relevant commentators (which ones?)
- A range of commentaries (formal/informal/spoken/written)
- Return to our Welcome Page: Overview of English Works Notes and Resources
