Stimulus:
On Anzac Day, we acknowledge those who have chosen to serve in our name and follow in the steps of our Anzac forebears. We acknowledge that they and their families disproportionally bear the cost of maintaining our freedoms and way of life. We honour them and give thanks. We remember and reflect.
A beloved friend of Linda and mine passed away in 2008. Alec Hill was my military history lecturer at Duntroon. He was a veteran of the Second World War. A Rat of Tobruk, Alec also fought at El Alamein and later in the Pacific. He knew combat and he knew Australian soldiers. I went to him for advice on many occasions. The Governor-General’s Anzac Day National Address
Naidoc Week 2024: “’Blak, Loud, and Proud’ encapsulates the unapologetic celebration of Indigenous identity, empowering us to stand tall in our heritage and assert our place in the modern world. “This theme calls for a reclamation of our narratives, an amplification of our voices, and an unwavering commitment to justice and equality.” National Naidoc Committee Co-Chair Co-Chair Steven Satour
Article on Racism in Northern Territory’s Police Force: “WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the name of a person who has died, used with the permission of their family”.
Tenor
This refers to the relationships between participants in a language activity and relates especially to social distance. It also involves the level of formality participants adopt (formal, colloquial, etc.). Tenor will be affected by how well people know each other and their purpose for participation.
Purpose(s) can include meeting politeness expectations, establishing expertise and authority, reinforcing social distance and hierarchies, and negotiating social taboos. Any given text can have more than one purpose and there is no set list of purposes.
Dictionary meaning: tenor – the course of thought or meaning which runs through something written or spoken; purport; drift; settled or prevailing course or direction; general purport; drift of speech or writing
It also is the “tone” or meaning of a spoken comment.
In Australia, one’s status or position in a conversation is not easily distinguishable by their appearance. Therefore, communication is more direct and functionally-purposed to convey one’s message with clarity. Criticism can be delivered vaguely in order to remain polite and avoid conflict, but an Australian’s intention and meaning is usually apparent through their precise word choice. They tend to speak very honestly, yet with reasonable sensitivity.
Nina Evason, ‘Communication’, SBS Cultural Atlas, <https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/>, 2021
Topic sentences:
Undoubtedly, the tenor of a conversation has a significant impact upon the positive face needs of participants, especially in public contexts involving diverse social groups. The larger the social distance, and the less familiar the participants to the discourse , then the more important it is for interlocutors to use formal linguistic features of SAE. These include politeness conventions, euphemisms, person-first language and gender-neutral terminology, which help interlocutors navigate taboo topics. Such terminology makes citizens feel respected and included. Such language also protects people’s dignity and self-worth. (the use of person-first language; the use of pronouns to avoid misgendering; the use of person-first language; honorifics)
In public, dignitaries and spokespersons place considerable emphasis on the use of a respectful and inclusive tone to navigate a wide and broad social distance often involving varied cultural groups. On momentous occasions, by finding the right tenor, public representatives are able to cultivate a sense of national pride, a sense of belonging, and a feeling of solidarity — even patriotism. An appropriate tenor may involve a blend of informal and formal linguistic features. Australia day speeches, Anzac Day Speeches, Harmony Week Speeches.
In private social interactions or in comedic contexts, interlocutors may seek to modify politeness strategies in accordance with a closer social distance. Group members might often employ face-threatening politeness strategies in an ironic or inverted manner. This helps to bind members of the group in an exclusive way or in a way that protects the sanctity of the group and strengths bonds.
- See List of Current Formal Examples .
- List of Informal Examples