​Unit 3 - Area of Study 2: Formal language

Outcome 2​

Identify and analyse distinctive features of formal language in written and spoken texts.

Examples of learning activities

• In groups, select examples of formal language from a domain such as education; discuss why a formal register has been used in each of these texts and the possible impact on participants’ face needs: textbooks, school website and song, reports, Principal’s assembly speech, parental correspondence, behaviour contracts.
• Collect samples of texts in a formal register from domains which generate a range of formal language texts, including the law and government; read and examine the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities; list in a tabular format the language features of the charter across each of the subsystems; present findings to the class as an oral presentation, poster or analytical commentary.
• Write a progressive story where each person in the class writes for two or three minutes and then passes their paper onto the next person whose job it is to continue the story in a different writing style; the teacher will announce each time the genre or style of writing expected, for example, students might begin writing in the style of a fairy tale, then write in the style of an advertisement, followed by the style of an email; the aim is to maintain coherence within the text, while writing in different styles or genres; the finished products can be read to the class and an assessment made of textual cohesion and coherence.
• After close reading, write an analysis of the stylistic features of a literary text; this could include extracts from poetry, novels, and plays.
• Identify and discuss the phonological stylistic features of a ballad or a hymn.
• Investigate the language characteristic in ‘oaths’, such as the Olympic Oath, Scouting Promise or Australia’s Pledge of Commitment for new citizens, and how the language reflects the situational and cultural contexts.
• Read a legal document such as a will, a building contract or a piece of legislation and discuss the common sentence types used, how cohesion and coherence are achieved, and the use of any jargon; discuss the prevalence of coordinating conjunctions.
• Watch some speeches on ‘Strictly Speaking’; transcribe a prepared monologue and an unprepared speech; analyse the language features of each transcription; compare the levels of informality in each; compare a ‘winning’ speech with a not so successful speech: What language features help make it a ‘winner’?
• Discuss level of formality in a semi-scripted conversation, for example in interview/chat shows; in placing the language within the continuum formal–informal, refer to features of informal and formal language.
• 
  Analyse the features of formal texts such as the War Memorial’s website and/or the audio transcript of Kevin Rudd’s Sorry Speech 2008 (see Resources) and/or Paul Keating’s Remembrance Speech 1993; discuss the syntactic patterning present, as well as the use of semantic features; write an essay explaining the role of these semantic and syntactic patterns in creating coherence and cohesion, and how they enhance the overall effect of the speech.
• View an episode of a television version of a period drama such as 'Downton Abbey' and examine how the characters use excessive politeness at times to either lessen or increase social distance; decide which is happening in each instance; consider the ramifications of some characters not revealing their true feelings.
• In small groups, compile a list of all the words and phrases used in society today to describe ‘death’ and ‘sex’; decide which are euphemisms and which are dysphemisms, and discuss the different connotations of each.
• Read the story of ‘Cinderella’ from Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl and discuss the changing social expectations of language and the development of taboo with regard to gender, sexuality, disability, race and ethnicity.
• Using on online thesaurus tool, list a range of words and phrases to express sympathy and condolences and examine their typical linguistic features.
• Create and transcribe conversations dealing with embarrassing or difficult topics, such as body odour, sacking an employee, breaking off a relationship, a parent/teacher interview, criticising another’s actions; discuss the language features used, including euphemisms and other politeness strategies, and how these facilitate such interactions and assist in meeting face needs.
• Compare the way that the same event is reported in a range of different media (print and digital); examine how lexical and syntactic choices in particular reveal assumptions about readers’ values and general knowledge.
• Watch the YouTube video of John Clarke and Brian Dawe presenting ‘Julia’s First Interview’; what features of Gillard’s language are highlighted and exaggerated to create a satire on the art of political spin?
• Examine and analyse the language used in the websites of the major Australian political parties; explore the varying levels of formality and the way language is used positively and negatively to promote a certain point of view.
• Write an essay on a related topic, for example ‘In this age of digital communication, is formal language an endangered species in Australian society?’

 

​​Detailed example​

Types and features of formal texts

1. Go to the website of the Australian War Memorial and list different examples of formal language. These could include the Privacy and Copyright statements as well as information about the Memorial’s history and activities.
2. Pick one text and analyse the discourse and language features which contribute to this text’s formal register. Consider lexicon, including jargon; sentence types and structures; use of passive voice; information flow; and politeness strategies.
3. In groups, discuss how the language in various sections of the website is carefully constructed to present a positive image of Australia’s war involvement. Present findings to the class.
4. Listen to the audio and read the transcript of Kevin Rudd’s Sorry Speech 2008 and/or Paul Keating’s Remembrance Speech 1993 (see Resources).
   
5. Discuss the syntactic patterning present in the speech, as well as the use of semantic features. Write an essay explaining the role of these semantic and syntactic patterns in creating coherence and cohesion, and how they enhance the overall effect of the speech.