Linguistic Imperialism through Popular Culture

Linguistic imperialism is defined as the "transfer of a dominant language to other people.” This can be done in a number of ways and there are many modern threats to the preservation of language. This allows English to become the dominant language rather than the many other languages previously spoken. One of the ways that this is done is through popular culture. Popular culture defines the mainstream ideas that are created through movies, media and other forms of expression. Pop culture is used in order to define which language is the one to use in order to stay relevant, modern and accepted. This has a great impact on people, especially the youth where they find the need to be a part of this culture. It communicates that in order for one to stay relevant and be wanted, they should speak English regularly. This means that the youth will prominently speak English in attempt to become a part of this culture and to conform to it. As a consequence, the younger generation will speak their mother tongue less and it will become weakened. For example, younger mothers increasingly prefer to teach their children English. They believe that this allows them to excel in their learning and overshadows their learning of their mother tongue. Further, it causes them to think of their mother tongue as inferior and one that does not allow them to progress. This can all be a result of pop culture’s definition of English as the dominant language. Using popular culture to define the language of power is one of the most useful modern threats. It appears as though people are willingly using English as there are no economic or political barriers. However, it is the way that reaches the everyday person, making it more powerful and widespread. 

Read More

Text 2 Analysis - Reviewed

This text is an article written by an Oxfam employee for their website, it discusses the food crisis in Sahel. It begins with an introductory paragraph that highlights what the articles will discuss, a common characteristic of articles. Throughout the article, the ideas are continually backed up by facts and figures, which aim for credibility. The overall purpose is not to inform of the crisis but to highlight how this particular organization is helping it. Through this, they are able to promote Oxfam and allow it appear reliable. However this self-promotion is not negative as it is highlighting how they are helping people and saving lives, a positive thing.

The purpose of this article is to inform the reader of the crisis and the measures that Oxfam is taking. It begins by educating us on the matter by presenting facts and figures and backs this up with numbers. Then it gets to its main purpose where is tells the reader about Oxfam's involvement in the issues. It aims to inform the viewer with facts and not to persuade them to be a part of this action. With this purpose in mind, the audience is basically anyone. It may be especially directed to those who have interest in helping this particular cause however everyone can benefit from it. Therefore the article is written in an easily understandable manner which allows anyone to value from it. By discussing an issue that is affecting a large group of people, it can be targeted to anyone who cares about human life, presumably everyone. However, this article may be especially targeted towards people in the region who have interest in lives around them. This does not include the people they are actually helping because they would not have access to the website that the article is published on.

The article begins by summing up the source of the issue as well as discussing the figures and lengths of this food crisis. It talks about the development of the situation and what may happen in the future. Then it goes on to mention what Oxfam is doing to help the situation in the countries that are impacted. It gives numbers of the amount of people they are helping and in which particular way.

The tone is a serious, professional and informative one that discusses a saddening issue in a skilled way. They appeal to emotion however it is not over the top and it is very moderate. They are able to present facts and figures however remain humane in their way of writing. The vocabulary is clear and easy to read however maintains the level of professionalism needed for such a large organization. There is constant use of statistics which is very useful to put the issue into perspective. The title is very simple and the major impact is left for a large quote as a subtitle. This quote highlights the idea of helping and appeals to pathos where is encourages humanitarian aid. The mood is rather neutral and does not slip into somewhat demanding sympathy but rather allows the reader to focus on the message. This is because the message is not to persuade the reader to help but simply to inform them, which may lead to their interest in helping. Therefore the tone can be considered an encouraging one without being a persuading one because it is subtle.

The structure plays a large part of this article because it is a website article and the visuals are prominent. There is a picture used to visualise the discussed topic which can be more impactful than if it was just plain text. There are several fonts that are used depending on the placement of the text. The article is also cut up into several sections where it discusses the different aspects of the issue. It does not use personal pronouns in order to maintain the level of professionalism needed. It can be considered an ideological standpoint as it based on morals and helping those in need. The article does not use figurative language, but instead uses professional, journalism appropriate wording.

Read More

Text 2 Analysis

This text is an article written by an Oxfam employee for their website, it discusses the food crisis in Sahel. It begins with an introductory paragraph that highlights what the articles will discuss, a common characteristic of articles. Throughout the article, the ideas are continually backed up by facts and figures, which aim for credibility. The overall purpose is not to inform of the crisis but to highlight how this particular organization is helping it. Through this, they are able to promote Oxfam and allow it appear reliable. However this self-promotion is not negative as it is highlighting how they are helping people and saving lives, a positive thing.

The purpose of this article is to inform the reader of the crisis and the measures that Oxfam is taking. It begins by educating us on the matter by presenting facts and figures and backs this up with numbers. Then it gets to its main purpose where is tells the reader about Oxfam's involvement in the issues. With this purpose in mind, the audience is basically anyone. It may be especially directed to those who have interest in helping this particular cause however everyone can benefit from it. Therefore the article is written in an easily understandable manner which allows anyone to value from it. By discussing an issue that is affecting a large group of people, it can be targeted to anyone who cares about human life, presumably everyone.

The article begins by summing up the source of the issue as well as discussing the figures and lengths of this food crisis. It talks about the development of the situation and what may happen in the future. Then it goes on to mention what Oxfam is doing to help the situation in the countries that are impacted. It gives numbers of the amount of people they are helping and in which particular way.

The tone is a serious, professional and informative one that discusses a saddening issue in a skilled way. They appeal to emotion however it is not over the top and it is very moderate. They are able to present facts and figures however remain humane in their way of writing. The vocabulary is clear and easy to read however maintains the level of professionalism needed for such a large organization. There is constant use of statistics which is very useful to put the issue into perspective. The title is very simple and the major impact is left for a large quote as a subtitle. This quote highlights the idea of helping and appeals to pathos where is encourages humanitarian aid. The mood is rather neutral and does not slip into somewhat demanding sympathy but rather allows the reader to focus on the message.

The structure plays a large part of this article because it is a website article and the visuals are prominent. There is a picture used to visualise the discussed topic which can be more impactful than if it was just plain text. There are several fonts that are used depending on the placement of the text. The article is also cut up into several sections where it discusses the different aspects of the issue. 

Read More