How do you write a language analysis essay?

Answer 1

My Professor is having us do a Language Analysis paper about our dialect. Below are her instructions. Hope it helps on getting you started.

1. Region(s) where you've lived (1 p.) What do you notice about your speech compared to other Chicagoans (how do you pronounce "Chicago"?) What's your neighborhood vocabulary (What

places? Parks? Major streets & transportation lines? Hospitals or churches? Stores or malls?) If you've

lived in other areas, in or out of the city - how did they speak there? Did you pick up any new words,

expressions or pronunciation or grammar patterns as a result?

1. Your ethnic background (1+ pp.) How do you identify your nationality or ethnic background? How does this affect the language or words you use in any part of your life? Do you and your

family speak a different language/dialect/style at home? What holidays, ethnic foods, private words

(endearments or swears) come into your life? Will you keep your identify with your ethnicity in your future

life or does it matter to you less than to your parents. How about to your grandparents?

1. Your social class, education, parental influence, ambitions (1+pp.) Gauge your social class based on factors discussed in class. How does your idiolect fit? Did your parents expect you to speak in certain ways? Compare your speech with peers, including those from different backgrounds and those who didn't continue their education. When did you become aware of others using different speech forms? Did they seem better, worse or just different? How will your profession/vocation change your speech?
2. Your age ( ¾ - 1 p.) How does your language differ from your parents' and grandparents'? From people 10-15 years older than you? From those 4-6 years younger? How much slang do you use?

Do you swear? Much? When? What slang do you use? When? With whom?

1. Your gender (¾ -1 p.) How does your language compare to age peers of the opposite sex? Do you interrupt, take the floor, push to have your topic talked about? Do you tell more or fewer dirty jokes?

What about names for sexual & other bodily parts and functions? scientific terms or "crude" ones? Why?

1. Individual experiences - bilingualism, code-switching,) jobs, personal interests, etc, (1-2 pp) How have special experiences affected your accent, vocabulary or special uses of language? If you are bilingual or bidialectical, when & with whom do you use which code? If you're with a person speaking the same languages/ dialects, how much do you switch from one to the other? What causes these switches? Are there times when you will not switch?
2. Which speech styles you choose to use, when, with whom, and why? (1-2 pp.)

How do you speak to your siblings as compared to your parents? Grandparents? Friends compared to

teachers and bosses? Clients or customers? Review Joos' styles and tell with whom and when you say what:

What circumstances make your language intimate, casual, consultative, formal - or frozen?

Answer 2

To write a language analysis essay, start by choosing a piece of text to analyze, such as an article, speech, or advertisement. Identify the author's purpose, audience, and tone, then analyze the language techniques used to convey these elements. Structure your essay with an introduction, body paragraphs focusing on different techniques, and a conclusion summarizing your main points. Make sure to use evidence from the text to support your analysis.