ENG1502 ASS2.docx

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Discourse and analyses
The environment I got my posters and signs from is a mini shopping complex that has a few local shops and a noticeboard where all the information that the public should know about is placed in. The information includes advertisements, updates about entertainment, job vacancies, rooms to rent road signs outside the shopping complex and many more.
Image1 Poster is an advertisement about a plot that is for sale. The purpose of the advertisement is to call the public's attention to the plot that is being sold; the seller is hoping to get a buyer by using a large billboard in big prints to advertise the plot. The language that has been used is formal, it is in a written form and short sentences have been used. The advertiser has used capital letter and bold words. Style and audience the style of the advertisement is factual and the audience is the working class since a big plot is expensive and cannot be purchased just by anyone. The denotative meaning of plot is an area of land that has been measured and is considered as a unit, the literal meaning "plot for sale" is that a plot is being sold. Association The plot can be associated with a new house or a new business building because the person who might be interested in it will have to build something in the empty space. Symbolism words have been used to convey the message, the plot in the background shows interested buyers what they would be investing their money in and the actual plot has been used instead of a picture that would represent the actual thing. Cultural the plot has no significant culture. Image2 a symbol I have identified is a stop sign, the purpose of a stop sign is to remind the drivers that they have to stop when they get to the sign, a stop sign is also used to reassure the safety of pedestrians as they cross the road and it controls the flow of traffic. Language the word "stop" is a command that all drivers have to adhere to. The word is formal and straight forward. Style and audience style is formal and the audience is the driver, pedestrians and everyone in the community and all over the world.
Connotation some people can associate the sign with danger death, and a fine ticket if they don't stop when they see it, past experiences contributes to these feelings. Denotation A stop sign is a traffic sign to notify drivers that they must stop before proceeding. Association the sign is associated with driving, traffic and outdoor activities. Symbolism the sign contains a symbol an octagon and a written word the symbol and the word stop combined are used to represent the idea of stopping when we come across the sign. Symbols have become a language on their own because people can easily interpret the sign as a stop sign even without the words stop. Cultural the sign is universal and is used worldwide it does not belong to any specific culture but for drivers and pedestrians. Image 3 purpose the post was compiled by someone who is advertising their business and is looking for people who would be interested in their services, language the text contains some grammatical errors the language is not entirely up to standard and two languages have been included in the advert Afrikaans and English two languages were included to accommodate people who can't read English. Style and audience the post is formal it shows no emotions and no personal feelings, the intended audience is the people who would like to use the truck. Connotation the moment people see the word truck they think about moving away to a new place and leaving everyone behind because trucks are normally used when people move away. Denotation The truck would be used to move anything it is not only used to move furniture's but large goods too. Association the truck being large can be associated with long distance travelling, heavy and large goodies Image4 Purpose is to inform people who would like to drive about the driving academy that offers driving lessons. Language there is some word play as the word driver is repeated twice. Rhetorical device is used to convey a message to the reader with the intention to persuade them to a different perspective. Amplification, repetition of the word driver has been used to add emphasis "Affordable driving lessons, qualified diving instructors"
Symbolisation the traffic signs in the picture convey driving and the rules of the road. Contextual association Image 5 a posters advertising a job the purpose of the advert is to inform all job seekers about the available job and what they will need to apply. Language the language that has been used is formal and professional, it has good punctuation, the abbreviations have been explained in the brackets Style and audience the style of the advertisement is formal because the advertised post is for people that have a certain educational background, the audience are the job seekers who meet the requirements. Association a new job is associated with money, a new environment and meeting new people.


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Reference:
Ronald Cater, Angela Goddard, Danuta Reah, Keith Sanger, Nikki Swift. (1997) Working with texts: a core introduction to language analysis, London and New York: Routledge
Nomsa Zindela, Dr Felicity Horne, Mr Clifford Ndlangamandla,Foundations in applied english language studies, University of South Africa : Pretoria
http://www.globalpsychics.com/articles-and-news/signs-and-symbols/ (Accessed: 16/09/2014)



Name: Khothatso Mohapi
SEMESTER: 2
Assignment number: 02
Student number: 51859610
Unique number: 865041
Study unit: ENG1502