THEME B: USING LANGUAGE EXPRESSIVELY
The units in this theme explore an aspect of language central to the work of any teacher of English. Consequently, they suggest ways of looking at the expressiveness of language that will complement, rather than duplicate, what is already done in this area.
The key aspect of this theme is the relationship between what we say and who we say it to, and the first four units explore ways in which every situation contains features that limit our choice of what we can say or write. Every speaker must consider the degree of formality or informality appropriate to a situation and this basic question is explored in 'Formal and informal'. 'Making speeches' is concerned with the relationship between informational and expressive content, when the chief function of an utterance is to make an emotional impact upon an audience. The next two units explore different facets of the relationship between style and setting. 'Reading the News' considers the interrelationship between the two in the context of news bulletins. 'Notices' looks at how we can miss the expressive meaning of a message if we cannot relate it to the context in which it occurs.
The next three units are all concerned with presenting messages. 'Front page' looks at the effect of layout and placing upon the expressive impact of newspapers, while 'Bias' looks at the effects of deliberately selecting the facts to create expressive impact. 'Fact and fiction' explores the use of expressive language to create the illusion that what is being presented is fact.
The last two units deal directly with the use of expressive language to persuade. 'Persuasion' considers how different public agencies make use of this expressiveness to persuade by informing, while 'Advertising' deals with the use of language to persuade the consumer to consume.