Today, we're going to examine the role of grammar, style, and syntax in understanding the conventions of genre. This post complements Haley Stouffer's article "How i Lrnd 2 Txt: An Adventure in Genre."
Three Videos
First, let's very briefly consider three very different videos. Although each of these videos are centered on the same genre - "education tips" for students - you'll notice that each video produces a vastly different rhetorical effect. Why do you suppose this is? (and you only need to watch the first minute of each video to see this effect.)
Video 1: The Business Professional
Anna gives a single, very brief tip. Note what she told us before giving this tip, however.
Video 2: The Teacher
Graham Best is also giving study tips. But consider how many tips he's giving. Also, what is his tone of voice? Who is the target audience? Who is the real target audience? (The video is 5 minutes, but you only need to watch the first minute or so.)
Video 3: The Student
From the very first, what's different about this video? Why? (The video is 3 minutes, but you only need to watch the first minute or so.)
Genre Depends Upon the Motives of the Speaker and the Expectations of the Audience
In the three videos, we can compare language, video quality, and quantity of information to draw conclusions about our speakers and their intended audiences. In Stouffer's Article, we noticed similar differences between the narrator's love of texting and the relative inexperience and/or distrust shown by her older family members.
Let's break this down further. Why do these differences come about? Why don't her grandparents trust texting as much? Why do she and her friends become masters in this new medium? In her story, we see that her mastery of this new genre depended upon her mastering the expectations of the genre, including:
"Need for Speed": She and her friends were communicating about plans and gossip while surrounded by would-be eavesdroppers.At the same time, there are some definite limitations to this genre, making it unsuitable for some situations:
Price: Given the 160-character limit and the ten-cent price tag, she had to compress her thoughts into as few letters and numbers as possible. Words and phrases were compressed to conserve space.
Driving: It's not good to text while driving.If we examine other genres, we'll find a very similar interplay between the "needs" of the genre and the distinct physical limits of the medium.
Talking with Grandparents: Older family members find text communications to be too short and bereft of emotion.
Consider the following genres in terms of their needs and limitations:
Online Ads
Magazine Articles
E-mail Messages
Course Syllabi
Warning Placards (e.g. on an airliner)
Genre is a Distinctly Cultural Phenomenon
In considering the example genres, did you include the needs of the writers? What about the expectations of the audience? Do these genres always have a willing audience? Or is there some manipulation on the part of the writer?
Group Work
Think about which media you've used over the past couple days. Have you been reading online articles? Comic books? E-mail? Textbooks?
First, consider the different purposes of each genre. Which ones aim to simply communicate information? Which ones aim to change your behavior? What rhetorical tools do these genres use in order to achieve their ends?
First, consider the different purposes of each genre. Which ones aim to simply communicate information? Which ones aim to change your behavior? What rhetorical tools do these genres use in order to achieve their ends?
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