AVVISI

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• AVVISI
• Risultati prova intermedia affissi aula 305
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• Paper entro 19/3/04
• Lezioni terminano 19/3/04 (inclusa)
• 22/3 PROVA SCRITTA h. 14.30 (scritti Marzo,
  Settembre, Dicembre)
• 30/3 APPELLO ORALE h. 9.00

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• Margaret Thatcher
• The Falklands Factor
• Cheltenham, 3 July 1982
• M.Thatcher conservative (Iron Lady) puritan
  radical politics brushing up old imperial
  politics (absolute power)
• Falklands battle in 1982, while UK is planning a
  gradual retreat of the Navy from the South
  Atlantic, Argentinians attack the islands
  (south-east of Patagonia) and Thatcher starts a
  victorious naval war (particular appeal to sense
  of national identity)
• PREDICTION ON TITLE keywords Thatcher/Falklands/
  1982
• What battle in Falklands
• Who M.Thatcher
• To whom British people
• Channel pubblic speech (recorded by BBC)
• When 3 July 1982

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• TOPIC SENTENCES
• Par. 1 Yet we also fought alone () for our own
  sovereign territory.
• Par. 2 There were those who would not () quarter
  of the world
• Par. 3 The lesson of the Falklands () history
• Par. 4 We have to see that the spirit () can now
  be fired by peace
• Par. 5 We have the confidence and we must use it
• Par. 6 Things are not going to be the same again
• PURPOSE OF AUTHOR CONATIVE FUNCTION persuade
  audience that Britain is still powerful battle
  was right choice
• TONE direct (indicative/imperative)
• STYLE formal (old aristocratic rhetoric)
  passives/ polysyllabic lexis/ impersonal forms/
  complex sentences (subord)
• LEXIS Germanic (shes trying to get to whole
  population)
• pronouns we/our vs. their/they
• IDEATIONAL MESSAGE seeking to represent herself
  as stable/safe in her position divine
  superiority of Britain (imperial race)prove
  English superiority

4

• What kind of strategy is M. Thatcher using in
  facing a male-dominated filed such as politics?
• C. Walsh, J. Coates 3 strategies
• Uncritical acceptance of pre-existing masculinist
  norms Assimilation
• Active promotion of alternative norms associated
  with womens speech Redefinition
• Performative view of gender (shifting between M/F
  depending on situation) New dimensions for
  comparison
• Sex biological category (cant be modified),
  gender sociological category (socially
  constructed Feminine/Masculine) part of social
  construction is language (tool for power)
• women can be masculine as far as gender is
  concerned Thatcher even learnt how to modify her
  language/pitch of her voice in order to sound
  like a man
• stereotypes reflected in language (see next
  slide)

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• Womens style J. Coates 1986
• -tentative utterances hedges (you know, sort
  of, just), tentative tone (less aggressive) like
  modality, think/seemlexically modal, if modal
  adjunction, probably modal adverb,
  reallysoftener
• -inclusive we to stress belonging to a group
• -tag-questions (addressee oriented
  modal/affective meaning)
• -questions (3 times as many as men)
• -politeness (paying lot of attention to mens
  negative face wants need not to be imposed on
  their positive face wants need to be liked)
  Lakoffs politeness rules Dont impose
• -indirectness (defensiveness or positive face
  Brown Levinson need to be able to save face
  by reneging if conversational contribution not
  received well I never said that)

6

• Daily Mail (8 May 1997)
• The women frothed out from Church House,
  Westminster, in a multicoloured tide. It was
• like Chelsea Flow Show meets the Girls Guides,
  as the fuchsia suits loved by the likes of
• Margaret Beckett, and Barbara Folletts
  glittering emerald green mingled with more
• sombre browns and beiges.
• -Frothed out both to come out like foam and
  to chat lightly
• -The women writer is clearly not a woman
• -Westminster politicians
• -Multicoloured tide/fuchsia suits/ glittering
  emerald green/ sombre browns and beiges
  gay/frivolous
• -Chelsea Flow Show/ Girls Guides parata di
  Chelsea/giovani scouts playing down their
  importance as MPs
• We woud never expect such a description if MPs
  were men Blairs group of women MPs were given
  the nickname Blairs Babes (allusion to Playboy
  babes frivolous/superficial stereotyped image of
  women) masculinist discoursive norms
• Communication is basic both in social
  commitment and in media discourse media tend to
  keep stereotypes on 2 sexes gendering approach
  (M/F identities)
• Stereotypes on women are ideologically
  significant iconic aspect of communication can
  express ideological issues

7

• E. Currie _ Express on Sunday (3 March 1985)
• I think that Margaret Thatcher and I would both
  say that we are not women MPs.
• Were MPs. I dont represent women. I represent
  76,000 people.
• Repetitions /use of pronouns
• Double structure Thatcher and I
• we are not/we are contrast
• I dont represent/ I represent
• Women as public figures are still marginalised
  and diminished women social commitment is an
  interesting field as for SOCIAL CONSTRAINTS
  (although changing variable, implied but not so
  strong), DISCOURSIVE PRACTICE (normscreativity
  margin), PUBLIC/PRIVATE DICHOTOMY
• Even though Currie is experienced politician she
  is not taken seriously (like Blairs Babes) as
  representative of whole population she claims
  her competence as deputy IDENTITY SUB-FUNCTION

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• Communication is basic both in social commitment
  and in media discourse media tend to keep
  stereotypes on 2 sexes gendering approach (M/F
  identities)
• Gender is not simply a pre-existing identity, but
  helps constituting, maintaining, transforming ID
  in everyday situation via talk and paralinguistic
  behaviour that accompanies it (reinforced through
  feedback)
• Metadiscoursive control by others (media)
  constraints the process of ongoing ID formation
  feminine/masculine stereotypes are reinforced
• metadiscoursive gap difference btwx individual
  way to practice stereotypes (difference btwx how
  gender is practiced and how it is represented in
  stereotypical standards)

9

• Margareth Thatcher a joke
• Through some cosmic fluke, Reagan, Thatcher, and
  Gorbachev all died on the same day.
• Off they went to the gates of Heaven. Peter,
  seeing that these were all VIPs, sent them
• straight off to the Almighty.
• God, sitting on his throne, called up Reagan.
  Ronald, my son, what have you to say for
  yourself?
• I tried to improve the US economy, replied
  Reagan, and I did my best to benefit the
• nation.
• Very well, my son, come up and sit beside me at
  my right hand. And so Reagan sat at
• his right. God then called up Gorbachev.
• Mikhail, my son, what have you to say for
  yourself?
• I tried to make Soviet society more open,
  replied Gorbachev, and I did my best to
• improve the Soviet economy.
• Very well, my son, come up and sit beside me at
  my left hand. And so Gorbachev sat
• at his left.
• God then called up Thatcher.
• Margaret, my daughter, what have you to say for
  yourself?
• Only two things, replied Thatcher. First of
  all, Im not your daughter. Secondly, get out
• of my chair!

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• Holy Trinity embodiment of male power
  (Father-Son) Thatcher breaks the direct lineage
  (Im not your daughter) with typical response to
  paternalistic approaches she claims the throne
  for herself (atypical woman proud, determined,
  unashamed)
• She uses 1st strategy uncritical acceptance of
  masculinist norms imitating masculin modality of
  communication (imperative/indicative direct)
  themes/topic (1st hierarchy takes place in
  family daughter different from son / when W
  chooses independence she finds a brotherhood
  (even linguistic) against her (LEXICAL CHOICES)
• The funny effect is obtained through opposition
  to typical stereotypes on women in a
  male-oriented society a woman is not supposed to
  be so self-conscious and shes not allowed to be
  (social constraints / social construction of
  gender)
• Linguistic conventions to be followed in leisure
  activities in modern society main feature is
  readiness to departure from norms of language
  usage breaking the rule to create special effects
  (playing with language funny, entertaining,
  intriguing) doing something unexpected with
  language
• jokes stereotyped openings/predictable
  internal structure

11

• Literary English
• We dont use language only to represent the world
  around us and to carry out our social lives we
  use it also for recreation, relaxation and
  pleasure spoken/written discourse that dont
  serve a practical purpose
• This use of language can be found in literature,
  the paradigm case of language art part of its
  function is conveying info and to enable us to
  explore hypothetical situations, but these
  utilitarian explanations are not sufficient
  from practical point of view, literary language
  is superfluous
• In these cases we have to investigate
• The way English is used (connected to EXPRESSIVE
  FUNCTION)
• Why people enjoy and value these apparently
  useless uses so much
• Literary language often described as CREATIVE
  generating imaginative fictional worlds,
  expressing original insight into the real world
  and skilfully manipulating language to create
  patterns and new usages

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• Categories multiple identities of true-born
  Englishmen English-speaking but not English-born
  (Woolf, Gandhi, while Thatcher/Edward VIII true
  born)
• Gender/ID built intersubjectively (through
  relationships)identity is crucial for validity
  of language many ID criteria intersecting with
  gender in a way that often disadvantages women
• Not only do men dominate women, but also other
  men (i.e. able-bodied over disables, heterosexual
  over homosexual, one race over another)
• Power-oriented relationships are reflected in
  language Habermas 1989 COLONIZING DISCOURSE
• Ideally communicative discourse types oriented
  towards impersonal goals
• Really strategic discourse and instrumental
  goals (variables linked to race, class, gender)
  here not only meaning is relevant, but also the
  power they want to express (up-position,
  down-position) opposed by discoursive norms
  favoured by women (they tend not to take into
  account power in their social relationships no
  social hierarchy but peers)

13

• Virginia Woolf
• As a woman I have no country
• from Three Guineas, 1938
• Writer of 1st half of 19th century, woman,
  writing at beginning of 2nd ww, asked to
  participate to a collection of money (3 guineas
  each) for soldiers her thoughts on the subject
• PREDICTION ON TITLE keywords V.Woolf/woman/count
  ry/1938
• What women and their country
• Who V.Woolf
• To whom public of readers ( women)
• Channel book
• When 1938
• TOPIC SENTENCES
• Par. 1 It is, briefly, not to incite () but to
  maintan an attitude of complete indifference
• Par. 2 as fighting is a sex characteristic()so
  it is an instinct which she cannot judge
• Par. 3 But the outsider will () base her
  indifference upon () reason
• Par. 4 All these facts will convince her () her
  person in the future is highly dubiuos
• Par. 5 When all these comparisons have been made
  () reasons for her indifference

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• PURPOSE OF AUTHOR
• EXPRESSIVE FUNCTION focus on language as means
  of literary artistic expression
• CONATIVE FUNCTION persuade women to adopt an
  attitude of indifference
• TONE direct (prevalence of infinitives
  indicative futures, significant alternation btwx
  present/ present perfect conitnuity/ some
  imperatives and modals irony about social
  stereotypes)
• STYLE literary, quite informal (active/
  polysyllabic lexis/ personal forms/ simple and
  complex sentences (coordination/subordination
  paratactic structure)
• LEXIS prevalence of germanic lexis, but mixed
  with latinate (literary text intrinsic
  complexity in choice of lexis)
• PRONOUNS significant alternation (him, he, his,
  himself vs she/her/herself) only in last
  paragraph I/You, my/our only one US not
  inclusive in meaning (me/you)
• REPETITIONS she will, our country, he cannot
  share/she cannot share, he says single terms
  (indifference, man/woman, instinct, reason,
  England, duty, outsider, country, patriotic,
  foreigner etc.

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• Mahatma Gandhi
• Non-violence is the first article of my faith
• Ahmadabad, 23 March 1922
• DECOLONISATION(process between 2 wars) UK since
  19th century (dominions autonomous communities
  obedience to British Crown) 1931 Commonwealth
  (res publica free federation of States)
• 1947 India one of first dominions to have
  independence stronger national feelings/cultural
  identity refined/educated èlites are able to
  guide national movements for independence
• Gandhi civil disobedience (refusal of Civil
  Service impieghi pubblici and of Civil
  Institutions) and non-violence he fights for
  united India, but division btwx muslims/hindu
  1947 two indep. States Indian Union (hindu),
  Pakistan (muslim) Gandhi killed 1948 by hindu
  fanatic (vs. non-violence against muslims)
• PREDICTION ON TITLE keywords Gandhi/non-violence
  /1922
• What trial speech in court
• Who Gandhi
• To whom judge/jury
• Channel official record
• When 23 March 1922

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• TOPIC SENTENCES
• Par. 1 I am here, therefore, to invite and submit
  to the highest penalty(..)citizen
• Par. 2 I should explain why (..) disaffectionist
  and non-cooperator
• Par.3 I discovered that as a man () because I
  was an Indian
• Par. 4 I saw too that not only () prolonging her
  servitude
• Par. 5 I came reluctantly () had made India more
  helpless (..) economically
• Par. 6 In my opinion the administration of the
  law () benefit of the exploiter
• Par. 7 I am satisfied that many () steady though
  slow progress
• Par. 8 to invite and submit cheerfully ()
  highest duty of a citizen
• PURPOSE OF AUTHOR
• REFERENTIAL FUNCTION (identity sub-function)
  describe situation, explain his choices, define
  himself as free Indian
• CONATIVE FUNCTIONpersuade judge/jury and move
  them to his point of view

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• TONE direct (prevalence of indicative
  present/past alternated for statements/digression,
  must as intensifier)
• STYLE quite formal, although mainly active verbs
  (polysyllabic lexis/ personal forms/ simple and
  complex sentences (coordination/subordination
  paratactic structure)
• LEXIS prevalence of germanic lexis, but mixed
  with latinate (trial speech hes educated
  trying to show hes not inferior, trying to
  articulate discourse on many different levels)
• PRONOUNS significant use of feminine/masculine
  for India/ UK reproducing relationship of
  ruler/ruled (power/domination) total
  predominance of I/my/me only few you
• REPETITIONS structures words (India, country,
  people, England, risk) all repetitions can be
  reduced to 2 main clusters of words
• Related to law/government penalty, crime,
  authority, law, administer, Government, system,
  service
• Related to Empire / exploitation Empire,
  cooperation/non-cooperator, foreign exploiter, my
  people

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COMPARISON V.WOOLF AND GANDHI

• disaffectionist and non-cooperator
• Indian / against Europeans
• My public life beganpossible by such services to
  gain a status of full equality in the Empire for
  my countrymen. The first shock came
• A disarmed India has no power of
  resistancedeprivation of self-defence
• justice has been denied to Indians/ Goverment
  estabilished by law in British India
• she has become so poor that she
• Foreign exploiter/exploitation/humilia
  tions/servitude
• Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is
  cooperation with good
• As a man and as an Indian I had no rights

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• An Interview to Lady D
• (BBC transcript) BBC Panorama, November 1995
• PREDICTION ON TITLE keywords Interview/Lady
  D/BBC/1995
• What interview on being part of Royal Family
• Who Lady Diana
• To whom TV audience
• Channel TV (BBC program)
• When November 1995
• Which strategy?

Active promotion of alternative norms
(challenging/daunting repetition of
words/structure)
A representative of formal power commenting on
her marriage she displays feminine features in
language and style i.e. focus on feelings of
wife/husband (social stereotype)
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• TONE tentative (Would modal, Seem/think
  lexically modal, desperately here lexically
  modalrepetition) more emotional
• STYLE informal (Short sentences, Coordinating
  conjunctions,Verb forms (-ing), Personal forms,
  Active voice) she presents herself as
  stereotyped wife (not direct, she would be guided
  by her husband-to-be she wasnt like that)
• LEXIS monosyllabic, germanic (clusters on
  family husband, marriage, divorced parents,
  family, team, engaged, together)
• REPETITIONS reinforcing simple strategy
  husband/marriage, daunting/challenge are most
  recurring words we/to share structures
• PRONOUNS feminine use (INTERPERSONAL FUNCTION)
  to reinforce the relation, even more in interview
  (relation is primary in communication) I/you
  idea of dialogue