1、Text analysis for the Course of StylisticsTopic 1: Register Analysis and relevant featuresThis essay is due to analyze the text “What does it mean to be a digital native?”. (http:/ author will analyze the register of the text, and then discuss three significant features of the text in different aspe
2、cts which related to the register. 1. RegisterTo analyze the register, it is necessary to know the definition of register. Here is the description from Wiki-pedia:In linguistics, a register is a variety of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting. For example, when
3、speaking in a formal setting, an English speaker may be more likely to adhere more closely to prescribed grammar, pronounce words ending in -ing with a velar nasal instead of analveolar nasal (e.g. “walking“, not “walkin“), choose more formal words (e.g. father vs. dad, child vs. kid, etc.), and ref
4、rain from using contractions such as aint, than when speaking in an informal setting.We can get the registers definition clearly from above sentences. To say it popularly, it is different types of texts. Back to the text “What does it mean to be a digital native?”, without stylistic feature, it is b
5、etter to consider in three aspects: the texts publication site, texts content and its purpose.(1) Publication siteThis text is published at CNNs website in December 8, 2012, by a journalist of CNN. Usually, there are three registers of essays will be put in a public website: News Report, Conversatio
6、ns and Speeches, Science and Technology. It is obvious that the register is not belong to Conversations and Speeches. (2) ContentReading the whole text through, we could get the main idea of this text: It introduces the situation about people adapting to digital age in nowadays and gives the prospec
7、t in the future. The content does not have the timeliness, while it is a summarize of recent situation. Whats more, the text introduces situations of many places around the world. Therefore, the register of it must not be News Report. As a result, it belongs to Science and Technology part.(3) Purpos
8、eThe purpose of this text is simple: To let readers know the situation of people within digital age nowadays. To a large extent, it is like popular science readings. The purpose of it is conveying knowledge to its readers. So the register is Science and Technology without question.From analysis of t
9、hese three aspects, it is obvious that the register of this text is Science and Technology. Specifically, in terms of field of Science and Technology, it is a typical scientific reading concerned with social science and digital science. In terms of tenor, it is concerned with communication between s
10、pecialist and layman. In terms of mode, it is a monograph.2. Significant featuresThe language of Science and Technology includes texts of a large variety of registers. And the texts of each register of Science and Technology have developed their own stylistic characteristics. Thus we should aim at t
11、he specific features, in order to precisely analysis the text and its register. According to the text book , it is better to analysis in three aspects: Semantic features, grammatical features and lexical features.(1) RelationalizationThe development of Science and Technology mainly refers to the dev
12、elopment of the semantic system of language. The most distinct semantic feature we could see from the text is relationalization. As the major aim of scientific language is to convey information and tell the truth to the other experts or the masses, it will not focus on the actions and events concern
13、ed with the scientific investigation, but the relations between these actions and events. So the actions and events will be relationalized into things and concepts, while the relations become the verbal links between them. It is a prominent feature of the English of science and technology.E.g. any s
14、lowdown in the digital age is a “myth,“ as innovation will only press forwardas the globes dominant demographic, while the “digital immigrant,“ becomes a relicHere “as” and “while” is used for precise modification and clear logical relations. They make the relationship explicit.E.g. Prensky defines
15、digital natives as those born into an innate “new culture“ while the digital immigrants are old-world settlers.Here we could see that all conjunctive relations are explicit. Normally we have a large number of conjunctive relations made implicit as the listener can infer from the text, while here we
16、could clearly understand the opposite definitions of “natives” and “immigrants”.E.g. as innovation will only press forward “faster. And faster and faster.“will” here expresses “future” and “should” “obligation”. In Science and Technology register, there are few clauses express wishes, requests, emot
17、ions, judgments, etc.E.g. and the class systems that will be shaped by access to digital technologies.E.g. Today the latest high-tech gizmos can be passed even before hitting the shop floors.E.g. it can be akin to learning a whole new language.We may find a lot of “be” in the text for the reason tha
18、t the majority of the clauses in the text have relational processes, mainly expressed by “be”.These devices make the ever-changing world static, as if the world were not composed of events and things, but the relations between these things. It is often in conformity to our general way of research on
19、ly when we can pin something down can we really study it.(2) Participial phrasesExcept for relational process, there are one notable grammar features in the text: participial phrases.E.g. Computers and handsets are becoming an extension of body and mind, creating a Cyborg-like population.E.g. In Ind
20、ia, over two-thirds of the population live on less than $2 a day, according to the World Bank.E.g. he chief of the Strategic News Service - specializing in technology news.E.g. a term coined by U.S. author Marc Prensky in 2001E.g. is the new hierarchies created by digital literacy and the class syst
21、ems thatAll of the examples above have participial phrases. With participial phrases, we could distinctly receive a large amount of knowledge in relatively short and concise sentences.(3) Particular lexical functionWhen people invented something, they must also create a word to represent it in langu
22、age, so scientific words occurred the earliest in the register of science and technology. The main function of scientific words is to provide information for readers. To a great extent this function is realized through scientific words.E.g. but with iPhones and floppy disks.E.g. What does it mean to
23、 be a digital native?These words, like “floppy disks”“digital”, is to convey general concepts which can be used in a variety of registers. Out of the Science and Technology register, these words are usually appearing in common registers.E.g. who have lived in the analogue age and immigrated to the d
24、igital world.E.g. becoming an extension of body and mind, creating a Cyborg-like population.E.g. As technology filters into every corner of the globe andThese words are technical and professional to some extent. Their usage is to convey concepts in a specific field.E.g. Connecting with one another i
25、n the modern world requires a knack for social networking and texting, which is the norm for the digital native.These are non-finite verbs. They are due to indicate process in the form of active or passive voice.3. ConclusionWith careful analysis, we could affirm that the register of this text is Sc
26、ience and Technology. In detail, we also summarize three features from the text to prove the thesis in this essay: Relationalization, participial phrases and particular lexical function. All of them are features of certain register. While this text is not the typical register of Science and Technolo
27、gy which is between specialists on research. It should belong to such kind of popular scientific reading. Be that as it may, the text still has a lot of obvious features of Science and Technology register.【Reference】1. 张德禄 张国.A Coursebook on English Stylistics 英语文体学教程.高等教育出版社.2. 刘向红 安志红 欧阳双龙 佘锡铭.科技英
28、语文体的语域特征J.韶关学院学报，2009(1)：-.3. 夏丽华.从语域分析的角度探讨科技英语的词汇特征J.华北矿业高等专科学校学报，2001，3(4) ：105-106.4. 童远鹏.试论科技英语的语域概念J.语文学刊：高等教育版，2007(2)：65-68.5. 赵萱.科技英语语域及其语言特点J.山西农业大学学报：社会科学版，2006，5(1)： 47-48,52.【Appendix】What does it mean to be a digital native?By Oliver Joy, CNNDecember 8, 2012 - Updated 1147 GMT (1947 HK
29、T)(CNN) - The war between natives and immigrants is ending. The natives have won.It was a bloodless conflict fought not with bullets and spears, but with iPhones and floppy disks. Now the battle between the haves and have-nots can begin.The post-millennial “digital native,“ a term coined by U.S. aut
30、hor Marc Prensky in 2001 is emerging as the globes dominant demographic, while the “digital immigrant,“ becomes a relic of a previous time.The digital native-immigrant concept describes the generational switchover where people are defined by the technological culture which theyre familiar with.Read
31、more: China looks to lead the Internet of ThingsPrensky defines digital natives as those born into an innate “new culture“ while the digital immigrants are old-world settlers, who have lived in the analogue age and immigrated to the digital world.Although not Luddites, the immigrants struggle more t
32、han natives to adapt to hi-tech progress.Read more: Father of the internet: Fight for its freedomThe author of “Teaching Digital Natives,“ whose success pushed him onto the speaking circuit, says the explosion of technology over the last 10 years is just the start of a symbiotic new world. Computers
33、 and handsets are becoming an extension of body and mind, creating a Cyborg-like population.Prensky cites the 100-meter runner Oscar Pistorius, an athlete with prosthetic legs, as an example of how technology is used to enhance our lives. He told CNN: “For humans, what used to be this body of flesh
34、and bone, all that is now just the center. Being human is a moving target.“The human race and its struggle to keep up with technologyPrensky says that at no time in history has technology moved so fast. Today the latest high-tech gizmos can be passe even before hitting the shop floors.In the past -
35、during the post-industrial revolution era, for example - accelerating technology has plateaued. So, with the meteoric rise of new social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Skype, history suggests the world is overdue for a slowdown.Read more: Why arent robots doing my dishes yet?
36、But Prensky says this time, any slowdown in the digital age is a “myth,“ as innovation will only press forward “faster. And faster and faster.“He told CNN: “We are not going through a transition to another faze of stability, and that is the key point. People will always be behind now and that will b
37、e a stress they have to cope with.“The new normConnecting with one another in the modern world requires a knack for social networking and texting, which is the norm for the digital native. But for the immigrant, it can be akin to learning a whole new language.Prensky illustrates his point with forme
38、r director of the CIA David Petraeus. In November, he was embroiled in a scandal that revealed he had an affair with Paula Broadwell.The FBI uncovered the affair while it investigated e-mails that Broadwell allegedly sent to a Petraeus family friend, Jill Kelley.Prensky labels this naivety by immigr
39、ants as “digital stupidity“ - by assuming that when people decide to post online or send e-mails, they believe privacy is automatically applicable.“People get frightened by change and they should be. They need courage to face the future these days, especially those who feel left behind.“ Prensky sai
40、d. “People adapt instinctively and humans are very good at that. The young people live in the context; the older people see the changing context and struggle.“Digital povertyAs technology filters into every corner of the globe and tech cities spring up in some unlikely places from Bangalore to Tel A
41、viv, a new gulf is emerging to separate the digitally savvy from the disconnected: Poverty.In India, over two-thirds of the population live on less than $2 a day, according to the World Bank. But a United Nations report still says that mobile phones are more common than toilets, with nearly half of
42、Indias 1.2 billion population armed with a handset.Nishant Shah, a director at the Centre for Internet and Society in India, told CNN that defining natives and immigrants by generation is a “serious concern.“ According to Shah, Prenskys views were formed from the “privileged“ position of living in t
43、he U.S.Shah added: “Prenskys observations may describe a generation gap that the U.S. faced, but if you transplant the same definition to other parts of the world, natives are sometimes indistinguishable from immigrants.“The real fear for Shah is the new hierarchies created by digital literacy and t
44、he class systems that will be shaped by access to digital technologies.The call of the developing worldAs mobile networks extend their reach and areas become increasingly urbanized, Western tech companies are seeking to tap markets with large populations.Last year, Finnish phone maker Nokia released
45、 a range of smart phones targeted at consumers in emerging markets, particularly in Asia, to compete with cheaper Android devices.But Shah argues bombarding a country with technology and infrastructure is not a rounded solution to the digital poverty problem.India, for example, has connectivity and
46、access in abundance, but the country continues to suffer from a generation of “digitally poor classes.“ He argues that simply providing the equipment does not help young people understand how that technology can better their lives without education and training.Shah told CNN: “Just because young peo
47、ple have tech access in India, it doesnt make them digital natives.“ He added, “It creates digital outcasts - people whose supposed problem of access to the world has been resolved.“Prensky, however, believes a “networked planet“ is a sign developing nations will soon close the digital divide. Even
48、those who dont yet have the technology still know that it exists, and will have it before long.The world in 2020By 2020, Prensky predicts people across the globe will be plugged into the “AORTA,“ -Always On RealTime Access - a term coined by Mark Anderson, the chief of the Strategic News Service - s
49、pecializing in technology news. A future in which people are constantly able to access information and news from anywhere on the planet.Shah says that the works of science fiction may offer the most accurate insight into our futuristic society.He said: “The presents that we live in, are the futures that our pasts have imagined.“Let us hope that the technologies of the future will also be designed to protect that which is sacred, and that which is important in ou
