Genre analysis: language practice 2
time to complete: 30 minutes
Text A
Let’s look at another example from the earlier texts. This time we will focus on the language of the text.
Task: Read the text and answer the questions that follow in your notebook. Then, check them against the answer key.
Excellent potential for continued future growth
The year 2001 has been one of considerable success and progress for Coca-Cola HBC. Our financial results reflect our strategy of focusing on profitable volume growth and the efficient management of our asset base to maximise return on capital. We have a strong management team and have developed our vision of Coca-Cola HBC as a world class sales organisation.
We are delighted to welcome a number of new territories into the Coca-Cola HBC portfolio. With the addition of those parts of Russia not previously managed by Coca-Cola HBC, as well as the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, we see excellent potential for continued profitable growth by the enlarged group.
Questions about the text
a) Look at the categories of language below and find examples from the text:
- Subject-specific vocabulary: _________________________
- Level of formality: _________________________
- Objective/subjective language: _________________________
- Self-referencing language: _________________________
- Promotional/non-promotional language: _________________________
b) Which text do you think this excerpt came from? The company’s annual report or the academic review? Why?
a) Look at the categories of language below and find examples from the text:
- Subject-specific vocabulary: financial results,strategy, profitable volume growth, efficient management, asset base, return on capital etc.
- Level of formality: professional (our financial results reflect our strategy of focusing on profitable volume growth) / semi-formal (“we have a strong management team”, “we are delighted”
- Objective/subjective language: Subjective/emotive “excellent”, “delighted”
- Self-referencing language:use of “our” as in “our…results”, “our vision”
- Promotional/non-promotional language: this is a mixture of promotional and informative content, so it gives information about the company’s development but uses positive language, such as “excellent potential”, “profitable growth”, “team” etc.
b) Which text do you think this excerpt came from? The company’s annual report or the academic review? Why?
company’s own report; obvious from the perspective that it is written through “our”
Text B
By contrast, the excerpt below from the academic report uses very different language.
Task: Read the text and answer the questions that follow in your notebook. Then, check them against the answer key.
When thinking of Coca-Cola, the first thing that comes to the mind of many are the heart-warming commercials wherein people are ushering in the friendliest manner how Coca-Cola wants to ‘buy the world a home and furnish it with love’.1 However, according to corporate statistics,2 Coca-Cola has rather succeeded at ‘buying a home’ for itself in every corner of the globe. By entering into countries with underdeveloped market economies, it has also furnished a great part of the world with environmental degradation, rather than love.3 Before assessing further the allegations made against Coca-Cola, a brief overview of their statistics and history is provided.
Questions about the text
Look at the categories of language below and find examples from the text:
- Subject-specific vocabulary: _________________________
- Level of formality: _________________________
- Objective/subjective language: _________________________
- Self-referencing language: _________________________
- Promotional/non-promotional language: _________________________
a) Look at the categories of language below and find examples from the text:
- Subject-specific vocabulary: “corporate statistics”, “underdeveloped market economies”, environmental degradation”, “allegations”
- Level of formality: semi-formal & academic (NB: the informality of the first sentence is common in academic writing and functions as a ‘hook’ to engage the reader)
- Objective/subjective language: Subjective language (“a home for itself”, “degradation, rather than love” etc. show strong position from the author); use of statistics and references contribute to objectivity
- Self-referencing language: no – impersonal structures (“ a brief overview…is provided)
- Promotional/non-promotional language: non-promotional but with a clear negative position