Discourse analysis

Appendix 1
(Adapted from: Norwich Institute of Language Education Development for Uzbekistan: Autumn 2013)

WHY WE NEED TO INVENT NEW WORDS.

Don’t let the dictionary define what you say. Make up your own words. Here are rules you need to follow
Andre Kaufman
The Guardian, Monday 11 March 2013

“what a cidiot!” Country folk know how to handle snow, unlike this urban driver. Photograph: Philippe Huguen
Do not be afraid to make up your own words. English teacher, dictionary publishers and that uptight guy two cubicles over who always complains about the microwave being dirty, they will all tell you can’t. They will bring out the dictionary and show you that the word isn’t there – therefore it doesn’t exist. Don’t fall for this. The people who love dictionaries like to present these massive tomes as a unquestionable authority, just slightly less than holy. But they’re not. A dictionary is just a book, a product, no different from Fifty Shades of Grey and only slightly better written. But you must be careful. Every new word must be crafted. It has to have a purpose , a need. A new word cannot be created with a fisted bash to a keyboard. Like every other word in the language, your new word should be a mashup of pre-existing words. You can steal bits from Latin and German, like everybody else did. Or you can use contemporary English in a new way. But you must capture something that already exist, which for whatever reason has been linguistically mismanaged. Here is an example:
Cidiot: noun Someone who has spent so long in a city they have lost the ability to perform task the rural population sees as outrageous common sense: First, he didn’t slow down when it started to snow, then he turned away from the skid, not into it, and I had to tow him out of the ditch- what a cidiot!

Appendix 2 Language and Culture Diary

Being surrounded by the English language and British culture for some time offers a great opportunity to refresh and extend language skills and cultural knowledge.

A recommended way to do this is by using a notebook/camera/online space to capture any interesting new phrases, words or cultural experiences which somebody encounter. You might find examples from signs, adverts, newspaper headlines, recorded announcements, songs, menus, tickets. If you don’t have opportunity to travel still you may collect materials about culture and language from newspapers, movies and TV news. Bring any notes along to class, and share anything interesting you’ve picked up.

To give you an idea, here are some examples which were noted down last year by the traveller to UK in their language/culture diary. Try to match the phrase with the comment or definition they added. The pictures may help

Scone	a piece of clothing worn by girls – a skirt with a top part which goes over the shoulders.
Spuds	a bit negative - the favourite ( or perceived favourite) of the teacher.
A pinafore	very heavy or fatty food.e.g. meat pie, doughnuts, etc churros,dumplings
To sip bubbly	a cake sometimes with raisins in - a debate in English on how to pronounce it
Tacky	often for your romantic partner, but it can be anyone – friend, family member, even a dog!
Stodgy food	bad taste or cheap – e.g. a tacky birthday card /tacky jewellery/
Teacher’s pet	a series of summer concerts in the Albert Hall – the “last night of the Proms” is very famous and always on tv.
The Proms	to drink champagne
A soul-mate	a spoilt child
A brat	potatoes (informal)