Genre

The text is a webpage exploring child discipline.

Audiences

The main audience of the text are parents. A secondary audience of the text are possibly teachers and other adults who care for children.Purposes

The main purpose of the text is to advise parents and other adults methods of disciplining children. However a minor purpose is to reassure parents that poor behaviour is normal . Another minor purpose could be to guide parents to additional information

ModeThe mode of the text is blended but it contains mainly features of the written mode and some features of the spoken mode.

Introduction

Paragraph 2: Lexis, Register and a two mode features

But features of the spoken mode used include:

Hyperlinks, use of direct address ‘your’, collocation “temper tantrum”

Makes the text highly interactive. Comment on

how this represents children and behaviour.

Register and mode

Creates a high register Shows the text is highly planned.

LexisPolysyllabic, low frequency words

Temperaments and 2 other words

Begin with the main idea/purpose i.e. to

advise parents.

Use of hyperlinks/related

topics: assumes parents need help.

Creates cohesion: guides parents

Semi-permanent: it can be updated to reflect current

concerns with behaviour.

Bullet Points “Be consistent”

GraphologyThe writer assumes…..

Develop the main idea: link to specific ideas/attitudes

1. The writer assumes that parents are struggling with specific methods of discipline. This is revealed by the graphology since the blue font represents a set of hyperlinks e.g. “stopping interruptions, time-out”. This makes the text highly interactive and are deliberately placed next to the main text to match the secondary purpose of guiding parents and other carers to additional sources of information and sections within the website. Furthermore this reveals the text as semi-permanent as the website can be updated and additional hyperlinks placed to guide parents and other adults. It can be updated to reflect current concerns with behaviour.

Graphology 2

Tabs: Children need guiding until teens.

Bold: parents are assumed to be

struggling with toddlers.

Use of Bold and

Use of tabs

caption

Second idea: Representation

of children.

Bold helps to reassure and guide parents.Tabs shows the audience could be adults who work with a specific age group.

Caption: Assumes parents are concerned with children’s health and suggests that the writer is a paediatrician and so an expert. Implies that it is only by following the guide that their children will be healthy and mentally well. Suggests children are currently not psychologically well.

The writer represents children as unhealthy and This idea is revealed through the caption “a paediatrician's guide to your children’s health and safety”. This is in grey underneath the colourful heading “keepkidshealthy”. The grey font emphasises the writer’s view that currently children are unhealthy . The fact that the writer has identified themselves as “a paeditrician” shows that they are knowledgeable and they can assist with parents and other adults who have trouble managing their children. Parents are therefore more likely to take the advice regarding their children’s upbringing. The writer also implies that the children are mentally unwell “secure…loved” which could be the secondary meaning of health in the caption thus creating cohesion. It emphasises that parents are responsible for their child’s wellbeing and therefore must follow the advice presented in the guide. Although the text is generally impersonal (a feature of the written mode) the caption aims to be personal by using “your children” emphasising the role of the parents regarding children’s health.

Phonology

“Different”: Suggests that children are

individuals and not the same.

Use of repetition“different”

Second idea: Representation of

parents and methods of discipline.

Aims to reassure parents and other adults. Writer assumes that parents and adults take care of more than one child and are attempting to apply the same methods of discipline but the discipline is not working. Advises parents that children are not the same and requires specific attention and methods.

Furthermore, the writer represents children as separate individuals who may require alternative methods of discipline. This is portrayed by the repetition of “different”. “All children are different and have different temperaments… a style..that may work with other children may not work with yours”. Here, the writer is making several assumptions about the audience; audience may not be just parents of one child but parents of several children whose methods used to work; adults who take care of groups of children and parents who have tried to copy other parents/adults when disciplining their child.

The repetition of ‘different’ therefore matches the aim of reassuring parents that it is not necessarily their fault if discipline is failing particularly if it worked with others. The writer is implying that parents are perhaps blaming themselves and is suggesting that they shouldn’t. The writer represents children as separate individuals and so challenges the belief that all children are the same and respond to the same discipline methods. Parents and adults are thus more likely to take their advice as the above indicates that the webpage contains additional methods and guidance.

Semantic Field

Consistent

Represents parent’s behaviour as key to disciplining children.

firmbehave

Parent’s behaviour

Give in

Implies parents are struggling

The writer views parent’s behaviour as key to disciplining children. This is revealed through the semantic field of parent’s behaviour created by the lexis “behave (how you behave), firm, consistent, give in”. The lexis reveals that the writer is aiming to reduce the distance of the text even though it is received through the visual channel and indicates that parents are possibly behaving ‘incorrectly’ and so is implicitly blaming parents and carers for children’s behaviour. This challenges the conventional view of the audience since parents and carers before reading article are likely to assume that their behaviour is correct and it is only their child’s that needs changing. However, the writer with the above semantic field, is suggesting that for the child’s behaviour to change, parent’s and carers behaviour must change. The writer is assuming that parents are not behaving in a firm manner. This helps the writer to meet the purpose of advising parents.

Secondary Semantic Field

Violent

Represents children’s behaviour as difficult and aggressive. Lack of control.

FightArgues

Sympathises with parents

SecondarySemantic

field

Implies parents are struggling

The writer also represents child’s behaviour as aggressive created by a secondary semantic field of aggression i.e. argues, fights and violent’. The effect of the secondary semantic field of aggression indicates that the writer understands the challenges parents and others involved with children face. It is also an attempt by the writer to sympathise with those who are facing problems with young children and to reassure parents that these problems can be solved. Parents, who face such aggression are more likely to follow the advice given by the writer. It is also assumed by the writer that parents want to end such behaviour and are not violent/aggressive themselves.

Connotations

Teaching

•Links to education, responsibility and lack of knowledge.

Secure• Links to

safety, love, confidence.

The writer in the text comments on specific parental responsibilities such as “teaching” which is also presented in bold. The connotations of the lexis “teaching” includes education, responsibility and correction. The writer is implying therefore that children have to be taught how to behave. It is assumed therefore that the audience, who are parents, and carers are not teaching children explicitly how to behave and are expecting children to pick up behaviour. This helps the writer to advise parents and to specifically suggest methods to assist parents and others to help teach behaviour. Shows the text is highly planned.

Antonyms

• Represents children as lost. Parental responsibility.

Right from Wrong

• Shows that children have options but is the parent’s responsibility.

Behave or misbehave

• Represents consequences of parent’s behaviour and children’s behaviour.

Won/doesn’t pay

Another specific concept represented in the text are views of reward and punishment. This is shown through the antonyms “won” and “doesn’t pay” which explores how children can be rewarded for poor behaviour if parents are inconsistent. The focus is switched from typical rewards that parents give (e.g. chocolates) to the child’s view where if the child manages to delay an activity they are shown as having “won” whereas if the parents are consistent the child will learn that poor behaviour is not rewarded. By showing the perspective of the child, the parent is more likely to follow the writer’s advice and will learn how to reward correct behaviour.

Conclusion

Conclusion

Overall, the writer has met his purposes…Although the main

topic is child discipline other minor topics are

represented; parents are

represented asChildren are

represented asDifferent framworks interlink to create

cohesion (with examples)

The text is highly

interactive, aims to be personal

What not to writeMakes the reader read on.

Shocks the reader.

Grabs the reader’s attention.

Meets the purpose of the text.

Makes you/the audience want to…

Useful sentencesThe writer assumes…

Another specific concept/idea represented…

The specific view of the writer is….

Another attitude displayed is…

The writer is implying/indicating….