Lecture Notes: Module I, II, and III

Module I: The NIE Principle

NIE Principle

• Name: Identify the technique or strategy used in an extract.
• Illustrate: Provide examples from the text.
• Explain: Describe how it works and its impact.

Structure of the Essay

• Introduction
  • Discuss writer's purpose.
  • Comment on language techniques or organizational strategies.
  • Assess the effectiveness and tone.
• Body
  • Illustrate and explain throughout all body paragraphs.
• Conclusion
  • Restate main ideas.
  • Summarize sub-points.
  • Evaluate if the writer's purpose was achieved.

Introduction Details

• Main Point & Writer's Purpose
  • Use starting lines like "The main point is…"
  • Discuss what the text is about and why it was written.

Organizational Strategies and Language Techniques

• Organizational Strategies
  • Examples: Use of statistics, cause and effect, problem and solution.
• Language Techniques
  • Examples: Metaphors, euphemism, oxymoron, paradox.

Credibility and Validity of Information

• Credibility
  • Consider source, author, evidence, bias, and date.
• Validity
  • Check factual accuracy, evidence, logic, and balance.

Module II: Communication

Language Registers

• Formal/Academic: Used in formal settings with complex sentence structures.
• Informal/Casual: Used with friends, includes slang and fillers.
• Consultative: Used where feedback is expected, like in meetings.
• Intimate: Used between close relationships with private vocabulary.
• Frozen: Used in formal texts that do not change, like contracts.

Verbal and Non-Verbal Behaviours

• Non-Verbal: Kinesics, proxemics, paralanguage, chronemics, artifacts.
• Verbal: Oral and written communication.

Caribbean English Creole

• Grammar: Differences in pluralization, past tense, prepositions.
• Phonology: Differences in consonant clusters, final consonants.
• Vocabulary: Shared words with different meanings.

Module III: Customizing a Message

Customize a Message

• Target Audience: Tailor message to the specific group's characteristics.

Message Points

• Cover who, what, where, when, and how.

Rhetorical Appeals

• Logos: Use of data, statistics, and logical reasoning.
• Pathos: Appeal to emotions using stories and vivid language.
• Ethos: Establish credibility through authority and character.

Promotional Strategies

• Use various media to inform or persuade the audience.

Organizing Your Essay

• Introduction: Hook, background, thesis statement.
• Body: Use rhetorical techniques and summarize talking points.
• Conclusion: Reiterate points and end with impact.

Essay Rubric

• Content: 10 marks
• Organization: 7 marks
• Expression: 8 marks
• Total: 25 marks per essay