Sample Paragraph

                                                     Extract

(I’m singing my blues)

Used to the blue tears, blue sorrow

(I’m singing my blues)

The love that I have sent away with the floating clouds, oh

Under the same sky, at different places

Because you and I are dangerous

I am leaving you

One letter difference from ‘him’

It’s cowardly but I’m hiding because I’m not good enough

Cruel breakup is like the end of the road of love

No words can comfort me

Perhaps my lifetime’s last melodrama

Now its final curtain is coming down

This extract is the chorus and the second verse of a song called ‘Blue’ which is by a band called Big Bang. This song generally is a balled song and has a slow and sad message and feel to this song. Therefore in this extract I’m looking for elements that are used that show that the lexical choices associated with breaking up and if this is changed to suit the teenage audience.

The theory which I am applying to my investigation is the theory of Communication Accommodation. This suggests that the audience and context can change the way in which we respond and how we use language in response. As this extract is aimed at a teenage Korean audience, it has to use language in a way that would relate to people of this age.

The lexical choices give off a very stereotypical view of teenagers when they break up with their partners, as it’s very dramatic terms used. Therefore in this text the writer has tried to metaphors to show this such as ‘end of the road of love’.  The idea of breaking up with someone can be quite sad and, if for the first time like the audience could be going through, it portrays this feeling of loss. By using the abstract noun ‘love’ it makes the audience think that it was serious and that it they won’t find this love again, which first losing a first love typically feels like. However this isn’t true as they would eventually move on but this metaphor is used to highlight this feeling.  If this was aimed at and older audience for example they wouldn’t use terms that suggest they wouldn’t move on but instead use them to show that it will take time to heal. This exaggeration is a common trait that is associated with teenagers.

I would say what I have found would help show that the way in which these lyrics have adapted the audience, is through using language in a way that the audience might use. So exaggeration is often used by this age group, especially about aspects such as love. However I would say there are also many more examples I could have used to represent the same point but feel mine equally shows this point.