1. Introduction
1. Explain the background and context to your investigation.
2. Place it within a field of academic linguistic research (language / power etc.) and look
into key researchers in the field.
3. Discuss your reasons for wanting to explore the topic.
4. Discuss the aims of your research, is it exploratory, are you looking to prove or texts
existing theory? Are you highlight inconsistencies / inherent issues / provide a means
of classification or find exemplification. Are you looking to recreate (in a different
context) an existing study?
5. What is the style of your research – longitudinal, diachronic, synchronic, empirical,
objectivist?
I aim to look specifically at how language is used to represent celebrity status in interviews
with A-List stars in high end fashion magazines such as Vogue UK compared to one featured
in a gossip magazine such as OK! I will be comparing interviews of one celebrity in each type
of magazine.
The type of linguistic research I will be exploring is both language and gender and language
and power. Tanner (1990) stated that, in terms of gender and language, females are more
interested in forming bonds – they tend to talk less and agree more; more polite indirect
orders - to avoid conflict; aim to show understanding by compromising and offering support
rather than solutions. Norman Fairclough explored language and power. Many interactions
are ‘unequal encounters’; that language choice is created and constrained by certain social
‘power’ situations or ‘power type’ discourse of kinds accepted as ‘normal’ for that kind of
encounter.
I would like to explore this topic because I am fascinated by multimedia journalism –
especially within magazines. I would like to find out more about how language use differs
between female’s in different types of magazines so that I candevelop my knowledge further
within this industry.
The aim of my research is to compare how the status of the magazine affects the language
used to represent an A-List celebrity. This is exploratory as I will be investigating; it is not an
existing theory. Instead of focusing on inconsistencies, I will be focusing on what is
consistent and comparing them. This will be to find exemplification.
The research is synchronic as it exists in one point in time.