What is a Text?Redefining Traditional

Notions

IB: Language & Literature AL. Sandford

As mentioned, the reason why this course exists is because the IB and Ontario Curriculum now recognizes

that a text is not just words on a page.

So…with that…

What Is A Text?

Take a guess…

Is this ad a text?

Is this brochure a text?

A tattoo?

A novel?

Is this face a text?

What is a text?A text is essentially…anything that functions as part of a communicative act.

anything that can be interpreted.

What is a Communicative Act?Oany process that demands an

engagement between two or more parties involving reception, interpretation and response.

OFor example, one person speaking to another can be a communicative act as can a novel which waits on a shelf for a reader’s response.

What is a text continued…O The term “text types” simply refers to the

almost limitless range of texts that can be part of a communicative act, such as advertisements, movies, novels, textbooks, newspapers, blogs, etc.

O Text types can include the many different types of writing as well as photographs or even dramatic performances.

IB “Text” DefinitionO Anything from which information can be

extracted, and includes the widest range of oral, written and visual materials present in society.

O This range will include single and multiple images with or without text, literary and non-literary written texts and extracts, media texts (for example, films), radio and television programs and their scripts, and electronic texts that share aspects of a number of these areas (for example video-sharing websites, web pages, SMS messages, blogs, wikis and tweets). Oral texts will include readings, speeches, broadcasts and transcriptions of recorded conversation.

Let’s start with something simple…

Is this a

text?How do you

know?What

can you infer from this?

Visual Analysis

Layout :What is the design like? Is it simple? Is there a lot of empty space? Where is the author’s name and title placed?

Colour :What kinds of colours are used? How do they make you feel?

Words :Are there any words on the cover? What do they say? What do they suggest the book could be about?

Location :Where do you think the setting is? What could this tell us about the book?

Tone & Mood :Overall, how does the cover make you feel? Serious? Creeped out? Joyful? How does the lighting affect your impression?

Symbols :Are there any objects or signs in the picture that could represent something?

Figures (people) :

Are there people in the picture? What do they look like? What are they wearing? What are their facial expressions like? Body language ?

Lettering & Font : What impressions does the font size & style leave you with?

Let’s try something else…

What could the artist be juxtaposing here?

What could the artist be juxtaposing here?

What could the artist be juxtaposing here?

What is the effect of the

ambiguity here?

PunSymbolism

Juxtaposition Connot

ationDenotation

Ambiguity