Analysis of the Lance feature articles a diachronic study / [manuscript] :
Regina Grace P. Aroc.
- Balanga City : BPSU, 2018.
- 240 leaves ; 28 cm.
Thesis (MAED - Language Education).
This descriptive-analytic research aimed at presenting the textual changes found in The LANCE feature articles from 1998 - 2017. The data included at least one issue per year in the 20-year span from Colegio de San Juan de Letran - Manila's student publication, The LANCE. Furthermore, codes and subcodes were created for mapping after having all the articles encoded. To clearly provide results for the diachronic study and differences on the textual parts, the feature articles in the 20-year span were divided to two groups: the first one with the first ten years and the second group complete the latter ten years. The said groups were analysed and interpreted in a comparative manner. The study showed the lexical evolution was evident in the examined feature articles. In terms of Rhetorical Styles, "ethos", having gained 50% frequency in the first ten (10) years and 55% in the latter years among all the coded articles, implied that the use of authority to persuade an audience to believe in their character was apparent. The use of credible sources was necessary to come up with their own reliable point in the text. Although dynamics of language use over the past 20 years showed little variation on its frequency, its presence still remained constant. For the functions of rhetoric in The LANCE feature articles, based on the descriptive and tabular interpretations, it was suggested that the frequency on the use of rhetoric in The LANCE over the past 20 years was high. Thus, it was found out that rhetoric plays a central role in The LANCE feature articles by means of moving the readers through arguments. Base from the aforementioned results, it was found out that this study is geared towards the improvement of language teaching, specifically in academic writing. With the data and findings presented, it implied that inculcating the importance of the use of rhetoric in writing should be observed. Meanwhile, in terms of lexis, dynamics of language use, this study can be an avenue for Second Language Teachers to update themselves of the current trends the English language, with emphasis in formal written communication. Henceforth, it was concluded that textual part in The LANCE Feature Articles have changed over the past 20-year span. It was manifested by the characteristics such as lexis, rhetorical style, and dynamics of language use. The possible contributing factors to this said phenomenon include the diversity of writers, which could have affected the written text with their unique style, diction, and tone. Also, neologism was said to be the factor in the emergence of newly coined words added in the lexicon. Therefore, this study was deemed significant in the field of language teaching as it allows teachers to update themselves of the current trends in the said language, aiming towards the development of new teaching approach and/ or strategies.