What are language modes?

There are a number of terms (words) that you will hear your teacher use during your study of English in Years 7 - 12. These are the terms that are used in the English syllabus. A syllabus is a document that outlines the main points for study. The NSW English syllabus uses terms to categorise the texts that students are required to study. This website will break down the syllabus so that you can understand the practical implications (how it affects what you learn) of the content as well as give you help and practice with the skills and knowledge that you need to succeed in English. You can obtain a copy of the Years 7-10 syllabus on the NSW Board of Studies website.

In this chapter you will learn about language modes. The first terms that you need to understand are those of composer and responder.

Composer

A composer is the term used for the creator of a text. This term is used in the syllabus to replace words such as author, director, painter and speaker. Anything that has been created that communicates instructions or ideas has been created by the composer.

The reason that the syllabus replaces the terms author, poet, director and speaker with composer is to demonstrate that all these terms mean the same thing. A composer creates a text to communicate something.

Try thinking about it like this. A text, according to the syllabus, is anything that has been created to communicate. The creator of any text is the composer. If you create a text to communicate then you are the composer.

Responder

The responder is the term used to describe the person who is reading, listening to, or looking at a text. When you come across a text that communicates knowledge or an idea (concept) you are the responder. When you are composing a text you are composing it to communicate with a responder.

Consider the word respond on its own. What does it mean to you? When you respond to something you are generally answering a question. So why has the Board of Studies used this word respond? The Board uses this term to encourage you to respond to texts. This can be done in a number of ways. You might, for example, read a text and reflect on how useful the knowledge or ideas that have been communicated affect you, or you might consider how effective the communication has been.

The message is simple. It is not enough to simply read, listen or view and understand. You must also be able to reflect on what has been communicated, why it has been communicated and how it has been communicated. The English skills section of skwirk.com is designed to help you achieve this.

Composing and responding

These two terms do not exist on their own. Consider that English is the study of communication. Communication takes place when knowledge or ideas (concepts) are exchanged. Therefore communication can only happen when there is both a composer (the person who imparts the knowledge) and a responder (a person who learns from or reacts to the knowledge.)

Think of it this way. If you try to explain something but no one hears you, then communication does not occur. Likewise, if you listen but nobody speaks, then communication does not occur. Meaning occurs as a result of the interaction between composers and responders. Effective communication occurs when a composition (a text that is composed) elicits (brings out) a response from the responder.

The relationship between the responder and the composer is very important in the English Syllabus and is examined in much detail by mode, text type and through text on skwirk.com.

Language modes

Language modes are another way the syllabus hopes to simplify what you learn in high school English. Language modes are based on the idea that communication cannot occur without responding and composing and that you, as a student of effective communication, cannot achieve in English without mastering both composing and responding.

The language modes categorise the different types of skills involved in responding and composing.

There are three groups of language modes or sets of skills. These are reading and writing, listening and speaking and viewing and representing.

Reading and writing

In written texts responders read and composers write. For example, the person who writes (composes) a newspaper report is the composer. The person who reads it (responds) is the responder.

Remember that a written text without a reader is meaningless. The skills by mode: reading and writing section of skwirk.com will explain in detail how to respond and compose effectively in this language mode.

Listening and speaking

In spoken texts, responders listen and composers speak. For example, the person who delivers (composes) a speech is the composer and the person who listens (responds) to it is the responder.

Remember that a spoken text without a listener is meaningless. The skills by mode: listening and speaking section of skwirk.com will explain in detail how to respond and compose effectively in this language mode.

Viewing and representing

The syllabus recognises that a very common form of communication is visual communication. For this reason it is important that you learn how to respond to and compose visual forms of communication.

In visual texts responders view and composers represent. For example, in a visual advertisement the composer represents and the onlooker (responder) views.

Remember that a visual text without a viewer is meaningless. The viewing and representing language mode requires specific knowledge to understand. The skills by mode: viewing and representing section of skwirk.com will explain in detail how to respond and compose effectively in this language mode.

Multimedia texts

Not all texts fit perfectly into just one of the language modes. Many texts use different aspects of all three, or at least two, of the language modes. These texts are called multimedia texts. Common examples of multimedia texts include billboard advertisements where both visual and written elements are used and films, where visual, spoken and sometimes even written elements are used.

To participate in effective communication, as either a responder or composer in multimedia texts, you need to have a good understanding of all of the language modes.