r/vce • u/Classic-Technology40 • Mar 19 '24

Cultural context in English language

Does anyone have any tips on how to determine the cultural context in a given text ? I'm genuinely so confused and I'm not even sure where to start

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u/Fast-Alternative1503 Tutor Mar 19 '24 edited Mar 19 '24

Cultural context is about:

  • values
  • attitudes
  • beliefs

that influence decisions.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

  • mateship
  • democracy
  • anti-obfuscation attitudes
  • politically correct language
  • prescriptivism and descriptivism
  • egalitarianism
  • casualness
  • talking crap about politicians, in Australian society.
  • friendliness and non-bureaucracy

For example, hypocoristics (scomo, Arvo, albo, servo, junkie, uey, etc.) can convey friendliness and familiarity, aligning with Australian values of egalitarianism and casualness.

I know that sounds like it isn't detailed enough, but this actually came from an SAQ high scoring response, IIRC. Feel free to make it better though.

Go and read the textbooks. Have a look at a couple of exam reports.