Significant Power Language Features

Referring in detail to the text and to relevant ideas from language study, analyse some of the significant language features.

Text H - WHAT MAKES A GOOD SECRETARY?
Published in 1975 - 40 years ago.

G - News Article
A - Women, scecifically interested in becoming a secretary perhaps.
P - To inform. Subtally to persuade?

Text H is a news article that has the purpose to inform the reader about what it takes to be considered a "good" secretary. It can be argued that the text has a subtle purpose to also persuade its reader to consider becoming a secretary, but in my opinion this is extremely covert. The article has been written mainly for women, to perhaps "help" them to fit the criteria and expectation stated in this article, therefore making them what is considered a "successful" and "good" secretary. By suggesting that there is a "good" and "bad" way to behave in this occupation it shows that the article has an extremely prescriptive attitude, that sets a definite expectation.

It is clear that the article is assuming the occupation is specifically for women through its persistant use of the second person pronoun "she" in sentences like "if she has the common sense, she will know what to wear. The two images that the article uses are also of women, and show the women doing jobs that have been mentioned within the article that a secretary would be expected to do. The article also writes that "a girl usually succeeds by suiting her clothes to her personality". The use of the noun "girl" again emphasises the stress on the gender being referred to and also makes the article seem quite patronising. Females old enough to have a job, especially one like a secretary in modern day society would expect to be considered a "women", as the noun "girl" has connotations of being very young in age and childish in personality, something that ironically text H emphasises a secretary should not be.

The article also shows a very obvious power imbalance between the genders at the time the article was written. Men throughout are considered to have the most power, as when the article talks about who the secretary will work for, the "boss" they are always referred to with the determiner "his", or second person pronouns "he" and "him", implying that the boys will definitely be a man. The sentence "..from taking the Chairman's son on a sightseeing tour.." really emphasises the importance of men in the article. Suggesting that even the Chairman's son, someone completely irrelevant to the business and the secretary is considered more valued than her. The article also states "change is an inevitable part of a secretary's life and she takes it in her stride even if a last-minute urgent job means breaking a date or cancelling a hair appointment" suggesting that women's responsibilites and social lives do not come first, and instead they must follow the orders of their boss, the man.

Through the use of modal verbs like "must" to instruct the secretary that "she must be consistent and efficient" as well as imperatives like "accompany him to a restraunt" fully emphasise the assertion of power. This power is also asserted by insulting the woman, as the article writes "if she has common the sense" that suggests that she would not have common sense and would need to be reliant upon the instruction she receives from the man. Over time we see that the word "secretary" has actually pejorated. Once it was considered a very important and valued job whereas now it is more commonly considered as a simple "woman's job".

We also see how over time technology has advanced and therefore outdated the article and job requirements. It is suggested that a secretary may be seen "manning a switchboard". The noun "switchboard", and the object in its literal form have become very archaic, if not completely obselete, as well as "telephone". In today's society, it would be much more familiar to hear that a secretary is "on the phone" or "using the phone or intercom" rather than a switchboard. As well as this, the article states a secretary must be able to "compose letters, telegrams, reports and circulars". Although "reports" would still be widely recognised, each of the other nouns have become archaic, and instead we would expect to hear "emails and texts" as technology has advanced and become more popular as emails for example are extremely accessible and an easy way to send and receive information.

The article also pushes a very high expectation on a secretary "being able to express herself, both in writing and in speach, in clear, concise English". It is explained that this is so she can "alter and correct her cheif's copy and dictation" but again asserting the boss's power by suggesting that this will only be "occasionally if he has been pressed for time and therefore unable to take sufficient care". However in more recent time secretaries would not have to be as concerned with being able to use perfect spelling, grammar and punctuation, as technology has advanced in 40 years and enabled softwares to contain auto-correction and spell check. We can also see Deborah Tannen's idea's being expressed in the article, as it suggests that the women should have a "feel for words and a love of her native language", which implies she should be more emotive in her langauge to make up for the lack of emotion her boss (as a man) would include when writing.