Introduction The aim of this paper is to analyse the ways in which language use adapts to the genre in which it is inscribed. The underlying idea is that independent of the topic which the text deals with, it will be the genre which will ultimately determine the use of the language, that is, the textual context along with the style will mould and specify the required choice of words, sentence structure, figures of speech, register, punctuation and other literary devices. The treatment of the topic will thus be affected by the framework. In other words, what will be examined will be the genre and its implications in language use. Texts, both oral and written, are unproblematic (we can understand them) when they are coherent with their context. This contextual coherence is the result of a development, an evolution of language and the textual exchange in social relations. The outcome of this process is nothing other than the genre, a more or less fixed, more or less stable set of rules, set of grammar, lexical preferences, etc. Within the possibilities of spontaneity and ability, the delivery is, in this sense, always staged. At the same time, a text fulfils a purpose. The purpose pursued greatly determines the choice of genre: a news report's main purpose, for example, is to inform. The way in which a text fulfils its purpose is also expected. When one reads a news reports, a certain lingo, a certain schematic structure (layout of the information), a certain type of font, a certain type of tone are expected. If they do not coincide with one's expectation, the contextual coherence was not respected and the text is more difficult to follow and understand. Beyond allowed personal variations, if the text is not reminiscent of other works that fulfil a similar purpose in the culture, it confounds the reader. Genres and their conventions are specific to a language, to a culture. In this paper we will focus on the English language and some of its regional variants, which due to the choice of the topic (football hooliganism), are mainly British. Ulises Uno Language IV Night shift 2
Texts analysed As stated above, the focus of the analysis will be put on the topic of football hooliganism and its depiction in the genres of fiction, journalism, law and hooligans own perception in their chants. Fiction: Fever Pitch, by Nick Hornby Journalism: The hooligan problem and football violence that just won't go away, The Guardian (August 22, 2010) Football Hooliganism, politics.co.uk (March, 2012) Hooligans and the Law, The Economist (July 6, 2000) Football hooliganism is back on the rise, Daily Mirror (October 10, 2013) How Football Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization, by Franklin Foer Laws: Public Order Act 1986 Football Disorder Act 2000 Football Offences Act 1991 Football chants: Collection taken from www.footballchants.com and www.fanchants.co.uk Ulises Uno Language IV Night shift 3
First entry Football chants: a hooligan's take on the beautiful game Football chants, perhaps the most significant contribution hooligans around the world have made to the beautiful game, share a few distinctive characteristics. These stem mostly from the purposes that they pursue: to glorify one's club, to intimidate the rival team's fans and to instill a sense of communion among all supporters of a team hooligans and non-hooligans alike. The glorification of one's club is accomplished by the exaltation of a team's idols, legends and achievements. In order to intimidate supporters of rival teams, chants often incur in the use of foul language, an overtly aggressive tone and direct threats. Finally, the sense of communion is instilled by highlighting those features that difference one's team from others, its colours, its stadium, successful riotous acts of the past and a cry for unity in the face of a powerful enemy. In order to fulfil these wide variety of purposes, football chants fluctuate in tone between the serious and the humorous, between the witty and the downright silly. There are further characteristics that derive from the social background usually associated with hooligans: the urban working class. One can thus find a heavy use of local slang (Cockney, Geordie, Scouse, etc.). The register, naturally, will tend to be colloquial and highly informal, with a general proclivity to ungrammatical constructions. A final requirement of chants is that they are short and catchy, so that they are easy to teach and learn during matches for the whole crowd to sing it. This is especially important since the delivery is undoubtedly oral, which at the same time hinders a more comprehensive representation in the written form.
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"Allo, Allo" (West Ham) Allo allo We are the Cockney boys Allo allo We are the Cockney boys and if you're a Millwall fan, surrender or your die We all follow United!
West Ham is a club from London. The typical supporter of the Hammers is a working-class, rowdy Cockney. As can be drawn from the example, the distinctive Cockney H-dropping is present. The intimidation is realized through a blunt and direct death threat to the Millwall supporter. Finally, it ends in a cry not unlike that of an army.
"Chim Chiminee" (Tottenham Hotspur) Chim chiminee chim chiminee Chim chim cheroo Bergkamps's a wanker and so is Kanu Chim chiminee chim chiminee chim chim chinee Vieira's a wanker and so is Henry
This chant by Tottenham Hotspur's hooligan fan base proves to be especially effective: it is short and catchy, and because it uses the popular Mary Poppins' tune as a base, its spread is guaranteed.
"Uwe Threw His Boots Away" (Manchester United) Uwe threw his boots away When the scousers knocked the blues for six. What's more, he didn't even score And returned to find his car on bricks. Ulises Uno Language IV Night shift 5
None of the board has any money For players to stop the blues from going down. Each week the manager will squeak That the crisis will be sorted out. It's not fair, the trophy room is bare While United's room is hammered out. None of the board has any money For players to stop the blues from going down. And all the fans that watch the match are whining 'Cos City never make a decent signing. There are many teams that they Would like to score against. But they don't know how... He's complainin'! The underpants he wears will strain him. But Alan Ball Will win fuck all
The chant is dedicated to Alan Ball, manager of crosstown rivals Manchester City at the time. Manchester United supporters seem to highlight some of things that distinguish the blues (City supporters): they are losers, they have no achievements, they use violence against their own players.
"Toon Black and White Army!" (Newcastle) Toon Toon, Black and White Army! Toon Toon, Black and White Army! Toon Toon, Black and White Army!
This simple chant is Newcastle's signature cry. The element of the local accent is heavily present is Toon, which is "town" pronounced with a Geordie accent. And again the emphasis on the club's colours proves to be a distinctive feature of this type of text.
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"My Old Man" (Aston Villa) My old man said 'be a city fan', And I said bollocks you're a cunt (you're a cunt), We hate the blues and we're gonna show it, We hate the blues and we fucking know it, With Spinksy and Burchy Alan Mcanally, They're the boys who gonna do us fine, You support the blues, you're a blue nose bastard and you ain't no friend of mine, All together now...
With an even more informal tone and a more obvious use of foul language, this chant penned by Aston Villa Hardcore (the hooligan firm associated with the club) displays more of the notorious characteristics of the genre: the mockery of the rival team, the exaltation of the club's idols, the sworn allegiance to the club regardless of any other thing (like a father's will) and the importance of the colours as a synecdoche for what a club represents.
Ancient Indo-European Dialects: Proceedings of the Conference on Indo-European Linguistics Held at the University of California, Los Angeles April 25–27, 1963