An Evolved Confluence of Languages: A Rhetorical Analysis of Diane Mooney’s Essay

Photo Credits: Pexel's Prowled Possessions borrowed from Ritche Perez!

Author Diane Mooney is professionally an environmental technician, her training was preceded by educational background in Marine Biology, she was born and bred on the rustic and craggy shores of St. John’s, Newfoundland wherein her interest in writing and language spawned. She humbly starts the essay with a personal intonation and draws out in great detail a geographical sketch of dialects used in different parts of the rock in hopes of helping readers (speculatively students of English courses) learn about the local ‘Newfie’ vernacular traditions. As Diane is a well travelled Newfie, attributed to her touristy keenness, she explains and elaborately writes about various European descendants that brought along with them their linguistic customs which have over the period of time resulted in different versions of languages than as were initially spoken. In first paragraph, she makes an analogy elucidating and making comparisons to Black American which aptly is described as a language of its own; thus, leads readers to thinking akin to this every Newfoundland dialect also holds its distinct character. As indicated is crafted and ascribed to a combination of linguistic traditions traced to its settlers - for e.g. South Shore of Avalon Peninsula is primarily Irish, Trinity Cooperation is Irish-Anglican, Central Newfoundland a fusion with dialects from the entire province, and West Coast and Northern Peninsula have French influences respectively. Mooney employs straightforward words whilst straying away from complex terminology; however, appropriately makes use of formal writing style with sentence length varying between medium to long, and also features lengthy paragraphs in her writing. She has great authority on this topic; therefore, is able to evoke significant ethos in pertinent ways; uses logos and evidence in forms of direct examples of different dialects; and resorts mainly to cool tones in the essay. Rhetorically speaking, Gunning Fog Index of the essay is calculated to be approximately 9.2-10 illustrating at least a minimum readability required of the level of grade 9 or 10 to grasp the article adequately. The essayist also utilizes a bandwagon appeal and groupthink by categorizing readers who conform as an all-inclusive unit collectively sharing same approach and vision while discerning the language of Newfoundland and its posterities. Diane also insinuates that Newfoundlandese is what it is because of the speed of language production and speech which in my opinion from having myself spent five years in the province could possibly bestow the language with its level of complexity in comprehension aspects as well as impersonation, she concludes the essay with a suggestion that a ‘common’ way of understanding therewith of different dialects will ultimately underwrite to improve communication ability given specific disparities, tweaks, and slight “twangs” between them, also appears throughout the essay as the running and controlling idea (P.5 and P.7).