Topic 3 (session A) - Patterns, Deviations, Style and Meaning > Deviation: non-literary examples

Deviation for Foregrounding Purposes - A Universal Phenomenon

Explanation of Animation:

This is an animation of a lady pulling driving down the road in her car. She stops at the red traffic lights and picks her nose and then drives off when the light changes to green.

The picture of the professor figure on the homepage for this website is wearing a bow tie. This is because the designer for this course, Mick Short, wears a bow tie and the teacher-researchers helping him create the course thought it would be fun to have him on the site "in person".

The wearing of bow ties is deviant in terms of the dress code in UK universities. Most male academics don't wear ties at all, and those who do usually wear traditional 'kipper' ties. So Mick's unusual dress counts as a 'signature' for him, making him stand out from the crowd, and at the same time shows he is always interested in deviation and foregrounded behaviour!
Note that all you need for deviation to occur is a set of rules, however informal or intuitive, which are then broken.

Want to compare what Mick looks like with/without his bow tie? Have a look below!

Just for fun! Let us know which "look" you prefer - post your comments in the Language and Style chat-café.

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