GKT102: General Knowledge for Teachers – Reading

In this section we covered a variety of writing devices authors use to convey meaning in a text: figurative and literal language, connotation and denotation, and specialized language. Read the following passage, then match the selected phrases to their device choice. Refer back to the resources in this section if you are unsure of any of your answers.

Toronto's Mime North 2019 brings thousands of fans together

Many thousands of anime and manga fans descended on the Toronto Congress Centre for Anime North, a fan-run convention launched in 1997. Spread between four venues over three days, May 24 to 26, the event featured J-pop maid idols, voice actors, writers, and more. Wikinews attended.

Despite the ample indoor spaces, the parking lot of the Centre is also a hub of activity, with cosplayers posing for photos. Attendees were sent running for cover on Saturday, as heavy rains and a severe thunderstorm warning put a damper on festivities.

The event is organized by a massive team of volunteers, and known for its specialized programming for fans, by fans. On the night of May 25, for example, attendees could catch "Pokemon Biology", "Kimono Obi Tying", and "Underappreciated Sports Anime/Manga".

US voice actor Alexis Tipton marveled at the growth of the anime industry in the last decade. "Back when I was going as a fan, there wasn't as much anime, so it was easier to know about everything," Tipton observed during a question and answer session. "I'm so overwhelmed by how much there is".

Tipton held a panel on her career, dubbing anime for US distribution company Funimation Entertainment. While many anime voice actors weren't fans going into the industry, Tipton recalled going to anime conventions with her friends during middle school and high school. Once she was an invited guest, Tipton recalls realizing "oh, I'm not here to just have fun, I'm here to work; I have a set schedule and I can't just, like, you know, go do what I want".

Early in her career, Tipton was cast as a voice for My Bride is a Mermaid, a role that required singing. Then just 19 years old, she looked at the role as a "chance to face my demons," having questioned her abilities for years. "I was in an extremely competitive [singing musical theatre] program in high school. I had started working at Funimation when I was 19, so I was just barely in college. And so those scars were still like, really fresh. I had a lot of competition and people would find what your perceived weakness was, or what your actual weakness was in the program, and they would take advantage of it. And so I had people trying to make me feel like I couldn't sing my way out of a paper bag, and then I would get so nervous when I would sing that I couldn't support my notes, and so it would just prove them right".

Tipton was devastated when she got a sinus infection, the week of the audition. "This director doesn't know me, I haven't worked with him, he's going to think that this is what I sound like," she recalls thinking. "I don't know if I had a shot to begin with, but now I really don't have a shot". She was thrilled when she was cast.

Another voice actor, Lauren Landa, would list Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus as dream roles, when asked at conventions. She was given a chance to audition for the characters years later, when Vizmedia dubbed the first two seasons of Sailor Moon. When she was cast, "I swear to you, I was speechless," she told an audience at her Q&A session.

Matching Exercise:

Match each of the following phrases to the appropriate device: connotation, denotation, figurative language, literal language, or specialized terminology.

Phrase

1. Fans descended
   
2. I had started working at Funimation when I was 19  
   
3. I was speechless
   
4. Pokemon-Biology
   
5. Tipton was devastated

Device

• Connotation
• Denotation
• Figurative language
• Literal language
• Specialized terminology

Source: Saylor Academy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.