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The blog ‘Busuu’ can be classified as an informational but at the same time promotional corporate blog, offering posts about different aspects of twelve languages as well as various ways to learn a language. It is published by the company Busuu that provides different language learning packages. The blog posts are from different authors, presumably working for the company, who are either named explicitly or use the company name Busuu and are directed at people of all ages that want to learn a new language or work on their existing language skills. The blog not only aims at informing and instructing the readers about language related issues but also at persuading the audience to subscribe to a membership.

Regarding the macrostructure of the blog, features typical for both instructional and promotional blogs can be found . On top of the page, the reader can find a button, leading to the blog section ‘Tips and advice’, a characteristic for a blog aiming at instructing and informing its audience. Most of the other buttons however eventually lead to a page where the reader is asked to subscribe to a paid membership, typically found in many promotional corporate blogs. Below these buttons, the newest blog posts are listed. The post’s heading, the author’s name, a short description of the content as well as date of publication are provided. The headings are kept short and most of them include phrases like ‘the best way to…’. Also, the personal pronoun ‘you’ is used in either the heading or the description to engage with the audience. The pictures often show cities, people laughing, probably aiming at motivating the audience to learn a new language to travel and make new friends, or sometimes just speech bubbles that include the heading. A ‘Follow Us’ Section on the left hand side of the main page includes links to different social platforms the company is active on (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) as well as the number of subscribers on each of the channels.

Taking a closer look at individual posts, most posts show a similar structure: At first, the readers attention is caught by using rhetorical devices such as humor and rhetorical questions. Together with an extensive use of personal pronouns  (‘you’ and ‘we’), these rhetorical strategies serve to establish a very personal relationship between the audience and the company. The lack of the first person narrator and the use of ‘we’ as opposed to ‘I’ signals the intention of building a strong connection between the readers and the company instead of the individual author. The posts continue by offering tips to acquire a language step by step. These tips are either presented in written form but sometimes also in audio or video format. The authors make use of both instructional register (extensive use of imperatives; phrases such as ‘you could…’, ‘the first step is to…’, ‘a good tip is to…’) and emotional, informal register that signals high reader involvement (personal pronouns ‘we’, ‘you’; use of words such as ‘the brits’, ‘mind-boggling’, ‘awesome‘ …) as again establishes a very close relationship to the audience. Most of these tips also include a hyperlink that leads the reader to a page to sign up for a membership, reflecting the primary purpose of the blog: to persuade the readers.

Interestingly, the blog posts are primarily written in English and also include colloquial expressions and low-frequency words and phrases (e.g. ‘put all the odds in your favour’, ‘tangible’…). Colloquialism can be regarded a typical characteristic of blogs in general but might make it difficult for beginners to understand. This might be due to the fact that the primary purpose of the blog is not to instruct the reader on language learning but rather to trigger the desire to become more proficient in a language and convince him or her to sign up for a language learning program.

Concerning the informational or instructional purpose, it can be argued that the blog is only successful for those, who have already reached a higher proficiency level in English and either want to deepen their understanding of English, acquire a new language or are interested in ‘fun-facts’ about various other languages (e.g. “English words that are actually German”). Non-English speakers might be troubled to understand the information provided. Regarding the persuasive purpose, the blog is very effective in addressing the audience directly, establishing a close relationship between the company and the reader and therefore motivating him/her to acquire a new language and sign up for a membership. However, this effect might also be stronger with an English-speaking audience.

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Analysis Blog Busuu: "The best way to learn German at home: 8 top tips"

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Analysis Blog Busuu: "The best way to learn German at home: 8 top tips"

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The entry “The best way to learn German at home: 8 top tips” is part of the corporate language learning blog “Busuu Blog”. The blog post can be classified as instructional on the one side, as it offers tips, and promotional on the other side, as it promotes the registration for the accompanying language app.

The author of the entry is Anna Klappenbach, who, according to the Busuu Blog, is one of their language experts and a native German speaker. The purpose of her blog post is to give advice on how to learn German but also to promote the use of the Busuu app. The intended audience are learners of German or people interested in learning German.

In terms of discourse particularities, it can be said that the register can be described as informal. Firstly, colloquial language is used (“won’t cut it”, “Forget about”). Secondly, there are contractions such as in “you’ve” or “you’re”. Furthermore, rhetorical devices can be found. For example, there is a comparison (“Learning without a goal is like driving without direction – fun at first, but boring after a while) and rhetorical questions can be found, too (“Easy and efficient, right?”).

The author tries to engage the audience by using the personal pronouns “you” an “we”. Also, she makes use of imperatives such as “So try to challenge yourself” and questions like “so why not dig into some popcorn and the German classic film, Toni Erdmann?”. Hence, a close relationship with the audience is built.

The layout of the entry is rather simple. It is structured into short paragraphs and each advice is given a numbered heading. Thus, it is easy for the readers to orient themselves within the text. The text is preceded by a short video that summarises the learning tips.

Overall, it can be concluded that the author tries to build a close connection with the audience. The reason for doing so might be that the relationship helps to persuade the reader into registering for the app. In addition, the reader-friendly layout and the directives make it easy for the audience to follow the given advice.

Source: https://blog.busuu.com/how-to-learn-german-easily/

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Analysis of the Blog entry: ''The best way to learn German at home: 8 top tips'' (Monika Schabetsberger)

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Analysis of the Blog entry: ''The best way to learn German at home: 8 top tips'' (Monika Schabetsberger)

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The blog entry under analysis presents eight tips for learning German at home. It was published in March 2020 on the website Busuu, which is a company selling a language learning app (Busuu). Therefore, it is a corporate blog entry. The author, Anna Klappenbach, is one of Busuu’s language learning experts. The blog tells the target audience, namely persons interested in language learning, how one can practice German. Hence, it has an instructional character. However, it has to be noted the company also wants to persuade the reader of purchasing the app.

At a first glance, it might seem that the primary purpose of the blog entry is to inform the audience. However, more importantly the author aims to persuade the reader of purchasing the language-learning app. Although the author mentions the app several times in the text itself, the purpose of persuading is also achieved by engaging with the audience. This is not only done by using personal and object pronouns (“you”; “we”; “us”), but also with the conversational style of the text. The text’s conversational language is shown through the use of contractions (“don’t”; “you’re”; “won’t”) and by including imperatives (“So be brave, be vulnerable”; “Forget about flashcards […] turn on the TV!”). The use of similes (“Learning without a goal is like driving without direction”; “You need to become a sponge”) and examples of daily life (“dig into some popcorn”; “indulge in German chocolate after you’ve memorized a bunch of vocab”; “Netflix”) give the text a catchy note and remind the reader that language learning can be easily integrated into everyday life. The text also outlines that the company Busuu has expertise (‘’It sounds obvious, but believe us’’; ’’some people will tell you’’). Furthermore, it addresses the reader throughout the text with questions (“Got some free time on your hands and thinking of learning German while you’re at home?”; “Easy and efficient, right?”; “why not try the first German Netflix original series, “Dark”?). It can be stated that the text sounds almost like an advice of a friend to the reader and has a dialogic character. Therefore, the audience feels engaged and may decide to install the language-learning app Busuu.

Concerning the layout of the blog entry, it has to be noted that pictures, links and buttons are included. The blog makes use of two pictures. The first one is a shot of an embedded video at the top of the page, showing the skyline of Berlin. At the end of the blog entry, one can find an image of the author Anna Klippenbach presenting herself in a professional manner. This again should attract the reader and should promote learning German with someone professional like Anna. As outlined, the blog entry presents eight tips for language learners. Those are structured under six headings (beginner section) and two extra headings for the advanced learners. The running text is interrupted by a blue box named including a ‘’Fun fact’’ about the German and English language. Moreover, blue links are included within the text which refer to other blog entries (“Phrases for Oktoberfest’’). The promotional character of the blog entry is represented with big blue buttons referring to the offer of Busuu (“Get organized with Busuu”; “Start learning for free”).

In conclusion, it can be said that the blog entry aims to persuade the audience of purchasing the language-learning app Busuu. The author tries to engage with the audience in a personal way by including, for example, personal pronouns, similes, everyday examples or imperatives. The persuading character is also represented in the overall layout of the text. Appropriate pictures are embedded and links or buttons refer to other pages and the offer of Busuu. Therefore, it can be said that after reading the conversational blog entry, one might decide to download the app.

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Analysis of the blog entry: "The best way to learn German at home: 8 top tips" (Luise Kollars)

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Analysis of the blog entry: "The best way to learn German at home: 8 top tips" (Luise Kollars)

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This blog post is published by Busuu, a company that provides a language learning app by the same name. The post was written by Anna Klappenbach, who is introduced below the post in a rather informal, personal way (“Her favourite food is cheese!”). In its title, this corporate blog post claims to provide 8 top tips for learning German at home, which at first makes it seem like its purpose is to inform the reader. Yet at a closer look, this blog promotes the Busuu App indirectly by providing links to the account registration (“Start learning for free” or “Get organized with Busuu) and also making the last “top tip” directly promotional (“Master German grammar with busuu”). The intended audience is anyone who is looking to improve their language learning in self study, most likely due to the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The author mainly uses informal register and style in order to suggest a kind of closeness to the reader. This is shown by the use of contractions such as “don’t” and “you’ll” but also colloquialisms and metaphors, such as “you’ll need to become a sponge and absorb German language and culture”. This informal register and style also adds to the text’s clear aim to create high audience engagement.

The author tries to establish a relationship with the reader by frequently using the pronouns “we” and “you” and to engage them through the use of imperatives (“treat yourself” or “don’t be disheartened”). The reader is also addressed directly through the use of questions such as “Got some free time on your hands and thinking of learning German while you’re at home? “.

Concerning this blog’s layout, what is most evident is its clarity. There are no images, apart from the youtube video on the top of the page and the website’s banner on the top of the page. The colours used are also reduced to only a few: white, black and blue. The colour blue stands out, thus it is used to highlight hyperlinks in the text and links to registering with Busuu. The headings are all numbered, short and concise and larger than the rest of the text, making each individual “top tip” easy to see at a glance.

This blog post combines three different interfaces: Busuu’s Youtube channel through the embedded video at the very start of the entry, the App through the various links and hints and, of course, the blog itself. After taking a closer look at the post, I believe that Busuu uses this blog post to promote their app and make people who are merely looking for advice on how to improve their German language skills at home stumble upon Busuu’s services.

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Analysis of the blog entry "The best way to learn German at home: 8 top tips" (Patricia Elsigan)

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Analysis of the blog entry "The best way to learn German at home: 8 top tips" (Patricia Elsigan)

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The blog post to be analysed is part of the corporate blog Busuu, which is a website offering language learning tips for twelve languages. It represents an example for a language learning niche blog article providing a number of tips for its readers. Since the post is directed at beginners and intermediate learners, the text’s audience most probably consists of present and future language learners of German. While one may assume that the text is directed towards a younger audience due to its online presence as well as the numerous references to youth popular culture (e.g. “Netflix”), it is not necessarily restricted to a specific age group (reference to a classic German movie, reference to Oktoberfest). The text serves two purposes: On the one hand, it has instructional character by listing several ways to learn German conveniently at home. On the other hand, however, the text is also promotional in that it advertises the blog’s language learning app. Through the use of various linguistic devices, the text attempts to build an amicable relationship between the author and the reader, which serves as a way to establish the text as a “language learning authority” as well as to promote the commercial offers of this language learning blog.

The text’s author is given explicitly at the end of the blog article. It introduces her as a “language expert” from the target country Germany and gives personal information about herself (“Her favourite food is cheese!”). This personal introduction of the author serves as a way to give the blog post a “face” which the audience can relate to. Additionally, the writer’s introduction as a native speaker of German may imply to readers that the author is a reliable source of tips for learning German (“like a native”, “we know from experience”). To refer to herself in the text however, the writer uses the plural pronoun “we”, therefore representing herself as a part of the company Busuu rather than a single person. This aspect may, on the one hand, serve as a way of stressing the communal element of the language learning blog (‘We here at Busuu are a community.’), but, on the other hand, also underlines its corporate character (‘Anna Klappenbach is writing for Busuu.’).

The text’s register is generally rather informal, which points to the text’s intention of promoting the language learning app through creating community with its readers. Through the frequent use of colloquial expressions (“won’t cut it”) as well as contractions (“don’t”) the text establishes a casual tone, which is reminiscent of a conversation between friends rather than a sales pitch. Additionally, the audience is addressed directly in numerous instances: The use of the second person pronoun “you”, several (rhetorical) questions as well as the frequent use of the imperative mood aim at engaging with the readers and to build an online relationship. In the commentary section, the audience is invited to contribute to the blog post. These features described above are indicative of the text’s purpose: Through the use of a conversational and amicable tone of writing, the audience is involved on a positive level and the writer connects with the reader. While the use of the blog’s language learning app is promoted rather explicitly, the text does not have the character of a sales pitch but the app is perceived more as a piece of advice made by a good friend. Thus, the text aims at advertising the app through building an online relationship with the audience.

With regard to layout, the text uses subheadings to section the different tips from one another. This feature was selected to give the audience an opportunity to read through the text quickly. When arriving at the last subheading, the reader comes across the term “Busuu” (the name of the language learning app), suggesting that the subheadings equally serve at making the reader aware that such a learning app exists. Other than that, the text also includes various blue hyperlinks to other articles as well as the registration for the language learning app in order to direct the audience’s attention towards the blog’s diverse offers.

Finally, the text follows the “hook, hold, payoff” structure in that it promises the reader to offer ways to learn German “like a native” right from the beginning of the article. By giving a number of tips for language learning, the reader’s attention is held by the text. In the end, the audience walks away not only with a number of tips, but also with the knowledge that a language learning app exists – after all, it is not for nothing that the learning app is mentioned in the last paragraph. While the reader may perceive these tips as practical and beneficial (“convenient ways to learn German at home”), the text connects these tips with the reference to the language learning app so that the audience may come back later to purchase the app.