"Emoji: the first truly global language?"

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/31/emoji-became-first-global-language

This article was written last year by Alex Clark about the use of emojis becoming the first global language.

Language barriers can be easily overcome through the use of emojis. Some people can have whole conversations using emojis without even using actual words.

"Femvertising" Summary

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/oct/12/femvertising-branded-feminism

This is an article about a new wave of feminism in social media, written by Nosheen Iqbal. Brands are using respect for women and their rights to promote themselves.

Some brands are using their campaigns to spread awareness of feminism such as Always, but other brands are simply using the hype of feminism to promote their brand.

Language and Identity

Standard English:

• Prestige dialect
• Formal register
• Language of power
• Suggestion of class/academia

Usually expected from authority figures and in professions to signify status. Stereo-typically occupations which are associated with working class, such as builders, would use non-standard English. 

Slang: 

• Informal words/phrases

Usually used around friends and in social groups. It would be abnormal if used in a professional setting.

Dialect:

• Lexical features or variations in grammar

These are words specific to an area such as "gert lush" being related to Bristol.

Taboo:

• Lexical choices which can be offensive

Taboo, such as swearing, are considered inappropriate and unacceptable by some.

Technology influenced words/phrases:

• Words/phrases influenced by technological use of social media

Examples of this are tweets, texts and any other type of instant messages. This can be words like "selfie".

Neologisms:

• New words entering the English language

Also know as coinage. Examples of this are "selfie", "twerking" and "bae".

Occupational register:

• Shared language between certain groups or individuals

This can be between work colleagues who share a use of occupational lexis such as chefs.

Received pronunciation:

• The standard form of English pronunciation
• Language of power

There are connotations of being well educated if you have a received pronunciation. It can often be used to teach English to others.

Regional accent:

•  An accent which differs depending on where you are from

A regional accent is not necessarily associated with a particular area.

Quote:

"One of the most fundamental ways we have of establishing our identity, and of shaping other people's views of who we are, is through our use of language"

 - Joanna Thornborrow (2004)

Ben and David Crystal on Sunday Brunch

Ben and David Crystal on Sunday Brunch

In this video, linguist David Crystal and his son Ben talk about all the different accents. They state that there is no one accent.

Andrew Moore

http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/lang/occupation.htm


We can understand forms

• in an explicit sense as those kinds of activity that we can name (job interview, team briefing, disciplinary tribunal, conference, marriage ceremony) or
• in a looser descriptive sense (discussing a problem, telling a manager about an incident, asking an expert for guidance).

Here are some general functions of language in occupational contexts:

• communicating information
• requesting help
• confirming arrangements
• instructing employees or colleagues to do something
• making things happen or enacting them

Activity - understanding forms and functions of talk

You should be aware of phatic tokens. These (described below) are ways of showing status by orienting comments to oneself, to the other, or to the general or prevailing situation (in England this is usually the weather).

Lexicon - a vocabulary that is specific to the occupation generally


 There will be

• forms used only in the occupation, or
• forms in the common lexicon but used with meanings which are special to the occupation: justify means very different things to a printer or typesetter and to a priest.

AQA English Language Papers and Mark Schemes

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/as-and-a-level/english-language-7701-7702/assessment-resources

This is a link to the specimen papers and mark schemes for the AQA A level English Language course.

Steven Pinker: "10 'grammar rules' it's OK to break (sometimes)" Summary

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/aug/15/steven-pinker-10-grammar-rules-break

This article is by Steven Pinker talking about 10 grammar rules which are sometimes okay to break.

Speeding Transcript and Analysis

Explaining to a police officer why you were doing 45 mph in a 30 mph zone

Police Officer: can you step out of the car please sir?
John: uhhh (.) I am so sorry but I I I am in a rush.
PO: there is no excuse (.) please get out of the car
J: (gets out the car, starts to shuffle with nerves)
PO: so (.) what is your excuse for breaking the law then sir?
J: well (.) umm (.) my mother is seriously ill and (.) she is very close to passing away and I uh just wanted to see her one last time (hand gestures)
PO: oh (.) umm (.) I am (.) umm so sorry (avoiding eye contact)
J: It’s it’s okay (.) I just (2) want to see her one last time (fidgeting)
PO: of course you do (.) where is she? In hospital?
J: yes (.) the umm one in town, I was trying to beat the traffic.
PO: well (.) I shall uh drive you to your mother (2) that will get you there quicker and you’ll have longer with her
J: uh thanks (.) do I need to do anything (.) for being pulled over?
PO: no (.) I’ve been in a similar situation myself (2) I uh know how you feel so I’ll just forget about it and take you there
J: sorry to uh hear that
PO: It's fine (.) let’s get you to the hospital (smiles)
J: thank you Officer (.) this means a lot
PO: park your car on the side of the road and I’ll pick it up later on the way back
J: thank you Officer
(The two get into the car and drive off to the hospital)  

Analysis

Formal register – police officer has authority, influential power
Non-fluency features – hedges and pauses
Implied that the police officer is not charging him
‘So’ is a discourse marker
‘Sir’ appropriate address terms
Avoiding eye contact – paralinguistic features - Brown and Levinson's negative face
 

Jamila Lyiscott: 3 ways to speak English

https://www.ted.com/talks/jamila_lyiscott_3_ways_to_speak_english?language=en

This is an interesting talk; Jamila Lyiscott has a distinct way of getting her point across. She talks about her thoughts on what it means to be 'articulate'.

Job Conversation Transcript

A: have you got a job?
B: (laughs) no I don’t but I've applied for lots of places
A: where have you applied for?

B: um Argos (.) House of Fraser (.) [Debenhams]
A: [did you not have any replies?]
B: no (.) well the people either ignore me or tell me that I don’t (.) have the right thing for the job (2) that didn’t make sense but yeah (laughs) - this is slang because it is informal
A: have you got a job C?
C: I don’t have a job but I’ve applied for many places (.) like B I’ve applied for (.) House of Fraser (.) my recent one I got (.) told I can’t work at Lush because I pat my thighs - micro pauses between speech- non-standard grammar
All: (Laughs)
C: that’s a bad (.) thing to have apparently (2)
A: oh (.) fair enough
C: I know it's great
B: (laughs)
A: D have you got a job? - repetition of the same question which is relevant and stays on topic
D: no I don’t have a job because (.) nowhere gets back to me so I’m still looking
A: oh  - conversation quantity is very little
D: mm (.) what about you? have you got a job?
A: yeah I got a job I work at Costa (2)
All: (laughs)
C: [we’ve had this conversation before]
D: [how many hours do you do?]
A: 15 hours a week
D: is that good or bad? - chaning
A: that’s good (.) but then it takes up all my social time so I got no friends anymore - non-standard grammar
C: [mm that’s sad]
B: [aw that’s sad] - synchronicity of C and B shows that they have known each other for a long time
A: yeah I know
B&D: (laughs)
C: what Costa do you work at?
A: the one in Avonmeads
C: oh yeah [the new one?]
D: [do you get discounts on the stuff?]
A: I get it free if I go into that shop (.) and then if I go into other shops [I get like 45% off]
C: [okay I’m gonna go work at Costa] - lots of overlaps. Shows that A, C and D are friends
A: (laughs) [but um yeah] - fillers
C: [yeah]
A: I’ve only worked there for like (2) I’ve only had two pay packets now so like two months (2) - hedges/voiced pauses - timed pauses
C: I need a job
B: so do I (.) I need money
C: It’s so sad - phatic talk
A: [this is just turning into like a]
All: (laughs)
A: [like a sad conversation] - non-fluency features
D: are we done?
A: (.) yeah - colloquial language
B: how do I stop it?
D: (laughs) - paralinguistic features
C: how do you stop that?  - tag question
A: we haven’t even been talking for a minute
D: that’s alright

Spontaneous Speech Terminology Quiz

1) 'A pattern of speech in which one utterance is followed by an appropriate linked response' - is the definition of the term adjacency pairs.

2) Explain the term 'side sequencing'
Where the conversation stops for clarification and then continues on the same topic.

3) Give an example of a 'tag question'
"We need to leave at 12, don't we?"

4) Give three terms that are examples of non-fluency features
Hesitations, false starts and fillers

5) Explain the term 'phatic language' and give two examples
Phatic language is small talk in a conversation. e.g. "how are you?" "how was your weekend?"

6) Non-verbal aspects of speech or paralinguistic features such as 'fillers' can help reveal a speaker's attitudes and feelings. Name two other non-verbal aspects of speech:
Facial expressions and gestures

7) "'elp me orf this 'orse" is an example of elision which means the spelling of words to represent how they are pronounced.

8) List Grice's maxims and briefly explain each one.

• Quantity - too little/too much
• Quality - truth
• Relevance - off topic/on topic
• Manner - clear communication

9) Grice was interested in suggesting what helps to create an informative conversation.

10) When analysing spontaneous speech we do not refer to 'sentences' but to utterances.

11) Brown and Levinson put forward some theories about politeness. Name four positive politeness strategies we might employ if we want to be liked?

• Intensify interest
• Pay attention
• Seek agreement
• Exaggerate

12) In order to analyse a transcript, what three things must you establish an awareness of from the outset?
Context, purpose, reciever

Jesse Eisenberg Awkward Interview

This is an awkward interview with actor Jesse Eisenberg.

Observations:

• The interviewer starts the interview by talking about Morgan Freeman but calls him "Freeman". Jesse unnecessarily calls her out for her use of lexis instead of using his full name.
• The interviewer is acting quite awkwardly after that as you can tell from her body language and shifting in her seat which are paralinguistic features.
• Jesse is continuously rude to the interviewer throughout the interview but he laughs during his insults. The paralinguistic feature of him laughing could show that he is possibly joking or flirting but it could also be that he is trying not to make his comments sound as harsh.
• The interviewer begins to act unprofessionally by showing her distaste for the interview and using sarcasm.
• The interviewer also topic shifts when he mentions the writing on her hand.

Cara Delevingne Awkward Interview

This is an awkward interview of model/actress Cara Delevingne.

Observations:

• In the video you notice that Cara uses a lot of sarcasm, perhaps to try to be funny, which maybe the interviewer's don't understand.
• There is obviously a nationality barrier because the interviewee is English and the interviewer's are American. This means that there is a difference in what they find humorous and what attitudes to language are acceptable.
• Cara has probably had a long day of press interviews which could be why she was using phatic talk and getting agitated about questions which she didn't find appropriate. Her paralinguistic features such as her facial expressions and fidgeting can show her discomfort toward the questions.
• Cara behaves quite professionally throughout by responding calmly to digs about her being irritated and moody. She uses a lot of non-fluency features such as fillers and hesitations which maybe due to controversy coming from the interviewers.
• The interviewers act quite unprofessional. First by introducing her as "Carla", then by calling out Cara, saying that she doesn't seem excited for the movie and talking disrespectfully about her at the end.