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)
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
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