Women have to appropriate the language of men to get on in the world.

Women have to appropriate the language of men to get on in the world.

You know when you're sitting at work, and you get this email come through from a female colleague. I can guarantee it would look something like this.

"I'm just emailing you to ask if you could do (insert office related odd-job here) for me please. I'm very sorry for springing this up at you on the last minute but I got caught up (insert second office related odd-job here). I hope that's OK with you. That would be very helpful."

Do you see the problem? Here it is again, only this time I've underlined the issue.

"I'm just emailing you to ask if you could do (insert office related odd-job here) for me please. I'm very sorry for springing this up at you on the last minute but I got caught up (insert second office related odd-job here). I hope that's OK with you. That would be very helpful."

Do you see it now?? The way that women talk comes off as overly apologetic, passive, over the top and flat-out FAKE!!

Idiolect

There are a few factors which determine my idiolect. I have lived in Norfolk my whole life, as have the large majority of my family. Therefore I have noticeable tendencies of a Norfolk accent. I also use a few features of Estuary English. I use a lot less Norfolk dialect than people who live further inland. The dialect is used a lot less in general than it used to be.  

An Analysis of Spontaneous Conversation

An Analysis of Spontaneous Conversation

The transcript I have chosen is from the BBC mockumentary “W1A”. It is a scripted television show that is written in the style of spontaneous speech. In the scene I have used, there is a lot of filler used, as well as non-standard grammar and some slang. One of the characters in particular, Ian, uses a lot of repetitions and takes his time when he is talking. False starts and hedges are also heavily used in this text.

One thing that is notable when it comes to the structure is that there is no opening sequence. This is because the meeting is already in progress when the scene begins. This is to make it seem more real and natural, as if it was a real documentary and also to shorten the scene, as the small talk that opens the meeting is unnecessary.

Feedback is given often during the scene. This is often from the character of Simon who often says things such as “very good”, “very strong” and “that’s brilliant”. He doesn’t say a lot but often talks in phatic phrases when giving feedback and when he closes the conversation as he sums up the proceedings.

There is quite a lot of overlaps and interruptions in the dialogue. A lot of these come when Ian is talking and trying to defend his case in the meeting. He is overlapped by all three of the other participants in the meeting which says quite a bit about his character.

Topic shifts take place a couple of times during the dialogue. Elaine tries to change the topic but it is unsuccessful. She loses her authority in the process. Ian tries to shift the conversation as well but to no avail. The only successful shift comes at the end when Simon ends the conversation for once and for all.

You could make a good argument for all of the characters holding the power in the conversation. One of the characters who shows some power is Simon as he is responding to the key points of conversation. He also closes the conversation at the end, suggesting some power.

Ian is the main focus of the conversation, but he shows the least power as he is being interrogated almost by the other three characters. He talks very vaguely, he repeats himself a lot and takes his time. These all show no power at all.

The character of Tracey does not say a lot and when she does she says either too much or too little. She doesn’t really show a lot of power and doesn’t’ really seem to be needed in the meeting.

Elaine is leading the conversation the majority of the time as she is asking the questions as well as talking the most and seemingly having the most respect of everyone in the meeting. She does however lose some of her confidence and therefore her power in the conversation as it goes on, as she begins to talk less and be spoken over the most.

Out of the four characters, I believe that Elaine has the most power as she leads the conversation for the majority of the scene and despite losing some of the power a little bit later on, she still leads the conversation on and is asking the questions the most.

What's in a name?

I’ve decided to do my “What’s in a name” study on restaurants as I feel I can talk about them quite well. I feel that I can talk about all of my chosen brands in some detail.

                “McDonald’s” uses an iconic brand name and image to sell their products. The brand has been built over a very long time and is now arguably the leading fast food chain in the world. The word “McDonald” is a surname and therefore could give a family feel to the restaurant, making it a place you want to go and eat with your family.

                “Pizza Hut” and “Burger King are also iconic name when it comes to restaurants. They use the words “Pizza” and “Burger” to tell the public what their speciality is. The word “Hut” connotes a small, quiet and tranquil building. This could encourage people to go as it suggests a calm environment at “Pizza Hut”. The word “King” simply suggests that they consider themselves to be the best and are telling the public this. “Burger King” is a name that is easily remembered and the notion of being the best encourages people to visit.

                “Costa” has used alliteration to draw attention to their brand. The name “Costa Coffee” rolls off the tongue and is easy to remember. It is also simply the surname of the family who founded the chain in 1971 so the alliteration may just be a coincidence.

                The American buffet chain “Golden Corral” uses the word “Golden” to good effect as it connotes something being the best, as in a Gold Medal. This is suggesting that they are the best. This also links to their slogan, “The Best Buffet in The USA”. The word “Corral” can mean people being gathered, so the name “Golden Corral” means a gathering of people for the best of something, in this case, a buffet.

                Like “Pizza Hut” and “Burger King”, “Dunkin’ Donuts” use the name of their speciality in their name to draw attention and encourage customers who like donuts to come to their restaurant. The word “Dunkin’” obviously means to dip something. They are also known for their coffee, so it could suggest you dunk their donuts in their coffee. In America, which is where the company was founded and the majority of their stores are, Basketball is very popular and “Dunk” is a basketball term.

                “Coast 2 Coast” is a popular chain of restaurant in the UK. The name is a travelling term and therefore could appeal to people who are travelling and want a bite to eat. It also could be looked at in the context that “we’ve looked from coast to coast and this is the best food”.

                The restaurant “Little Chef” obviously suggests a smaller meal than other restaurants. These restaurants are often beside main roads and therefore are appealing to travellers who want a small meal before continuing their journey. The word “Chef” connotes something better than an average cook, it suggests that there is some kind of qualification involved and therefore suggests the food will be nicer than other restaurants.

                “KFC” uses both their speciality and the location they were founded in their brand name. They use the acronym “KFC” because it’s short, snappy and memorable as well as it rolling off the tongue more than “Kentucky Fried Chicken”. Everyone knows what it stands for yet no one calls it “Kentucky Fried Chicken”. This shows how memorable the acronym is and how marketable it has become as a company.

                 The American restaurant “IHOP” uses the same idea as the aforementioned “KFC” by including their speciality inside an acronym. “IHOP” stands for “International House of Pancakes” and is very popular in the USA. In saying “International” in the title, this suggests they are the best in the world when it comes to pancakes. The word “House” connotes the environment of a home where it will involve a friendly, relaxing family atmosphere. This means that the pragmatic meaning of the name “International House of Pancakes” is a homely, family atmosphere where people can enjoy the best pancakes in the world.

                This concludes my “What’s in a name” study on restaurants. I hope you have found it to be an interesting and insightful read.

Emoji Debate Links

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/18/adults-emoji-grow-up-emoticons-teenagers

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

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2015/may/27/emoji-language-dragging-us-back-to-the-dark-ages-yellow-smiley-face

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2015/may/27/emoji-language-dragging-us-back-to-the-dark-ages-yellow-smiley-face

http://theweek.com/articles/574931/upside-emoji