Occupation examples and theory

Question 1

Examples of terms from the armed forces

Answer 1

MIA
Binge drink
Snapshot
Bogey
Camouflage

Question 2

Acronyms in teaching

Answer 2

CPD
Progress 8
LAC
PP

Question 3

How many acronyms starting with A are on the Met Police website?

Answer 3

61

Question 4

What can acronyms (restricted occupational lexis) do?

Answer 4

Exclude outsiders (restricted code)

Question 5

An example of convergence

Answer 5

Doctors may converge their language with patients to reduce use of technical lexis which patients may not understand

Question 6

What was the old term for ‘statement of truth’ in the courts? (link to Plain English Campaign)

Answer 6

Affadavit

Question 7

What was the old term for ‘in private’ in the courts? (link to Plain English Campaign)

Answer 7

In camera

Question 8

Changes in language in the courts (year, which court)

Answer 8

These changes (e.g. affadavit to statement of truth) were made in 1999
only in the civil court not the crown court

Question 9

Norman Fairclough

Answer 9

• Instrumental power vs influential power
• ‘Unequal Encounters’ - Language choice is created and constrained by asymmetrical situations accepted as ‘normal’ e.g. manager/worker, teacher/student

Question 10

Coulthard and Sinclair (IRF)

Answer 10

-IRF model (initiation, response, feedback) - this is the pattern for elicitation exchanges
- The IRF structure works through the accepted status and authority of the teacher in the classroom

Question 11

What are the 3 main functions of teacher talk? (Coulthard and Sinclair)

Answer 11

• Informative
• Directive (imperative)
• Elicitation (question)

Question 12

Holmes and Stubbe (2003)

Answer 12

• Coined the term ‘doing power’
• Power in the workplace
• Power is demonstrated by superiors as a way of carrying out their job role

Question 13

David Crystal

Answer 13

• Occupational varieties of language are in temporary use - they are ‘part of the job’ - taken up as we begin work and put down as we end it
• Every occupational group will have linguistic distinctiveness. There are no class distinctions.
• ‘The more specialised the occupation, and the more senior and professional the post, the more technical the language is likely to be’

Question 14

Deborah Tannen (1999)

Answer 14

• Power/solidarity paradox
• Every utterance is potentially ambiguous as to whether it is establishing power or solidarity
• This is because symbols or language that display power (differing status) and solidarity (equal status) are often the same
• Whether or not an utterance is supposed to demonstrate power or not can only be decided in terms of context or pragmatics

Question 15

Drew and Heritage (1993)

Answer 15

• Suggest there are strong hierarchies in workplaces that lead to asymmetrical (unequal) relationships based on language use
• Suggested that members of a discourse community share unspoken, implicit knowledge, ways of thinking and communication styles
• One result is the idea that more powerful people dictate the language used by others

Question 16

Koester (2004)

Answer 16

• Focuses on phatic talk (small talk) as a way of establishing relationships with others
• Being sociable and engaging in personal chat is an important aspect of effective working as it creates solidarity in the workplace
• ‘Workers need to establish interpersonal relationships and have interactions that are not just about work related procedures’

Question 17

Brown and Levinson (1970s)

Answer 17

• Built on Erving Goffman’s face theory
• Face threatening acts such as promises and apologies threaten the speaker’s face
• Face threatening acts such as warnings and criticisms primarily threaten the hearer’s face
• 3 variables are social distance, power distance and the degree of imposition

Question 18

Plain English Campaign

Answer 18

• Set up in 1979 to combat the use of confusing and unnecessary jargon
• It advises organisations on how they can use plainer language
• Organisations can apply for the Crystal mark which shows that the ‘Plain English Campaign’ has approved their document