Language and Occupation

Question 1

asymmetrical relationship

Answer 1

Unequal power balance between two people.

Question 2

Discourse Community

Answer 2

A group of people with shared interests and belief systems who are likely to use language in similar ways.

Question 3

John Swales on discourse communities

Answer 3

Professional discourse communities occur due to the professional lexis used to maximise efficiency in the workplace.

Question 4

Porter on discourse communities

Answer 4

Workplaces or professions with increasingly complex bureaucratic or technical procedures are more likely to develop stronger and more restricted discourse communities.

Question 5

Illocutionary Speech Act

Answer 5

The implied meaning that a text producer wants you to understand.

Question 6

Locutionary Speech Act

Answer 6

The literal meaning of something.

Question 7

Perlocutionary Speech Act

Answer 7

The perceived meaning that the text receiver understands.

Question 8

Influential Power

Answer 8

A type of power that is persuasive rather than imposing.

Question 9

Instrumental Power

Answer 9

A type of power that is explicit and often imposed by a higher authority.

Question 10

Jargon

Answer 10

The vocabulary and manner of speech that define and reflect a particular profession which may be difficult for others to understand.

Question 11

Legalese

Answer 11

Legal register associated with the domain of law.

Question 12

Lexicon

Answer 12

The words used in a language or the words used in a language by a person or group of people.

Question 13

Phatic Talk

Answer 13

Socially orientated talk

Question 14

Koester on Phatic Talk

Answer 14

Phatic talk is important for increasing productivity in the work place, by establishing positive interpersonal relationships and building solidarity between workers.

Question 15

Power Assymetry

Answer 15

A power imbalance between speakers shown by the unequal way they address each other.

Question 16

Plain English Campaign

Answer 16

A campaign established to ensure that documents produced by companies are clear and understandable.

Question 17

Drew and Heritage study about workplace discourse

Answer 17

Identified the key difference between everyday conversation and workplace talk e.g. goal orientated speech and turn taking rules and restrictions.

Question 18

Drew and Heritage discussion on inferential frameworks

Answer 18

Inferential frameworks: members of a discourse community share implicit ways of thinking, behaving and communicating. Constraints on language use are dictated by workplace hierarchies.

Question 19

Herbert and Straight on compliments in the workplace

Answer 19

In the workplace compliments flow downwards, from higher status to lower status workers.

Question 20

Holmes and Marra discovery on gender in the workplace

Answer 20

Women use just as much humour as men in the workplace; citing the same reasons for their humour. Women are more likely however, to encourage supportive and collaborative humour.

Question 21

Hornyak discussion on work talk to personal talk

Answer 21

The shift from work talk to personal talk is initiated by the highest ranking person in the room.

Question 22

Howard Giles’ Accommodation Theory

Answer 22

Accommodation theory: The idea that people have different levels of formality of language at their disposal, and will converge or diverge their language depending on their situation.

Question 23

Janet Holmes on women managers

Answer 23

Women managers are more likely to negotiate consensus of an idea of plan, compared to men who will press through their agenda.