Occupation

Question 1

Occupational Lexis

Answer 1

• Most noticeable aspect of language - exclusive to occupation - can be exclusionary or inclusionary.
• Some occupations have specialised lexis e.g. law.
• Example of law - Habeus Corpus, Magna Carta

Question 2

Power in Spoken Discourse

Answer 2

• Often a degree of power asymmetry e.g. judge talking to a defendant
• Fairclough - difference in power is known as an unequal encounter.
• In unequal encounters, conventions do not operate - powerful place constraints on less powerful.

Question 3

Instrumental Power

Answer 3

The person has power due to authority.

Question 4

Influential Power

Answer 4

The person doesn’t have power and is trying to gain influence e.g. adverts.

Question 5

Wareing’s Three Types of Power (1999)

Answer 5

• Political - politicians and law
• Personal - result of their occupation
• Social Group - result of social variables such as class, gender and age.

Question 6

Teacher Talk

Answer 6

• Imperatives
• Modal Verbs
• Standard English
• Fillers

Question 7

Doctor’s Talk

Answer 7

• Jargon - scientific and medical
• Standard English
• Avoid vague language
• Terms of address
• Imperatives and Interrogatives

Question 8

Sociolect

Answer 8

• Occupations develop their own special language features.
• Occupations are a source of language change while attitudes to language may in turn cause changes in the way occupations work.

Question 9

Register

Answer 9

• Linguistic features used in context which characterises text.
• Medical lexis:
- Scientific jargon e.g. chromosomes
- Slang term e.g. ash cash (used to deal with taboo topics building solidarity through black humour)

Question 10

Drew and Heritage (1992)

Answer 10

Six Characteristics of language used in workplace:
• Goal Orientation
• Turn-taking Rules 
• Allowable Contributions 
• Specialist Lexis 
• Structures 
• Asymmetry

Question 11

Epistemic Modality

Answer 11

Constructions that express degrees of possibility, probability and certainty e.g. “He must have left already.”

Question 12

Deontic Modality

Answer 12

Constructions that express degrees of necessity and obligation e.g. “You may go at 4”

Question 13

Structures in Teacher Talk

Answer 13

• Initiation, response, follow-up structure is realised in classroom discourse.
• Common form at all levels of teacher

Question 14

Occupation vs Other Types of Diversity

Answer 14

• Type of diversity which depends most on context.

* Only use occupational lexis at work or when talking to employees.

Question 15

Swales (2011)

Answer 15

Six characteristics of a discourse community:
• Agreed set of common goals
• Mechanisms of intercommunication
• Provides information and feedback
• Utilizes and possesses one or more genres
• Specific lexis
• Members have degree of relevant content and expertise.

Question 16

Koester (2004)

Answer 16

• People pay attention to relational goals when interacting.
• Interpersonal relationships are important to complete tasks, form bonds and show colleagues are interested in each other.

Question 17

Creating Positive Environment

Answer 17

• Phatic Talk - used for socialising rather than sharing information.
• Non-Minimal Responses - creates positivity

Question 18

Non-Minimal Responses

Answer 18

• Express degree of satisfaction, enthusiasm and humour.
• Make a conversation friendly.
• Creates a relationship.
• McCarthy and Carter (2000) - important interactive function.

Question 19

Goffman’s Face Theory (1955)

Answer 19

• Suggests we present a face to the world.
• Usually accept the face people present.
• Purpose of face work is to maintain status - lower status = more attentive to face.

Question 20

Face Threatening Act

Answer 20

• Challenge or reject someone’s ‘face’.

* Most of the time we are tactful and ‘save’ the other person’s face

Question 21

Lakoff’s Politeness Principle (1973)

Answer 21

Three Rules:
• Don’t impose
• Give options
• Make receiver feel good

Question 22

Giles’s Accommodation Theory

Answer 22

• Try to make ourselves closer to partner by adapting speech to be more like them.

Question 23

Brown and Levinson (1987)

Answer 23

• Saving/keeping face = central to work relationships

Question 24

Phatic Talk

Answer 24

Types found at work:
• Non-transactional - small talk and gossip
• Phatic communion - start and end of transactional conversation.
• Relational episodes - small talk occurring during performance of a task.
• Relational sequences and turns - task related talk that isn’t necessary.