An_Analysis_of_a_Transcript_from_'the_Office'

Studying a comedy transcript (.) Micropauses (2) Second duration pauses // Overlaps :: Lengthened Vowel Sound = Latch-ons Bold Word emphasised (laughs) Paralinguistic Feature th. Unfinished utterance Former Manager David Brent, and newly-appointed Manager, Gareth Keenan, are talking about David’s love life. David: someone who shall remain nameless has persuaded yours truly to (.) well it is a bit of a laugh // really Gareth: // internet dating (.) it’s online dating = David: = ahh (.) yeh (.) I mean I’m going along with it but you know (.) trying new ones (1) variety is the spice of life and all that (1) living la vida loca (1) la dolce vita Gareth: voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce-soir (1) you know what that means // David: // yeah Gareth: will you go to b. = David: = ooh I hope no French women apply now Gareth: oh I hope they do (.) I love French girls David: yeah so do I (.) (laughs) I’m joking (.) I love most nationalities Gareth: okay (.) your personal details David: liberal Gareth: your physique (3) would you say you were slim (.) average (.) well built (2) heavily built (.) I’d say heavily // built David: // well built Gareth: (3) yeah (mimes a large stomach) David: yeah (.) most of it’s muscle innit Gareth: yeah (.) o::kay David: yeah (4) has Neil (3) got a (1) date for the wedding or is he // just Gareth: // September David: September (1) could be good (1) could be (1) Mike rang (1) could be a washout (2) hope not (2) hope not Gareth: how would you describe your looks (.) very attractive (.) attractive (2) average = David: = you can’t put very attractive on it (.) it makes you look arrogant don’t it (2) put attractive (.) she’ll see me Gareth: (1) ok (.) occupation Studying a comedy transcript EPISODE 1, SCENE 9 (.) Micropauses (2) Second duration pauses // Overlaps :: Lengthened Vowel Sound = Latch-ons Bold Word emphasised (laughs) Paralinguistic Feature th. Unfinished utterance Former Manager David Brent, and newly-appointed Manager, Gareth Keenan, are talking about David’s love life. David: someone who shall remain nameless has persuaded yours truly to (.) well it is a bit of a laugh // really HEDGE Gareth: // internet dating (.) it’s online dating = David: = ahh (.) yeh (.) I mean I’m going along with it but you know (.) trying new ones (1) variety is the spice of life and all that (1) living la vida loca (1) la dolce vita METAPHOR Gareth: voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce-soir (1) you know what that means // EUROPEAN ROMANTIC LEXIS David: // yeah Gareth: will you go to b. = INTERRUPTION David: = ooh I hope no French women apply now Gareth: oh I hope they do (.) I love French girls INTENSIFIER David: yeah so do I (.) (laughs) I’m joking (.) I love most nationalities Gareth: okay (.) your personal details David: liberal Gareth: your physique (3) would you say you were slim (.) average (.) well built (2) heavily built (.) I’d say heavily // built DELIBERATE PAUSE ADVERB David: // well built DELIBERATE OVERLAP Gareth: (3) yeah (mimes a large stomach) PARALINGUISTIC FEATURE David: yeah (.) most of it’s muscle innit Gareth: yeah (.) o::kay LENGTHENED VOWEL SOUND: GARETH IS SCEPTICAL David: yeah (4) has Neil (3) got a (1) date for the wedding or is he // just Gareth: // September David: September (1) could be good (1) could be (1) Mike rang (1) could be a washout (2) hope not (2) hope not Gareth: how would you describe your looks (.) very attractive (.) attractive (2) average = INTERROGATIVE David: = you can’t put very attractive on it (.) it makes you look arrogant don’t it (2) put attractive (.) she’ll see me COVERT MEANING / TAG QUESTION Gareth: (1) ok (.) occupation How does the transcript try to be funny' Mr Spice has a go There is a hint of tension between the two men, as one of them is now the boss, and is doing the other person’s old job. Gareth now has the higher status. David is acting as if he is not bothered about Internet Dating, and making out the idea is all Gareth’s. David uses a hedge, ‘it’s all a bit of a laugh’ to try and sound like it’s no big deal to him. David’s metaphor, ‘variety is the spice of life’ and European romantic lexis, such as ‘living la vida loca’ are used to try and make him sound cultured, when he is probably anything but. David interrupts Gareth to stop him saying the meaning of ‘voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir'’ because again he doesn’t want to sound vulgar in front of the cameras. David humorously comes across as not being fussy when it comes to dating, by using the intensifier ‘I love most nationalities’, to suggest he is not picky. The most amusing part of the transcript occurs when Gareth asks David to describe himself for the dating profile. Gareth deliberately uses a two second pause before announcing ‘heavily built’, with emphasis on the adverb, ‘heavily’, to hint that he thinks David is overweight. He also uses a paralinguistic feature of miming a large stomach and uses a lengthened vowel sound, ‘o::kay’ to show he is still sceptical. David’s pride is clearly hurt as he overlaps Gareth by saying ‘well built’, then tries to cool down the atmosphere by changing the subject, as he introduces the topic of Neil’s forthcoming wedding. Back to completing the dating profile, Gareth uses an interrogative, ‘how would you describe your looks’, and the viewer expects David to go for a big-headed reply. Sure enough, the covert meaning is that David thinks he is very attractive, when he uses the tag question, ‘it makes you look arrogant don’t it’ to make Gareth agree that he can’t write down ‘very attractive’, as it will David look cocky. David acknowledges finally ‘she’ll see me’, meaning he thinks she’ll find his photo handsome. Mr Spice attempts his own transcript (.) Micropauses (2) Second duration pauses // Overlaps :: Lengthened Vowel Sound = Latch-ons Bold Word emphasised (laughs) Paralinguistic Feature th. Unfinished utterance This scene is from the fourth episode of a soap called Teenage Dream. It focuses on the lives of a group of teenagers growing up in Worcestershire. Here, Abi, Charlotte and Jade are having a sleepover. Unfortunately, Charlotte is in for a rather nasty shock. Charlotte: so bessies (.) who’s done any revision for the chemistry test on Monday Jade: you’re kidding (.) I thought that was the lesson after next Abi: I haven’t done a scrap of // revision Jade: // yeah yeah you always say that and then you go and get the highest mark (.) I bet you have been up all night // swotting up Abi: // no Charlotte: // yeah you come top every time (.) Miss loves you Abi: huh (2) anybody want to watch a DVD Jade: hey Charlotte (.) did you see what Alex said about you on Twitter earlier Charlotte: no Jade: awww look (.) he said he had a great afternoon in town with his number one girl Charlotte: ahhh he’s my babe (.) let’s have a look at his Facebook profile (2) it was amazing (.) we went shopping and he bought me a CD (.) ooh I hope it’s Facebook official now = Jade: = mmm here’s his profile (.) hey nice photos (1) right (.) it’s not a relationship until you both add it to your online status’ (.) you’re quiet Abi Abi: hmm (phone rings) Jade: your phone’s // ringing Abi Abi: // yeah I know Jade: why aren’t you answering it Abi: I’ll call them back later Jade: who is it (.) I’ll answer // it Abi: // no no Jade: hello (2) yes (3) Alex Abi: :: no give it here (.) it’s my ‘phone (.) Jade (.) get off it Jade: it’s Alex (.) he wants to speak to you Abi (2) why would Charlotte’s boyfriend be calling you up at this time of night (.) what’s going on (.) why didn’t you answer it (3) Abi Abi: Charlotte (2) I’m really sorry (2) there’s something I need to say to you