Analysing Spoken Texts (AQA A-Level English Language): Revision Notes

Analysing spoken texts

Understanding the speech context

When you analyze spoken language for Paper 1, Section A, you'll be working with transcripts – written records of what speakers actually said and did. Context plays a crucial role in how we use language. Think about it: the way you speak in a formal presentation will be very different from how you chat with your friends. This is because multiple background factors influence our language choices.

As you prepare for this exam, you need to carefully examine how contextual factors work together with language features to create meanings. Assessment Objective 3 (AO3) specifically tests your ability to understand all the background elements that impact what is being said and how it is being said.

Key contextual factors

Several important elements influence how someone speaks in any given conversation:

• The situation – This includes where the speakers are, what time of day it is, and how comfortable they feel in that setting.

• The participants – Consider how well the speakers know each other and their level of familiarity.

• Degree of spontaneity – Is the speech planned ahead or happening naturally in the moment?

• Roles and status – Think about how power is distributed between the speakers. Who has more authority or influence?

• Purpose of the exchange – What are the speakers trying to achieve through their conversation?

• Topic familiarity – How well do the speakers know the subject they're discussing?

• Age of speakers – This can affect vocabulary choices and communication styles.

• Attitudes and feelings – The speakers' emotions and opinions shape their language use.

• Social and cultural values – Background beliefs and cultural norms influence how people communicate.

Exam tip

Types of spoken texts

The spoken texts you encounter in Section A can take various forms. Understanding the type of speech you're analyzing is crucial because each type has typical features.

Speech can be categorized as:

• Spontaneous – Unplanned speech that occurs naturally in the moment
• Planned – Speech that has been prepared and scripted beforehand
• Semi-spontaneous – Speech that has some preparation but allows for natural, unscripted elements

Key terminology

Colloquial: Everyday language expressions used in informal, casual contexts.

Formal/Formality: Language designed for serious or public occasions where people pay careful attention to their behaviour and appearance.

Intonation: The patterns created by variations in pitch that convey meaning when we speak. These tunes help express emotion and emphasis.

Prosodics/Prosody: The melody our voices create through aspects like rhythm and intonation. Prosodic features include things like stress, pitch, and tempo.

Transcript: A written record capturing what speakers said and did during a conversation or speech event.

First language (L1): The first language an individual learns, usually during childhood.

Non-standard: Language that differs from normal or majority usage patterns. This doesn't mean it's wrong – just different from standard forms.

Features of spontaneous speech

Spontaneous speech has distinctive characteristics that you need to recognize and analyze. These features occur naturally when people speak without preparation:

• Non-fluency features such as pauses, fillers (like 'erm', 'um'), false starts, and repetitions
• Contractions (e.g., 'it's', 'don't', 'we've')
• Elision – omitting sounds (e.g., saying 'gonna' instead of 'going to')
• Informal, colloquial vocabulary and expressions
• Incomplete sentences and fragmented structures
• Overlapping speech and interruptions
• Back-channel noises (e.g., 'mm-hmm', 'yeah') to show you're listening
• Tag questions (e.g., 'isn't it?', 'don't you think?')

Characteristics of planned speech

Planned speech, like a television news broadcast, shows very different features:

• Carefully edited and scripted content
• Organized discourse structure with clear beginning, middle and end
• Prosodic emphasis used deliberately to draw attention to key sections
• Discourse markers to signal transitions between topics
• Avoidance of non-standard English
• More formal vocabulary and complete sentences

Analyzing telephone conversations and voicemail

You could be given any type of spoken text in the exam, including transcripts of phone conversations or voicemail messages. The more practice you have reading and annotating different types of data, the more prepared you'll be.

Initialism: Initials that cannot be pronounced as words (e.g., DVD, MOT).

When analyzing voicemail or phone messages, consider these questions:

1. What is the purpose of each message?
2. Can you make any assumptions about roles and relationships between the speakers?
3. Are these messages planned or spontaneous? How can you tell?
4. How does the medium of the telephone affect the language used?
5. Are there any differences in the formality of the messages? Why and how?

Key linguistic features in telephone discourse

Even though voicemail is one-way communication, people often use conventions from two-way speech. Look for these features:

• Transactional talk – language focused on getting something done or achieving a practical goal
• Interactional talk – language where the emphasis is on the social relationship between speakers
• Contractions and informal grammar
• Elision – dropping sounds or syllables
• Slang and colloquial expressions
• Endearing address terms (like 'hun', 'love') instead of using the person's name
• Mitigated directives – softened commands or requests
• Fillers (such as 'erm', 'like', 'you know')
• Politeness markers (phrases like 'please', 'if you don't mind')

Exam guidance for AO1

Power, roles and relationships

When we speak, we don't only represent people, places and ideas – we also represent ourselves and construct our identities. These identities can change depending on the situation. For example, sometimes we might want to show ourselves as hardworking, studious individuals, while at other times we might want to present ourselves as fun, carefree risk-takers.

We have the ability to move between different styles of speech without even thinking about it. This is known as style-shifting.

Analyzing power dynamics

The power balance in conversations can shift during an exchange and often operates at a subtle level. For instance, in a conversation where a parking attendant issues a ticket, it might seem the attendant holds all the power. However, the other person might also have some power – perhaps by adopting a polite, conciliatory approach that could result in a reduced fine.

Power and relationships are demonstrated through language choices such as:

• Imperative verbs (commands) – showing authority
• Mitigated imperatives – softened commands that sound more polite
• Endearments – terms of affection that can show closeness or, in some contexts, condescension
• Formal vs informal register – the level of formality signals the relationship
• Tag questions – can seek agreement or confirmation
• Interruptions and overlaps – can show dominance or enthusiasm
• Length of turns – who speaks more and for longer
• Politeness strategies – hedges, apologetic language, indirect requests

Exam technique for analyzing roles

When analyzing texts, follow this approach:

1. First, identify contextual factors (AO3) – understand the who, where, when, and why
2. Then apply linguistic methods and terminology (AO1) – identify specific language features

Use these questions to guide your annotations:

• What is the purpose of each exchange?
• Who is involved and what is the role and status of each speaker?
• What factors influence the relationships?
• How is the relationship between speakers demonstrated through the language used?

Reading strategy

Structuring exam responses

The question format

The typical Question 1 format for spoken data is:

Analyse how the text uses language to create meanings and representations. [25 marks]

You only have about 30 minutes to write your response, so your opening paragraph needs to be clear and concise so you can move straight into your analysis paragraphs.

Writing an effective introduction

You need to show the examiner that you have a good overview of the data. It's useful to briefly summarize some of the main contextual factors that affect the exchange, as well as the ideas and attitudes expressed by the speakers. However, it's important that you don't simply repeat information that's already given to you on the exam paper.

Approach to analysis

Assessment criteria

Grouping similar features

Remember that you are aiming to apply linguistic methods and terminology, identifying 'patterns and complexities' (Level 5 descriptor). You therefore need to be able to group together similar features that occur throughout the text. For example, you could group together the non-fluency features used throughout the text and discuss the impact these have on the text.

Key linguistic terms for analysis

Understanding and using precise terminology is essential for achieving high marks. Here are important terms you should know:

Declarative: A clause or sentence that has a statement function. Declaratives are used to convey information.

Elision: The omission of sounds in speech (e.g., 'gonna' for 'going to', 'cos' for 'because').

Clipping: Shortening a word by removing part of it (e.g., 'phone' from 'telephone').

Intensifier: Words that strengthen or emphasize meaning (e.g., 'very', 'really', 'absolutely').

Abstract noun phrase: A noun phrase referring to an idea, quality or concept rather than a physical object.

Colloquial tag question: An informal question added to the end of a statement (e.g., 'innit', 'right?').

Evaluative post-modifying adjective: An adjective that comes after the noun it describes and expresses a judgment or opinion.

Violent dynamic verb: A verb expressing forceful or aggressive action.

Subordinate clause: A clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence and depends on the main clause.

Vague language: Imprecise or non-specific words and phrases (e.g., 'stuff', 'things', 'kind of').

Exam preparation tips

Timing

For Paper 1, Section A, remember to spend roughly 20 minutes reading and preparing both texts and noting down relevant contextual factors. Answer the who, where, when, and why questions. Once you feel you've got a good handle on the data, begin to annotate the text using appropriate and concise terminology, from a range of language levels.

Creating your own data

Record a series of your own observations. Try to include a mixture of ages and cover both males and females. Transcribe them and think about the meanings that are being conveyed. How are topics, people and events being represented? Highlight the meanings and representations, then annotate these sections using precise linguistic terms.