Spoken Language Study Scheme of Work

1. Friday 4 November – Texting and
th
Internet talk

2. Differences between written and spoken language
Written : encyclopedia entry Spoken : phone call
• Visual (it’s read) • Aural (it’s heard)
• Permanent – can be checked and re- • Temporary – only retained in the
read memory
• Impersonal: the audience is not • Personal: directed towards a known
known audience
• Distant – can be accessed at any • Immediate – restricted to the time
time of the call
Can you think of anything else?

3. Language forms aren’t always one or the other – some fall in between the
extremes. Where on the continuum would you place the following?
The Bible
A classroom discussion
An internet chat room
Visual (it’s A Shakespeare play
read) Aural (it’s
A ‘tweet’
heard)
Permanent Text message advert
An episode of Eastenders Temporary –
– can be
A shopping list only retained
checked and
Text message from a friend in the
re-read
memory
Impersonal: Personal:
the directed
audience is towards a
not known known
audience
Distant –
Immediate –
can be
restricted to
accessed at
the time of
any time
the call

4. Mixed mode texts
Mixed mode texts share features with both written and
spoken language.
Two examples of mixed modes are texting and ‘internet
communication’ (the variety of language used by
different people to send emails and communicate on
forums, instant messaging software like MSN and
post in internet chat rooms).

5. You receive this text from a friend...
hi how
ru gd
wknd?
Write a fairly brief reply using a style that you would
usually use when texting a good friend. Don’t alter
your style.

6. Brevity
Self expression
Sculpting social image
Rebellion
Playfulness
Fitting in
Peer group

7. Brevity
Self expression
Sculpting social image
Rebellion
Playfulness
Fitting in
Peer group

8. Tuesday 8th November – Ways
people text
To investigate the different ways in which
people text and understand new
terminology for our spoken language
study.

9. Statement – 1 to 10 Agree?
The interaction would actually be quicker if you just
rang the person rather than texted.
Texting is for young people.
Texting uses slang most of the time
Texting is just another form of speech
Text language/use is not proper English
If you don’t text proper English, you should!

10. Wednesday 9th November – Ways
people text
To apply new terminology to actual
examples of real texts focusing on why
they have used certain text language.

11. Revision of terms
What is an initialism?
What is an emoticon?
What are number/letter homophones?
What is phonetic spelling?
What are abbreviations?

12. Ways of texting What they are Examples
Initialisms Initialisms are things like LOL. Each
letter stands for a word and they are
used instead of the whole phrase.
Emoticons They are used to show the emotion of
the message. It may help the message
be clearer. You stink  is different to
you stink ;)
Number/Letter Use a number instead of the letter they
sound like.
homophones
Phonetic spelling Words are spelled how they sound.
Abbreviations When words are shortened.
Compressed language When words are left out of sentences
but the sentences still make sense.
Non-standard When text messages don’t look like
proper English (slang or omission etc.)
Back-channelling These are noises we make to show
we’ve listened when other people have
said something.

13. A: Thought u woz meeting me in town?
B: Soz, forgot, give me 20.
Initialisms
A: Pizza Express?
Emoticons
B: Yeah.
Number/Letter homophones
A: Cool.
B: L8RS x Phonetic spelling
Brevity Abbreviations
Self expression
Sculpting social image Compressed language
Rebellion
Non-standard
Playfulness
Fitting in Back-channelling
Peer group

14. Thursday 10th November – Good or
bad?
To focus on the positive and negative
aspects of texting conventions and apply
those positives and negatives to single
texts.

15. Initialisms Emoticons Back channelling
Number homophones
You sometimes have to use ___________ as you
cannot hear someone laughing or see someone frown
if you are texting.
Using ___________whilst texting can sometimes be
confusing as LOL can mean Laugh out Loud or Lots of
Love.
Using ______________ can save a lot of time as you
only have to press one thing to replace a full word.
_______________ is useful as it shows somebody you
have read their text or acknowledged a certain aspect
of what you said.

16. Ways of texting Positives Negatives
Back channelling Emoticons know saving Initialisms
Initialisms Most people nowadays
them so can be another time
and use
Number homophones device.
Emoticons People could find the text a bit
childish
When I text, I use _____________ to show that I
acknowledge whatquicker – you are saving on
Number/Letter Far the other person has said
average two key presses.
You sometimes have to use ______________ as
homophones you
cannot hear someone laughing or see someone frown
Phonetic spelling texting.
if you are The person receiving the text
may think the sender cannot
Using ______________ is a way to type your text spell
Abbreviations
much quicker as you swap lots of presses for a word
for one press. Focuses on the key words of the
Compressed language sentence. Most people can work out
Using _______________ whilst texting can sometimes
the meaning anyway.
Non-standard Receiver may not like slang or even
be confusing as LOL can mean Laugh out it. understand Loud or
Lots of Love!
Back-channelling Shows the person you have read the
information.

17. Thought u woz meeting me in town?
Initialisms
Emoticons
Number/Letter homophones
Phonetic spelling
Abbreviations
Compressed language
Non-standard
Back-channelling

18. Friday 11th November – Attitudes
to texting
To understand and apply different
attitudes to texting.

19. Positives of
Abbreviations
Backchannelling
Emoticons
Phonetic spelling
Compressed language

20. Negatives of
Initialisms
Number/Letter homophones
Non standard English

21. Texting – Friend or Foe
Go back through the text underlining/highlighting all
the ways in which Crystal supports/defends text
messaging.

22. Wednesday 16th November –
Attitudes to texting
To appreciate the negative attitude to
texting and apply both attitudes to sample
texts.

23. Attitude starter
Wots ur ati2d to txt slng?
Wot othr ati2dz av u hrd?
Wot abt slng in gnrl? Do u uz bare sik wurdz?
Or do you prefer Standard English? Why/ why not?

24. David Crystal’s defence

25. In what ways does John
Humpreys say texters defend it?

26. Thursday 17th November –
Applying attitudes to texting
To apply positive and negative attitudes to
sample texts.

27. What reasons does John
Humpreys have for disliking it?
People should have time to text things properly.
He doesn’t like that phones can use emoticons
automatically.
Ambiguity of Initialisms like LOL (What do they
mean?)
He is worried that the language will end up littered
with emoticons and ever changing abbreviations.

28. How it’s used and what it
shows
Exhausted! How woz day?
Initialisms
Cons Pros Emoticons
Negative attitudes
Number/Letter homophones
Positive attitudes
Phonetic spelling
Abbreviations
Compressed language
Non-standard
Back-channelling

29. Writing it up…

30. Tuesday 22nd November – Getting
the grades.
To understand the mark scheme and
apply it to a model answer and one of our
own.

31. Re-cap on attitudes
Come up with three attitudes against texting
Come up with three attitudes for texting

32. Example analysis
B replies to A’s question “hows u?” with the response “gud thanx, u?” Firstly, B uses a non-
standard feature, not using a capital letter. This is slightly quicker and easier than using a capital
letter as she doesn’t need to press the shift key. It is also very informal. Whilst texting as
communication is often less formal than other forms of writing, this is so informal that it
suggests A and B are good friends with each other. Secondly, both “gud” and “thanx” are spelt
phonetically, which could be seen as something done for brevity, as both words have one less
letter than usual and again, it suggests informality.
However, this kind of phonetic spelling is fashionable among teenagers (age suggested by
“History coursework”,) and this may be an example of B adapting her language because of her
age and fashion, probably unconsciously. Additionally, phonetic features such as this can be seen
as an attempt to represent the sounds of natural speech in order to make the conversation seem
more like a real conversation. As a multi-modal text, the conversation shares features with both
written and spoken texts, and this phonological spelling may be an attempt, probably
unconsciously again, to make the conversation seem closer to speech.
Finally, the non Standard spelling is mildly subversive: this type of language may be used
so heavily by teenagers because it is almost a form of rebellion. It rejects Standard English, and
teenagers may be taking the opportunity to rebel in a new way at an age when rebellion is so
attractive to them. It is a way of rejecting the habits of adults. A and B and many teenagers might
see the use of such features as fun and a way of expressing themselves. However, other people see
it as a threat to the language and literacy. They believe a generation is growing up unable to spell
correctly because of SMS messages and the internet. Alternatively they may think that as with
speech, Non Standard forms suggest that a person is uneducated or of a low class. This seems
over the top and unfair to say the least! In fact, there are other people, such as David Crystal, who
believe that texting is a rich and new version of language, which can exist independently.

33. Let’s hear some of yours
Band 3 (D/E) Candidates demonstrate
9 – 12 marks  exploration of how they and others use and adapt spoken language for specific purposes
 exploration of features found in some spoken language data
 exploration of some issues arising from public attitudes to spoken language varieties.
Band 4 (B/C)
Candidates demonstrate
13 – 16 marks  confident explanation and analysis of how they and others use and adapt spoken
language for specific purposes
 confident analysis and reflection on features found in some spoken language data
 confident analysis of some issues arising from public attitudes to spoken language
varieties.
Band 5 (A/A*)
Candidates demonstrate
17 – 20 marks  perceptive analysis and evaluation of aspects of how they and others use and adapt
spoken language for specific purposes
 sustained and sophisticated interpretations of key features found in spoken language
data.
 sophisticated analysis and evaluation of key issues arising from public attitudes to
spoken language varieties.

34. How it’s used and what it
shows
Soz, forgot, give me 20.
Initialisms
Cons Pros Emoticons
Negative attitudes
Number/Letter homophones
Phonetic spelling
Abbreviations
Positive attitudes
Compressed language
Non-standard
Back-channelling

35. Let’s hear some of yours
Band 3 (D/E) Candidates demonstrate
9 – 12 marks  exploration of how they and others use and adapt spoken language for specific purposes
 exploration of features found in some spoken language data
 exploration of some issues arising from public attitudes to spoken language varieties.
Band 4 (B/C)
Candidates demonstrate
13 – 16 marks  confident explanation and analysis of how they and others use and adapt spoken
language for specific purposes
 confident analysis and reflection on features found in some spoken language data
 confident analysis of some issues arising from public attitudes to spoken language
varieties.
Band 5 (A/A*)
Candidates demonstrate
17 – 20 marks  perceptive analysis and evaluation of aspects of how they and others use and adapt
spoken language for specific purposes
 sustained and sophisticated interpretations of key features found in spoken language
data.
 sophisticated analysis and evaluation of key issues arising from public attitudes to
spoken language varieties.

36. Mr. Gibb’s desk
Mitch Ryan Ashle Ayoad
Danny Shane Josh Brett Chris Lewis
ell F M yM e
Daniel Nichola Jorda Mitch
Hugo Carl C-S
Ellis James Alan s n ell J
Ryan C Denhol Ashle
Sir Ross
m
Adam Shaun Dennon
yB

37. Wednesday 23rd November –
Practising with a grade in mind
To write up our own piece of analysis
focusing on features, attitudes and use of
text language.

38. What is the question?
The answer is emoticons.
The answer is back channelling.
The answer is quicker.
The answer is destroying the English language.
The answer is impacting on people’s written English.
The answer is you can switch between texting and
normal Standard English.
The answer is Initialisms.

39. How it’s used and what it
The sender uses an interesting blend of standard and non
shows
standard English: “Soz, forgot, give me 20.”
The abbreviation of sorry to “Soz” is very informal and is actually Features
used by young people in their everyday speech. The writer of the
text is clearly comfortable enough to speak to the recipient of the Attitudes
message in a relaxed way. The fact that Soz is slipping into
informal spoken language from texting would be viewed by some
as a bad thing. People like John Humpreys think that text
language is sloppy and that our language may become an ever
changing tide of abbreviations. However, other people would
argue that “Soz” would never creep into formal English as it is Initialisms
clearly informal.
In addition, the use of Standard English capital letters, commas Emoticons
and full stops suggest that actually this user of text language
knows the full grammatical rules of English. When they do leave Number/Letter homophones
out words and compress the language (words like I’ve and
minutes are clearly missed out for speed) they are doing so
consciously in order to suit the message that they are sending. Phonetic spelling
They seem to write in a strange mixture of Standard and Non
standard English and this may probably indicate someone who is Abbreviations
well educated, but understands the value of texting relatively
briefly. Compressed language
Overall, the abbreviations and compressed language are informal
in nature, show that the sender has saved valuable time and Non-standard
keystrokes and seem to convey a relaxed tone, which indicates
Back-channelling
friendship with the recipient.

40. How it’s used and what it
shows
Your text here
Initialisms
Cons Pros Emoticons
Negative attitudes
Number/Letter homophones
Phonetic spelling
Abbreviations
Positive attitudes
Compressed language
Non-standard
Back-channelling

41. How it’s used and what it
shows
Writing yours up… Features
Attitudes
The person uses…
On one hand, this…
On the other hand…
This may be used to …
However…
This may be…
Some people argue that…
Alternatively, other people think…

42. Thursday 24th November –
Feedback on grades and analysing
different people’s texts
To get some grade feedback on
yesterday’s writing and analyse three
more texts in detail, making annotations.

43. Let’s hear some of yours
Band 3 (D/E) Candidates demonstrate
9 – 12 marks  exploration of how they and others use and adapt spoken language for specific purposes
 exploration of features found in some spoken language data
 exploration of some issues arising from public attitudes to spoken language varieties.
Band 4 (B/C)
Candidates demonstrate
13 – 16 marks  confident explanation and analysis of how they and others use and adapt spoken
language for specific purposes
 confident analysis and reflection on features found in some spoken language data
 confident analysis of some issues arising from public attitudes to spoken language
varieties.
Band 5 (A/A*)
Candidates demonstrate
17 – 20 marks  perceptive analysis and evaluation of aspects of how they and others use and adapt
spoken language for specific purposes
 sustained and sophisticated interpretations of key features found in spoken language
data.
 sophisticated analysis and evaluation of key issues arising from public attitudes to
spoken language varieties.

44. How it’s used and what it
shows
From a brother
Cheers 4 the day owt sis da food n dat cake wo wel
nyc. Am glad we watched that instead it woz good
want it u get home ok? x
Initialisms
Cons Pros Emoticons
Negative attitudes
Number/Letter homophones
Phonetic spelling
Abbreviations
Positive attitudes
Compressed language
Non-standard
Back-channelling

45. Colloquialisms related to northern area, e.g want it,
wo wel nyc
omission
phonetic spelling
lower case
numerical homophones

46. Friday 25th November – More texts
To look at a wide range of texts exploring
how and why they were sent.

47. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15863830

48. Cheers 4 the day owt sis da food n dat cake wo wel
nyc. Am glad we watched that instead it woz good
want it u get home ok? x

49. In case you
What is this Who sent this text? Give reasons for choosing who haven’t checked
yr e-mail, the
text about? (E.g. age, sex, their sent this text, you must name office door code
job, place they at least 2 features in your has changed to
023056. Susan
live..) reasons.
Congrats on ur
engagement, thats
fab news! U should
have popped in 2 c
us when in wales.
lol grandad and me
:-X

50. Yer probly
What is this Who sent this text? Give reasons for choosing who driving but on
the off chancer r
text about? (E.g. age, sex, their sent this text, you must name u anywhere near
job, place they at least 2 features in your Lufbra? The
weans r about
live..) reasons. ready 4 bed..
YD
Hi sorry I missed
your call home now
x

51. Tuesday 6 December - Practice
th
analysis
To practice writing about one more text
and collect data for your controlled
assessment.

52. Why it has been written like
this?
From a workmate
In case you haven’t checked yr e-mail, the office door
code has changed to 023056. Susan
Initialisms
Emoticons
Number/Letter homophones
Phonetic spelling
Abbreviations
Compressed language
Non-standard
Back-channelling
Cons Pros Positive attitudes Negative attitudes

53. How it’s used and what it
shows
In case you haven’t checked yr e-mail, the Features
office door code has changed to 023056. Susan
Attitudes
Band 3 (D/E) Candidates demonstrate
The person uses… 9 – 12 marks  exploration of how they and others use and
adapt spoken language for specific purposes
 exploration of features found in some
On one hand, this… 
spoken language data.
exploration of some issues arising from
public attitudes to spoken language
On the other hand… Band 4 (B/C)
varieties.
Candidates demonstrate
This may be used to … 13 – 16 marks  confident explanation and analysis of how
they and others use and adapt spoken
language for specific purposes
However…  confident analysis and reflection on features
found in some spoken language data
This may be…  confident analysis of some issues arising
from public attitudes to spoken language
varieties.
Some people argue that… Band 5 (A/A*) Candidates demonstrate
17 – 20 marks  perceptive analysis and evaluation of
Alternatively, other people think… aspects of how they and others use and
adapt spoken language for specific purposes
 sustained and sophisticated interpretations
of key features found in spoken language
data.
 sophisticated analysis and evaluation of key
issues arising from public attitudes to
spoken language varieties.

54. Why it has been written like
this?
From a workmate
In case you haven’t checked yr e-mail, the office door
code has changed to 023056. Susan
Initialisms
Emoticons
Number/Letter homophones
Phonetic spelling
Abbreviations
Compressed language
Non-standard
Back-channelling
Cons Pros Positive attitudes Negative attitudes

55. Explore four different text messages analysing how
they have been written and the potential attitudes
people may have regarding them.
No talking – three strikes
Remember to include an introduction about texting
generally.
GCSE assessment – GCSE marks!
Remember to use the PEE paragraph structure
Remember to analyse how the text has been written,
why it has been written like that and what attitudes
people may have about it (good and bad).
Go into as much detail as possible.
Talk about the features used as well and why!

56. On a separate sheet of paper
I want you to find four different types of text on your
phone.
One might be from your mum
One might be from a close friend
One might be a family member other than your Mum
One might be from a friend who isn’t as close.
They should all be quite different in the way that they
are written.

57. Once you have your data sheet
checked…
You need to make notes on them in your book:
Your notes should focus on:
What features are used and why
What attitudes people may have about the way that
the text is written
Anything else you find interesting

58. Congrats on ur
Yer probly driving but
engagement, thats
on the off chancer r u
fab news! U should
anywhere near
have popped in 2 c
Lufbra? The weans r
us when in wales.
about ready 4 bed..
lol grandad and me
YD
:-X
The person uses…
On one hand, this… In case you haven’t checked yr e-
mail, the office door code has
On the other hand… changed to 023056. Susan
Hi sorry I missed
This may be used to …
your call home now
x However…
This may be…
Some people argue that…
Alternatively, other people
think…

59. Uses standard punctuation- commas, apostrophe
Only one case of omission
Formal- work related

60. How it’s used and what it
shows
From a grandparent
Congrats on ur engagement, thats fab news! U should
have popped in 2 c us when in wales. lol grandad and
me :-X
Initialisms
Cons Pros Emoticons
Negative attitudes
Number/Letter homophones
Phonetic spelling
Abbreviations
Positive attitudes
Compressed language
Non-standard
Back-channelling

61. Use of punctuation although not consistent
emoticon
phonetic representation- simple examples
Make note of the fact that ‘lol’ means lots of love in
this case

62. How it’s used and what it
shows
Writing yours up… Features
Attitudes
Band 3 (D/E) Candidates demonstrate
The person uses… 9 – 12 marks  exploration of how they and others use and
adapt spoken language for specific purposes
 exploration of features found in some
On one hand, this… 
spoken language data.
exploration of some issues arising from
public attitudes to spoken language
On the other hand… Band 4 (B/C)
varieties.
Candidates demonstrate
This may be used to … 13 – 16 marks  confident explanation and analysis of how
they and others use and adapt spoken
language for specific purposes
However…  confident analysis and reflection on features
found in some spoken language data
This may be…  confident analysis of some issues arising
from public attitudes to spoken language
varieties.
Some people argue that… Band 5 (A/A*) Candidates demonstrate
17 – 20 marks  perceptive analysis and evaluation of
Alternatively, other people think… aspects of how they and others use and
adapt spoken language for specific purposes
 sustained and sophisticated interpretations
of key features found in spoken language
data.
 sophisticated analysis and evaluation of key
issues arising from public attitudes to
spoken language varieties.

63. AQA said: “In responding to the first data set the candidate confidently identifies, names and
comments on a range of features. (B4) The focus is always on the task title and although it may
seem a little like a list in the way features are identified, there is some confident explanation (B4),
for example of the use of 'x'.”
What do you think makes the comments on ‘x’ “confident”?

64. Thursday 8th December -
Planning
To complete our planning grid and write a model
introduction.

65. Tick English Language Unit 3
Centre name is The Harefield Academy
Candidate’s full name is your name
Task title is: Explore four different text messages
analysing how they have been written and the
potential attitudes people may have regarding them.
Sign where it says Candidate signature
Put today’s date 8/12/11 where it says date

66. Planning
You have ten minutes to copy up your text messages
and any notes onto the back of the planning sheet.
Focus on how they have been written and why
they have been written like that.
You must write down the key features (emoticons
etc…)
You must write down some notes about attitudes to
texting.

67. Intro: Explore four different text messages analysing
how they have been written and the potential attitudes
people may have regarding them.
What is texting?
How texting is used, by how many people?
What are some of the key features of texting?
What arguments are made by both sides about
texting?
What are some of the key features of texting?
How is texting having an impact on people and the
world?

68. A: Exhausted! How woz day?
B: Pretty good. U?
A: OK. We had meeting after school, went on 4 ages.
Got some marking to do, haven’t got the energy.
B: Oh dear! xx
A: I can see you’re busy. Will text later.
B: xx
Initialisms
Emoticons
Number/Letter homophones
Brevity Phonetic spelling
Self expression
Abbreviations
Sculpting social image
Rebellion Compressed language
Playfulness Non-standard
Fitting in
Peer group Back-channelling

69. Age The pastimes and leisure activities that
people take part in will affect language use.
Gender Who, where and why a person is talking to
someone else will affect language use.
Hobbies Where a person is from (geographically) will
affect language use as well as accent
Ethnicity The job or career that a person does will affect
language use.
Deviance The social, educational and economic position
that people are born into / live in will affect
language use.
occupation Any ‘less savoury’ activities that an individual is
involved in will affect language use e.g.
Bumping people off or doing porridge
Region A person’s ethnic background (for example,
British Asian) will affect language use.
Social class How old or young a person is will affect
language use.
context Whether you are male or female will affect
language use.

70. In your book, write down examples of words and
phrases which may be used due to each of the
factors below
Age e.g. tracks, records, choons, music
Gender
Hobbies
Ethnicity
Deviance
occupation
Region
Social class
context

71. Accommodation theory
Who proposed this idea? Howard Giles
What is it? Giles proposed that when speakers seek
approval in a social situation they are likely to
(consciously or unconsciously) change their speech so
that it is similar to their listener.
However, if the speaker wants to disassociate him /
herself from the speaker, they may change their
speech to show that they are different.
Task: In pairs, try to think of situations at school, real
or invented, which could be explained by this theory.

72. Read the example text
Which features can you find?

73. How many different spoken language features can you identify using the
correct terminology?

74. Why does the
examiner think
the notes were
unhelpful?
What should you
put on an
effective notes
page?
The exam board said: “The candidate's notes do not seem particularly brief. The concern, however,
might be that they are not very useful because of the considerable amount of technical terminology
that covers the page. The candidate's response, at about 1400 words, is significantly longer than is
suggested in the specification and while there is no penalty for this, it may be worth discussing
whether the length of the response works in the candidate's interest, and whether the large amount
of detail in the notes is a contributory factor to this length.”