lang and power analysis

Investigation notes.

 

What I found interesting about the language used was:

• Most of the candidates have brief or approximately 2 second pauses, this could shows that the candidates, being the losing team are nervous, so the seconds can represent them thinking about what they can say to keep their place within the competition. For example :

‘I lost money (2) but the reason I lost money’ – The candidate here is trying to justify his point but uses the 2 second pause to think carefully about what to say, to keep his place in the competition.

• Alan sugar uses a lot of repetition within his speech to maintain authority. For Example:

‘ coulda’ – I think Alan uses this this device to reinforce the problem and help the candidate to understand that they didn’t achieve, which is why he goes on to say: ‘But you didn’t’

• Alan sugar has the all power as the candidates always approach him as: ‘Sir Alan’ rather than just Alan.
• The female uses a Face saving strategy, in order to help her stay in the competition, For Example: ‘Sir Alan may I say one more thing please’- she asks in a polite way in order to be liked and kept in the show, whereas if she spoken to him rudely she most likely wouldn’t have been able to speak and say what she wanted to say, which resulted in her staying in the competition.
•   Alan uses a lot of Dramatic pauses, to show power. By doing this he keeps the candidates on edge not getting too comfortable because they don’t know which one of them is going to go. For example: ‘get out that door (3)’ ‘(4) if you insist’
• At first Lord Sugar says ‘could of’ which is interrupted by the male, so Alan repeats his statement with more emphasis on the word, he again is interrupted. He then adds, other words ‘coulda(.) shoulda (.) woulda’ All with emphasis, to show to the candidates that he is the one with the power and from that moment, none of the candidates talk interrupt Lord Sugar.
• Even though Alan holds all the power in the Boardroom, after he tells the female candidate to leave the room, he is very complimentary towards male 1. ‘) Simon (.) if I ask you to build me a wall (.) you’d build me a wall (.) I’m pretty sure of it (.) if I asked you to dig me a trench (.) I think your dig me a trench (.)’- This shows a contrast of language, from how Alan was speaking throughout the whole of the conversation (especially towards the female) to how he spoke to Simon at the end. 

 

Theories that could be used:

Language and power theories: Face saving strategies etc.

Language and Gender (to some extent)

 

Other data to collect:

You could compare this data with how Alan Sugar talks differently depending on the sex of the Boardroom; For Example: All male Boardrooms/ All female Boardrooms.

Could also compare how in an all-female Boardroom and an all-male Boardroom interact with each other and to Alan Sugar.

Possible data Investigation title:

‘The differences how the powerful participant interacts depending on the sex of the Boardroom’

‘How does the powerful participant enforce power in the Boardroom?’

Other investigation collection:

-          Go to an actual Boardroom and record yourself the conversation.

-          TV

-          Radio