Heya! Here's a sample analytical commentary for Sample Text 3 of the
2017 sample exam.
Note that this one breaks down the paragraphs into subsystems, which isn't necessarily the best way of going about it.
Sample Text 3 is a written transcript of a spoken conversation between Catherine (C) and Anita (A). C is selling books to A at a book stall in a local writers’ festival. Judging by locations named in the text, the transaction appeared to occur in Victoria, Australia; however, this is not specified. The tone between interlocutors is consistently friendly and engaging, perhaps due to the professional nature of the conversation (C is providing customer service to A and, therefore, must remain civil). On line 100, A refers to C by name (“Thanks Catherine”), suggesting close social proximity; however, such knowledge may have arisen from external factors (such as C, for instance, potentially wearing a nametag). For both C and A, the primary function is to make a transaction (books exchanged for financial reimbursement). However, there simultaneously exist a number of social purposes; for example, each participant appears to encourage intimacy, and both go some way to building social rapport. This is exemplified by the discussion that ensues; whilst the main semantic field pertains to the transaction (“served” (line 1), “pay” (line 3), “card” (line 4) and so on), C and A also discuss the weather (starting line 31), traffic (starting line 6) and banking (starting line 76). Overall, both C and A adopt an informal register; this is reflected by phonological, lexical and discourse features throughout the text.
Phonological features adhere to the transactional function of the text, and also reflect its informal register. Many of these features also contribute to social report and intimacy between the interlocutors. On line 26, for example, C uses a vocal effect (laughter) to reduce social proximity between her and A. This immediately followed a transaction on lines 25-26, where both speakers made practically the same utterance (“Everyone was doing that too”/”Well everyone’s doing that too”, respectively) at practically the same time – including some overlapping speech. As this deviates from normal conventions of spoken interaction, it had the potential to be face-affronting to both speakers. However, the laughter employed by C, further to the fact that both interlocutors were clearly in agreement, presumably went some way to avoiding this. On line 8, C audibly takes a breath, ostensibly in shocked reaction to A’s previous utterance (“I had three hours from Geelong, just arrive[ed]” – line 7). This is supported by C’s subsequent utterance (line 9): “^You’re joking/”. The intake of breath, then, helps to situate C in respect to A’s statement. As C’s shock appears to be empathetic toward A, the phonological feature contributes to social proximity and rapport. The transactional function of the text, too, is aided by phonological features. One such feature is rising intonation, which aids communication throughout the text. On line 57, for example, C uses a rising intonation (“On/”) to denote a request for information; rising intonations, in English, are typically associated with question-asking. Falling intonation, contrastingly, was often used to denote the end of a turn, as on lines 32 (“Well, you’re ^here [now]\”), 47 (“Yep\”) and 75 (“That’s alright/, that’s ^fine\”). Emphatic stress has been placed on various lexemes – by both C and A – to contribute to social rapport. On line 12, for example (“It’s=, I’ve hea=rd, it’s ^shocking”), C emphasises the adjective
shocking, ostensibly to highlight her position in support of A. Further, phonological elision reflects the informality of the transaction; A (line 21), for example, elides the preposition around to the non-Standard “’round”, which would not be suitable in more formal contexts.
Throughout the text, C and A utilise a variety of lexemes that support the aforementioned informality. On line 15, for example, C employs the contraction
we’ve (“And, <A we’ve had a lot of people coming in late”). Contractions are also evident on lines 9 (
you’re), 12 (
I’ve) and 27 (
aren’t), amongst others. Although relatively Standard, the elision demonstrated by C and A would unlikely be present in more formal texts; by adopting these features of informality, the interlocutors reduce social distance. Shortening is also used, as on lines 18 (
coz, from
because), 28 (
slow, from
slowly) and 51 (
ks, from
kilometres). Shortening is a typical feature of Australian English. As both C and A utilise shortened lexemes, the speakers may promote a sense of in-group (Australian) membership. Ultimately, this serves the social purposes of encouraging intimacy and building social rapport. Overall, lexical choices appear centred on the semantic field of the transaction at hand. Consequently, the lexemes employed allow both C and A to adhere to the primary function of the correspondence (to make the transaction). Relevant lexical items – some jargonistic – are clear throughout the entire text, including but not limited to served (line 1),
pay (line 3),
card (line 4),
credit (line 58),
savings (line 65),
PIN (line 67),
ATM (line 82),
EFTPOS (line 84),
bank (line 89) and
invoice (line 98).
As a spoken conversation, discourse features are prevalent. Overlapping speech occurs often, as both C and A attempt to take a turn simultaneously. This is first evident on lines 2/3, but is a consistent feature until the end of the correspondence. It is an important element pertaining to floor management. On line 3, for example, C regains the floor by speaking over A, presumably before A had completed her turn (“<P Yep, just [the --] P>”). On multiple occasions, overlapping speech appears to indicate that both speakers wish to take a turn; however, on no occasion is there
extended overlapping speech. This suggests that both interlocutors wish to maintain face; overlapping speech does not adhere to politeness theory. Once one speaker begins to take a new turn, the other seems to withdraw (as on, for example, lines 25/26, lines 58/59 and lines 73/74). Overall, this likely contributes to social proximity, as neither C nor A is too dominant in holding and maintaining the floor. Turn-taking is further indicated by the nature of the interlocutors’ turns. For instance, C initially asks a number of questions, encouraging A to take a turn (such as “< Are you waiting to be served? A>” on line 1, but also evident on lines 3 and 6). C is most dominant in topic management, which may reflect her structural power in the transaction (C is an employee of the store whilst A is a customer). C introduces new topics on lines 1 (initiating conversation), 6 (travel), 31 (weather), 41 (previous experience) and 55 (the actual transaction). This fundamentally allows the interlocutors to achieve the function of the text (making the transaction), and to achieve the social purposes (such as building social rapport and encouraging intimacy). Discussion of topics further to those strictly necessary to make the transaction renders the conversation more personal – and, therefore, reduces social distance. Non-fluency features are rife, supporting the spontaneity (and associated informal register) of the text. These include hesitations (lines 1, 5), false starts (lines 15, 31) and repairs (lines 12, 19-21), whilst backchanneling (e.g., line 13 “Yeah”, line 24 “Yep” and line 81 “Right”) build social rapport; it ensures the speaker holding the floor that the listener is still engaging in the conversation.
Other things that could be discussed (amongst many others):
Phonetics/phonology:* Fast/slow-paced speech
* Onomatopoeia
Morphology/lexicology:* Affixation
* Word formation
Syntax:* Sentence fragments
* Sentence type
Discourse:* Discourse particles
* Coherence and cohesion
Semantics:* Metaphor
* Deixis
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