If you’re teaching or learning about Spoken Language for the GCSE controlled assessment, here’s a recording and transcript of a conversation about slang. It’s only a minute and a half, that shows attitudes to slang as well as examples of it.
There are plenty of colloquial phrases like ‘there you go’, ‘wind you up’, ‘can’t be doing with’ as well as all the usual fillers, ‘like’ and ‘uh’. The / indicates overlap, while pauses are shown with a period . or a time 2s.
What’s really fun about this transcript is the subtext. Boy 2 is using ‘wrong’ and non-language to overpower his brother, who gets crosser and crosser as the conversation goes on. It’s an interesting window into how slang is used not just to define group-identity, but as a weapon.
Get examples of slang here.
There are plenty of colloquial phrases like ‘there you go’, ‘wind you up’, ‘can’t be doing with’ as well as all the usual fillers, ‘like’ and ‘uh’. The / indicates overlap, while pauses are shown with a period . or a time 2s.
What’s really fun about this transcript is the subtext. Boy 2 is using ‘wrong’ and non-language to overpower his brother, who gets crosser and crosser as the conversation goes on. It’s an interesting window into how slang is used not just to define group-identity, but as a weapon.
Get examples of slang here.
Transcript 1
In this transcript a mother (mid thirties) is with her kids. Boy 1 is twelve; Boy 2 is ten; Girl is eight. Mum is cooking and putting food out. Boy 2 is being naughty by instant messaging his sister (via his mum’s account), who is also instant messaging (her mum’s account) in the same room. Boy 1 is loading the dishwasher.
Mum: Yes?
Boy 1: Can you tell him writ is not a word?
Mum: Er… writ is not a word. There you go that’s yours. [gives food]
Boy 2: Erm.
Mum: I think he knows that writ is not a word. Do you know that writ is not a word, (Boy 2)?
Boy 1: Mum? /
Boy 2: Yes? /
Boy 1: He keeps saying writ.
Mum: Yeah, he’s probably just saying it to wind you up, honey.
Boy 1: Oh /
Boy 2: I’ve writ guten morgen. [He is instant messaging, ‘guten morgen’ is German for good morning]
Boy 1: Writ is not a word!
Boy 2: I keep on . I love saying writ. /
Mum: Well . uh . why do you love saying writ? /
Girl: Will you stop writing to me because mummy’s doing . and I want her to / write to me.
Boy 1: What shall I do with the pans? [He is loading the dishwasher]
Mum: Erm . you can’t really be doing with the pans. Just put them next to each other. What . has he got hold of the key/board?
Girl: / Yeah.
Boy 2: I writ okay wrong and then I /
Boy 1: Writ is not a word! /
Boy 2: spelled okay again.
Mum: [laughs]
Boy 2: [laughs]
Boy 1: Mum tell him how to / speak!
Mum: [to Boy 1] Sweetie, you’re such a reaction/ary.
Boy 1: It’s not Eng/lish!
Mum: Okay!
Boy 1: He’s …
Mum: It’s bothering you / isn’t it?
Boy 2: (Boy 1)! / Writ writ writ I writ a [in a sing-song voice, bouncing on his chair]
Boy1: Oh! /
Boy 2: piece of work! I writ a piece of . paper. I writ my /
Boy 1: Oh! /
Boy 2: exam. I writ a piece of /
Boy 1: [unintelligible – he is getting cross]
Boy 2: that . uh . of my exam. Guten morgen! /
Boy 1: Shut / up!
Boy 2: morgen! /
Boy 1: (Boy 2)! Shut . up!
Boy 2: I’m just saying . good morning! Guten /
Boy 1: Good / morning!
Boy 2: morgen. I writ a …
Mum: Do you know what . slang is?
Boy 2: It’s . uh . talk . that uh . people use.
Mum: Yeah but we’re talking now are we using slang?
Boy 2: Um uh no (2) um slang’s like . saying /
Boy 1: Slang’s about compiling two words and taking out . like . a chunk of it.
Mum: Like what?
Boy 2: Saying like uh . ain’t.
Mum: Is is the accent you’re talking about?
Boy 2: It’s uh not always the accent . uh it could be. (2s) Having an accent could be uh bananas 2s hah . that just sounds weird.