Haydon School English Faculty

English Language | AQA B

ENGB4 Investigating Language

Title:
Good practice is to have a two part title. The first part acts as the main title and the second gives a
more specific insight into the area of the work. These are normally split with a colon. E.g. Growing
Up With Potter: How language changes from Philosophers Stone to Deathly Hallows reflect a more
sophisticated audience.
Name:
Candidate No.:
Teacher:
Haydon School: 12924
Submission Date:

Word Count:
1 Front Matter
1

1.1 Abstract
My report is basically findings of whether factors such as
gender affect language in commentary
1.2 Key Words
stereotype:
a simplified and standardized conception or image invested wit
h special meaning
Mean length utterance (MLU): the mean number of
morphemes produced in a sentence..
Pauses: this are silences in live speak, this can be done with
purpose or completely by accident, but it can show hesitation
in someones speech.
Lexis: this is the terminology the commentators use, for my
investigation it would be footballing lexis.
Vocal expression: this is used to show emotion even when
the listener cant see the person talking, in this case
commentator using emotion to describe a goal. Etc.


1
Front Matter is not included in the overall word count
1.3 Contents

1 Front Matter ................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Abstract ................................................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Key Words ............................................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Contents .................................................................................................................................. 3
1.4 List of Tables and Figures ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.5 Acknowledgements .................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.6 Abbreviations ........................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.7 Definitions ............................................................................................................................... 4
2 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 5
3 Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 6
3.1 Design ....................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.2 Participants / Data (delete as appropriate) ............................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.3 Ethics ........................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.4 Methods ................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.5 Procedure ................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4 Analysis ........................................................................................................................................... 7
4.1 Research Question 1 ................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.2 Research Question 2 ................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.3 Research Question 3 ................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
5 Conclusion and Evaluation .............................................................................................................. 8
6 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................... 9
7 Appendices .................................................................................................................................... 10




1.4 Definitions
If there are any words which may be considered unfamiliar to the reader then they can be defined
here. stereotype: a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning
Mean length utterance (MLU): the mean number of morphemes produced in a sentence..
Pauses: this are silences in live speak, this can be done with purpose or completely by accident, but
it can show hesitation in someones speech.
Lexis: this is the terminology the commentators use, for my investigation it would be footballing
lexis.
Vocal expression: this is used to show emotion even when the listener cant see the person talking,
in this case commentator using emotion to describe a goal. Etc.
Key NOUN VERB PRE MODIFIER PREPOSITION ADVERB PRONOUN RHETORICAL QUESTION
EXPRESSION/PAUSES DETERMINER CONNECTIVE


2 Introduction
Hypothesis: How does gender affect the language used in sporting
commentary, specifically in the world cup? I have done this
investigation because I like sport and would like to see how gender
affects the language we use in sport. I am very interested in
football and language + gender, so I decided to combine the two. The
field of academic linguistic research would be gender as I am
investigating how gender affect the language we use in sport. The
style of my research will be longitudinal. I will explore how
genderlect affects commentary in sport. The main purpose of my
investigation is to find out if what type of gender we are affects
the way we portray football. The second purpose of my investigation
is classification as I want to find out whether there is huge evidence
to show female features of language my investigation will help to
make this doubt clearer. To support my investigation will use some
of the theories and approaches of different types of theorists,
for example: Lakoff, Tannen, and Grice.

3 Methodology

Design: I will be using cross sectional and comparative research as my means
of gathering my data (design). This is because I am comparing the language
used when commentating over a mens football match and a womens football
match.

Participants/Data: I will be using a transcript as I am analysing commentary
which is being spoken so therefore I will need to use a transcript as part of my
work. I will use more than one commentator to make the investigation reliable
and wide scaled; they will also be chosen at random to reduce the chance of
bias affecting the investigation.

Ethics: my data will come from the public domain as it is commentary that we
all can hear or have heard. So there is no worry about ethics as my text is a
commentary transcript and also has no bias.

Methods: I will be using focus groups as I am comparing the focus groups of
men and women in football commentary. I will also be using statistical analysis
to find out how language used in commentary is affected by the gender playing
the sport.

Procedure: I will do all this over the summer holidays as that is my time frame,
I will be sorting my data into tables, with two headers men and women. I will
take notes of my findings and put them on a word document and then
eventually upload them onto my blog.





4 Analysis
Sources:
Female commentator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmghPQOXxnw
Male commentator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOf1RPLU3CY

Both commentators use a lot of nouns due to the fact that they are talking
about football so words such as ball goal and player names are used. Both
commentators use verbs such as Shoot and cross due to the nature of what
the commentators are commentating on.
The female commentator uses less lexical terms than the male commentator
maybe showing that gender affects the knowledge of vocabulary of the sport.
The female commentator also doesnt react as wildly as the male
commentator when the team has a chance, the male commentator tends to be
the more lively of the two maybe also indicating that men have more passion
for football than women.
The female commentator also speaks the more formal of the two, this may
suggest that females take commentating over football more professionally and
the males use less formal language to indicate their passion for the game. The
Male commentator also uses more descriptive language to describe the
football match.

5 Conclusion and Evaluation
to conclude gender does affect language used in sport but only slightly as the
only factors affecting this are the amount of descriptive language used, the
amount of lexical terms used, the expression of voice, the tone of voice and
formality of the speech.
I feel my investigation hasnt been as much of a success as I have hoped for as I
was hoping to find more differences in the language used my males and
females when commentating over a football match, but never the less a
decent investigation.

6 Bibliography
Sources:
Female commentator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmghPQOXxnw
Male commentator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOf1RPLU3CY






















7 Appendices
Female commentator transcript
This is the first home game in nine and a half years in which Chris Coleman has not been
part of Fulham Football Club, thats the first time this afternoon weve heard the roar
around Craven Cottage, Home fans desperately urging their side on. Six foot six Zac knights
in there, Papa Bouba Diop and its Diop whos in there and its flicked in at the far post and
its Montella with the goal for Fulham nine minutes played and what a crucial goal that
could be. Davies with the corner, Diop with the head down, and it came off the thigh of
Montella; it was Dunne on the line who could do nothing about it, and the Italian on loan
from Roma who has sent Craven Cottage into raptures.
Fulham fans a little more relaxed in the sunshine now after that perfect start from their
side, Mokuwena is in there with a challenge but so is Michael brown, will it fall for Jason
Roberts? Its Benny McCarthy and Bentley in towards McCarthy again, Fulham determined
to get it away but a slip at the wrong time from Radwinski and its Bentley again but it was a
late challenge from Michael Brown and this is gonna be the first yellow card of the
afternoon, you can hardly dispute that. You get the feeling that Morten gamst Pedersen
might just fancy it from this angle its Pedersen and he wasnt far away, in fact Niemi got
a touch to that!
Mark Hughes full of confidence that his side can get back on track for their bid for a Uefa
cup place, proved their determination from their midweek victory over Watford Bentley
finding space, good ball in from Bentley looking for McCarthy Rosenior has work to do, its
almost an own goal and its hacked away by Zac knight, thats the greatest threat to Fulhams
goal so far, didnt deal with it initially, Niemi scrambling to get across.
Nelson with a ball forward, heres Roberts and hes onside and hes clean through Jason
Roberts and Zac knight is there to save the day for Fulham, excellent chance for Jason
Roberts, Fulham caught totally square at the back.
Sanchez looking for his first win as Fulham manager after that defeat at Reading last week
Rosenior, bride in a bit of space for once, nicely done, heres Davies, Montella, looks for
support and he finds it in the shape of diop and it was Brown in there who forced a save
from Brad Friedel.
Key NOUN VERB PRE MODIFIER PREPOSITION ADVERB PRONOUN RHETORICAL QUESTION
EXPRESSION/PAUSES DETERMINER CONNECTIVE





Male commentator transcript
Michael Oliver young referee big game for him, free kick in favour of Suarez, in by Gerrard, its got a
touch, its in! In next to no time Martin Skrtel! Stunning start at Anfield! Less than a minute! Theres
just no stopping them at home right now. Skrtel all broad and muscle, big man right time right place.
You know I just looking at that it looks like Skrtel might have just strayed, he might have been a
fraction offside, but hes gotten away with it, and once this comes back off Szczesny he cant do an
awful lot about the first one, it just comes at him so quickly from Skrtelss feet, not the greatest
contact but who cares its a dream start.
Another Gerrard delivery Skrtel two! Match it double it! Arsene Wenger has a mountain to climb,
Brendan Rodgers keeping himself in check. Well Ive seen them concede quite a few from this zonal
marking system this season, and its curled away from them and its Arteta I think and Koscielny in
fact is the one trying to get to him and just doesnt make it, how about this for a header its an
absolute peach, to keep the elevation on it and get the direction so spot on to get it above Oxlade
chamberlain, thats fabulous well he didnt keep himself in check to start with did he? Two nil up
against the leaders in the Barclays premier league
Ozil well Hendersons done a job on him, Suarez one way Sturridge through the middle, sterling
free, Henderson drove on, Suarez played it in aaand Sterling scores! Beyond their wildest dreams!
Liverpool three the leaders nil and weve barely begun And again its brilliant pressing from
Liverpool that began the move and Jordan Henderson he did a job on Mesut Ozil. And Arsenal are
shell shocked here, they really are, they dont know whats hit em. Its been one wave after another.
Theres the harrying the hustling from Jordan Henderson and now Liverpool go back and look at
them just surging forward, Arsenal venerable, how about this from Luis Suarez, just to play it in, I
think meant for Sturridge, but sterling thought hang on I can get a piece of that, and hes just been
too quick round the back and its a simple tap in, nothing Szczesny can do wow nobody saw this
coming, and for a youngster about whom the only complaint has been the absence of calm finishing.
Four against West Brom, four against Fulham five against Norwich, four most recently against
Everton, three already against Arsenal, and whats more Sturridge is onside here its four! How
many do you want? How many do you want? Its not lunchtime yet! Do not adjust your set this is
real at this moment in time Liverpool football club look just about the best side on the planet and
Arsenal have been made to look like a pub team, watch this from Coutinho absolutely superb the
weighted pass couldnt have been better, it gives him time then to be able to get his head up and
pick his spot and look to see where the goalkeepers positioned and guide it wide of him, this is just
exceptional, exhibition football, were seeing from the home side. Twenty minutes Jim, four goals,
Suarez has hit the post, one bounced of Kolo Toure wide admittedly the same event and Sturridge
has also missed a very presentable chance.
Toure flag has stayed down, sterlings onside Raheem sterling Now! For Five! Look at the
number and dream, dream come true Raheem sterling goal in front of the kop. The would be
champions put to the sword, a fistful of goals for Liverpool, and it was Kolo Toure who began all that
with a lovely ball because sterling was onside, Sturridge might have been off but it was all about
sterling once he got clean through, Szczesny does extremely well, exposed once more the Arsenal
goalkeeper, but it very kindly came back to sterling change of feet, and pretty much a tap in again
like his first goal, didnt manage it against Everton but theyve managed a fifth against arsenal, least
to say theyre gonna stop there. Bit of a lucky break for Raheem sterling this time, do you think hes
worried? As Jim rightly remembers, a couple got away from the party night against Everton here just
a week and a half ago, its fallen for him this time a tap in, and second time round a second bite at
the cherry and look at those arsenal faces.
Key NOUN VERB PRE MODIFIER PREPOSITION ADVERB PRONOUN RHETORICAL QUESTION
EXPRESSION/PAUSES DETERMINER CONNECTIVE