Analysis of data

Analysis of data

What data you chose and why?

The data I chose to transcribe was a conversation from The Apprentice. The reason for my selection is that the piece is very heated, with all those involved battling for power. A variety of techniques are used throughout to acquire power, such as interrupting, raising voices and causing unequal encounters. Also, the data consists of both genders and from this I am able to analyse if gender has an effect on power: if different techniques are used or how both genders approach the situation.

What you found out and what theory you linked it to?

From the outset, it was clear Sir Alan Sugar was the powerful participant, the speaker with higher status in context, and who is able to impose a degree of power. This would leave Simon and the female as less powerful participants, both speakers with less status in the context, and are constrained to the powerful participants (Sir Alan Sugar). Deborah Tannen stated that an attempt to gain control of a situation can either be called an interruption or a competitive overlap. This can be found regularly in the piece, used often by Sir Alan Sugar. This acted as reassurance of my other finding, that Sir Alan Sugar was the powerful participant. Another theorist I can link my findings to is Robin Lackoff. Publishing an influential account on women’s language, Lackoff found women speak less frequently in powerful situations. My data does suggest this, as the female, who is not named, only pops up during a period of silence. This may be to possibly avoid an unequal encounter both males, especially Sir Alan Sugar; an encounter she knew she would have lost, and does lose after questioning him later in the data.

What other data you could choose to go with it or replace it with to make an investigation?

If I was to select another piece of data to go with this piece or to replace it, it would have to be very similar to this piece I have analysed. Similarities in terms of theorists and their theories is important, simply as then techniques obtained from analysing one piece of data can be useful in analysing the second piece. This can further my investigation as comparisons can be made. Also to produce an investigation I will need another piece or a replacement piece of data of similar purpose. The data I have analysed is language and power, therefore my next piece of data should be language and power. This, again, can allow comparisons to be made and techniques to be shared throughout pieces. However, a piece of data with the complete opposite purpose can become beneficial to my investigation as I may be able to interlink both purposes between pieces.

What would you call the investigation?

I would call my investigation, “Language and Power, techniques, and gender effects”. I would look in depth at powerful techniques, like the some I have already discovered by analysing this data. I would also like to investigate how gender effects power, again, which I have mentioned before in this piece, where the female is cautious of creating an unequal encounter with a male.