11
Examine the spoken language used in Reality TV (Benefits Britain and Made in Chelsea) and how this presents issues surrounding social class. www.englishwithmrsmith.com

Spoken Language Benefits Britain

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Examine the spoken language used in Reality TV (Benefits

Britain and Made in Chelsea) and how this presents issues

surrounding social class.

www.englishwithmrsmith.com

THINGS TO CONSIDER

• Ideology: The middle class (aspirational and superior) values of the narrator compared to the benefits class ideology (which is presented, at times, as ungrateful).

• The influential power of the narrator and how her uses of language, particularly subtle uses of language, position the audience so that they think in a particular way about Mark and Lorna.

• How Mark and Lorna use language that perpetuates the stereotype of people living on benefits.

• How the audience is supposed to feel about Mark and Lorna at various points in the transcripts.

• Be critical – Channel 5 has chosen these particular moments from hours of footage. Your job is to analyse why.

Narrator: In Benefits Britain 72000 tenants on welfare are in rent arrears becausethey haven’t paid the bedroom tax (2) and one in seven of them is now threatened with eviction (.) just like Mark Ormand (1) this is his family home so Mark doesn’t want to be kicked out (.) even though the pad isn’t exactly des res

An example of alliterative loaded language. ‘Benefits’ is loaded with negative connotations. People on benefits have been demonised and by using this language the narrator is biasing the audience against the people they see on screen. She has influential power because she is the narrator, so is using this to position the audience. This can be linked to ‘housing association’ when she introduced Lorna. The

narrator is conveying her middle class ideology – that people should have high aspirations and work hard.

This gives the impression that the large number of people on benefits (72,000) are not following the rules. They haven’t paid the tax is different to saying they can’t pay. This subtlety reveals the narrator’s views and further positons the audience.

The word ‘threatened’ is emphasised by the narrator. This

prosodic feature suggests an element of pity for people on benefits. This enables a wider range of audiences to relate to her because whilst a middle class audience will relate to her use of loaded language earlier, a class of people living on benefits will relate to the understanding and sympathy she seems to have for their situation. The narrator creates the impression that Mark and people like Mark are vulnerable, which creates pity for him.

Her use of the colloquialism ‘des res’ is used sarcastically because Mark does not live in a desirable residence. He lives in a house that is basic and lacking in even the most basic of conveniences. She speaks from a position of superiority; the people in the audience that share her beliefs and values would be able to detect this subtle use of irony and share in the almost dark humour that she is conveying through her use of irony.

Mark: that’s the only hot water in the house (.) is from the shower (1) this where am sleeping now (.) that’s me bed (.) that’s Toby’s bed (1)

Mark’s speech reveals he uses non-grammatical constructions. This reveals to use that he has a lower

level of linguistic proficiency. This lack of linguistic proficiency contributes to the audience’s stereotype of him because people commonly assume that people on benefits are less intelligent. If we

are critical of Channel 5 it could be argued that they have included this to perpetuate this stereotype and enable the audience to make short cuts in their thoughts about him – it means that

they judge him immediately based on the way he speaks. However, his paralinguistics – when he points at the shower – reveals that his living conditions are basic, which creates sympathy for him. It is questionanable whether the programme have included this to create pity or to enable the audience to share in looking down on him.

Again, this demonstrates a low level linguistic proficiency because he is not completely able to articulate his thoughts clearly. ‘Sleeping’ gives the impression that Mark is living in a basic way, which creates a stereotype of people living on benefits as having very basic lives. However, it also gives the impression that he is a person of instinct and is almost living in an animalistic way. The audience make the connection between Mark and Toby, which links these two together and emphasises the fact that Mark is treated like an animal. Charlie Brooker said that the environment that benefits claimants live in is like doing a ‘safari park tour’. The fact that he describes their lifestyle in an animalistic way is echoed in the clip of Mark in his bedroom, and goes

further to prove that the ‘benefits class’ are demonised in society and looked down on from the middle classes.

A person’s linguistic proficiency is their ability to use language and makes themselves understand. A person with greater linguistic proficiency is perceived as better educated and generally has a greater level of power in society.

Mark: This used to be my room when I was er about four (.) five (2) council obviously they have classed this as a bedroom (1) which (1) I think a bedrooms a room what’s got a bed in it (1) so I don’t think I should be paying for it

Mark’s language is charged with emotion here. His level of hesitancy maybe reveals that he is emotional about the length of time he has lived in this house. This conveys how upset he would be to leave. The hesitancy gives the speaker a

sense of authenticity and conveys a sense of sincerity – ultimately, it enables the audience to believe in him.

He speaks about the council from a distance, as though they are a group of people that he does not

understand. This demonstrates his ideology and the

dominant ideology of people on benefits – the idea that the government and the council simply ‘do things’ to people rather than work with people to improve the quality of their lives. It demonstrates that he feels he has a lack of power and has no control over his own life. We see this idea repeated with Lorna when she distances herself uses the pronoun ‘they’ (the way they got people living) which echoes this idea of powerlessness.

This AGAIN shows that Mark has a low level of linguistic proficiency because

he is not very fluent. This is emphasises

further by the high level of hesitancy demonstrate here through the use of pauses. The inclusion of this perpetuates the stereotype of people on benefits. Has Channel 5 included this to discretely mock Mark and people like Mark – it is, after all, a funny comment to have made.

Narrator: but Mark’s heard about a possible way to reclassify a bedroom and escape the tax

Mark: some woman built a shrine to a cat (1) so they’ve classed it as a shrine and s I think that was in Somerset or somewhere like that (.) so you never know (1) I might build a shrine to Toby (.) (laughs) unclear ___ see if I can get away with that

On the surface, the narrator is suggesting that the tax can be avoided.

However, the use of subtle pragmatics here MAYBE reveals a hidden meaning. When the narrator says ‘escape’ it COULD give the impression that she thinks that people on benefits are actively trying to avoid paying tax. In this sense, it casts Mark and people on benefits in a negative light. It could be argued that the narrator’s subtle use of language is attempting to turn the audience against people on benefits because the majority of the audience probably pay tax and don’t think it is fair for anybody to be able to ‘escape’ it.

Again, the inclusion of this utterance (unit of speech) could be argued demonstrates that Mark is trying to avoid tax and find loopholes in the system, again presenting the idea that he isn’t grateful for what he does get. This echoes the point made above.

IMPORTANTRemember, it is vital that you

remember everything spoken has been selected by Channel 5 for the programme out of hours of footage.

You need to consider why these sections are included and how they

portray difference social classes.

Narrator: Mark will need to come up with another plan for his second spare room though (.) cos sometimes people do sleep in it

Mark: It’s got a light in it (laughs)

Narrator: And with two grand of rent arrears he’ll have to move pretty quick to stop any risk of eviction

Mark: Gotta take into account this is my family home (.) I don’t want to leave my family home er I wanta live here for me life

The narrator is making a reference back to what Mark has just said about classifying his bedroom as a

shrine and his belief that a bedroom is a room with a bed. She speaks in a sarcastic tone (a prosodic feature) which clearly shows she is mocking him. Again, she is conveying her middle class ideology and tapping into the middle class ideology of the audience (remember the middle class stereotypically believe that they are in a superior positon and that people do well in life by working hard and having high goals). Her subtle reference to Mark’s stupidity in these comments allows the audience to join in the mocking of him and to cast their superior eye over him. She speaks in a tone which allows her to

converge with a middle class audience.

A possible attempt at convergence to bring he narrator closer to the ‘ordinary’ audience.

An attempt to create sympathy. Who does he think has to take it into account?

Mark is a Liverpudlian and has a northern accent. People commonly associate this accent with poverty, violence and crime. Consider why Mark has been chosen then to represent a class of people on benefits.

Narrator: But somebody who does want to move out of her housing association home is mum of two Lorna Bowers (.) and it’s not just because she’s convinced it’s haunted (1) her two spare rooms means double bedroom tax and she’s far from happy

Lorna: I shouldn’t be having to pay bedroom tax anyway (.) it’s disgusting (.) I’m stuck there now paying bedroom tax on two ho on two rooms when I’m crying out for a one bedroom flat

This use of loaded language creates a negative impression of Lorna because it implies that she is living in a house that is provided for her rather than having worked for it herself. The narrator is subtly conveying her middle class ideology and biasing the audience against Lorna. She is looking down on Lorna (and Mark) and subtly judging them for their position in life.

Similarly, it could be claimed that she is the mouthpiece for a middle class audience, so by referring the ‘Benefit’s Britain’ and ‘Housing Association home’ she is forming allegiances and relationships with the audience members who will feel the same way that she does and perpetuating the demonisation of people on benefits.

A mocking tone is used to belittle her situation and

lampoon her.

Consider the use of LEXICAL FIELDS - groups of words that convey a similar sense of meaning but work together to intensify an overall impression. Look at Lorna’s use of language here and how it conveys her disgust. Are we supposed to sympathise with her?

Lorna’s use of language her presents her anger at the government. However, she

uses ‘stock phrases’ relating to her social class. The narrator has also included this to cause anger – why shouldn’t she have to pay…the rest of the country pays.

Narrator: Today Lorna’s off with bezzie mate Pauline to get her fortnightly benefits (3) all one hundred and forty quid of it

Lorna: And that’s what I owe you

Narrator: But it ain’t going far

Lorna: I’ll hav’ta put thirty pound in in gas

Pauline: so that’s forty

Lorna: for two weeks (2)Pauline: so that’s forty two then you’ve got thirty and then what about your leccy?

Lorna: then my ‘lectricity (.) ten pound each week

Pauline: so that’s twenty (.) so you got nothing to live on

The narrator and Lorna speak in adjacency pairs. It might suggest that they are sharing power and screen time; however, the narrator’s utterances mock Lorna.

Covergence – the narrator speaks in a way that is similar to Lorna and Pauline. Her tone is sarcastic so her attempt to converge is insincere.

The long, 3 –second unvoiced pause is notused as a hesitancy feature. Instead, it is as a narration technique used to build tension. The gap emphasises the small amount Lorna has to live on. Is the narrator is drawing attention to this small amount so we have an understanding of the difficulties Lorna faces? Or is she is belittling Lorna? There is a clear contrast in views between Lorna and the narrator established here, reflecting their different life experiences and ideologies.

Social accent –signals social class

Contraction and phonological (sound) aspect of speech. Link to accent.

Lorna: Nothing to live on (1) I’m left with thirty n nothing (2) I think the benefits now (.) the way they got people livin’ (1) is disgusting

Narrator: Of course a job is always an option (1) and Lorna is tempted to try and go back to telesales

Lorna: I’m on about erm if I weren’t paying bedroomTax aa I might be able to go out and get a job (.) no because me benefits will get stopped (.)

Lorna and Pauline overlap each other at this point, both expressing the idea that they have nothing to live on. It might be suggested that this overlapping reveals a common belief and understanding between these two speakers. The fact that they both feel as though they have nothing to live on could suggest the feelings of despair and poverty felt by many people living on benefits. You could consider why Channel 5 has included it – are they aiming to create sympathy at this point for people living on beneits?

Repetition – the audience has heard Lorna say this before. Consider how the repetition emphasises her anger at the benefits system.

The sarcasm (revealed through tone of voice – prosodic feature) reveals that the narrator knows Lorna won’t get a job.

This utterance reveals what the narrator already knew.

Discourse is the development of the dialogue, it structure and relationships between speakers. Here we learn that the narrator has a sense of omniscience – she is all knowing which enables her to present a cynical and bitter critique of Lorna.

Pauline: And they do get stopped straight away (3) they don’t give you any chances (2) but they have gotta look at reality cos that is exactly what’s gonna ‘appen

Narrator: Pauline who also gets benefits thinks (.) for now at least (.) Lorna should forget a job

Pauline: No chance (.) it’s not ‘appening

Narrator: Get that new council flat instead and redecorate (.) with benefits footing the bill (1) and then she should rediscover her Karma

Pauline: No stress on ya be like (.) trying to get yourself back into your own rout you know little ways what you were like and also when you go get your new flat they’re gonna give ya (.) ya want a voucher off them to decorate (1) know what I mean?

Link to Mark – he also referred to the

Government/Council using the pronoun ‘they’. In both cases, you could argue it suggests a sense of their powerlessness and vulnerability.

Reveals their reluctance to come off benefits, even though they will criticise the system. Consider how we are supposed to feel for the participants at this point?

Prosodic feature (tone) = sarcastic

Tag question – a common feature of the stereotyoical “benefits class” SOCIOLECT (sociolct – language associated with a partocular social group.

Sense of being out for all she can get. Link to ideology.