Homework assignment

Read the texts below (A-B) and identify linguistic features that characterize the texts as being
instances of spoken language. Furthermore, specify whether the features you identified derive
principally from a) spontaneity, b) interactivity, c) interpersonality, d) need to achieve coherence.
A
M Hi! How’s things?
B Hi! Good, good. Haven’t seen you for ages. How are you?
M Fine. Busy though as always. Must meet my performance objectives, eh. [laugh]
B [laugh] Yeah. Me too.
Lift arrives at Bob’s floor
Ah, well. See you later.
M Yea, bye.

B
Gas barbecue
Claire I think you should get the gas connected.
Joan Oh look. I’ll have to wait until Adrian [her husband] passes on to the next stage
before I do that.
Claire Why?
Joan He can’t abide the thought of gas. I don’t
Claire ˪ Why?
Joan He must have been
Greta ˪You should’ve heard him you should have heard him
carry on the day that we were having the barbie at my place and he said to me oh
Greta he said… he said that’s gas isn’t it your barbecue. And I said yes. And he said… but
everything will taste of gas.
Claire [laughs]
Greta I said what like just like yours taste of barbie of lighter fluid.
Claire Yes.
[general laughter]
Alice Like all the best restaurants in the world.
Joan Oh there you know cooking with gas is the
Claire ˪Oh I can’t stand having to cook on electric
stoves.
Greta ˪No. Hotplates.
Claire Oh they’re dreadful.