EFFECTS OF LANGUAGE CHOICES UPON INDIVIDUALS

A STUDY BY TURCAN PAULA- LOREDANA

DEFINITION
LANGUAGE CHOICES Language choices are the lexical and structural choices that you make every time you use language. Your choices are influenced by context and register. You choose certain words and forms depending on who you are speaking to and what you want to say. In academic writing and speaking you are generally working in a professional environment with other individuals from your field, or you are studying and researching information, theories and ideas, as well as expressing your own.

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Within this presentation I would like to
speak about asking permission which means asking someone if you're allowed to do something. I will present different situations in which were made language choices when addressing to different types of persons.

 Hinna, can I use your computer for a minute?

The first example shows one of the most common ways of asking permission:
Very simple: the phrase 'can I' followed by the verb. But what verb form comes after the phrase 'can I'? Look at these two examples of asking.

Can he call you back later? Can I use your scissors?

Can' is the base form of the verb, which is the infinitive without to.

In the following examples both speakers asked permission to do something 'for a minute'. They didn't literally mean they would spend sixty seconds using the computer or borrowing the phone charger. But it's a way of showing that you only want to borrow something for a short time and you're trying not to bother the other person too much.

 Hinna, can I use your computer for a minute? Oh Emily, I forgot to bring my phone charger

today, could I borrow yours for a minute please?

We also heard the magic word 'please' at the end of that question. Parents often get very cross with their children if they ask permission without using the word 'please'. But the reality is that it's often fine not to include it. We tend to use intonation in our questions to sound polite, so we don't always need the extra 'please'.

Lets see these examples. The first doesn't sound very polite. Could I have that. (demanding) But the second seems to be more polite due to the intonation. Could I have that? (questioning)

Let's look at another structure for asking permission.

Matt, would it be OK if I took the afternoon off on

Friday?
Would it be OK if fairly informal way of asking permission. You could also say 'Would it be alright if?'

Matt, would it be OK if I took the afternoon off on

Friday? I'm not feeling well today would it be alright if I did this tomorrow?
In both these cases, the phrases are followed by the past subjunctive form of the verb. However, you could also use the present form this sounds slightly less formal.

In the following examples the first question is more formal 'Would I be able to?' sounds more distant than 'Is it OK if I?

Would I be able to talk to you about

something? Is it OK if I leave early?

QUESTIONAIRE
Interview people of different ages and occupations the
way in which they would ask for permission. They have been chosen randomly. The target is formed of: - two girls and two boys (age 18) - a female accountant (age 35) - a female lawyer (age 41) - an engineer (age 40) - an unemployed (age 25) - an elderly couple (age 70)

1. How would you ask permission to use an object from a friend/ 2. your mother/ 3. your boss/ 4. your teacher/ 5. a total stranger? a. could you give me that.. b. can you give me that c. could I have that d. will you be able to give me that. e. can I borrow that..

6. How would you ask permission to leave to a parent/ 7. your boss/ 8. your teacher? a. is it ok to leave now? b. would it be all right to leave? c. will it be ok if I go now?

Answers and interpretation: 1. a- 4, b- 2, c-2, d-1, e-1. 2. a-3, b-2, c-2, d-2, e-1. 3. a-2, b-1, c-3, d-2, e-2. 4. a-2, b-3, c-2, d-2, e-1. 5. a-3, b-1, c-1, d-2, e-3. 6. a-3, b-3, c-4. 7. a-4, b-3, c-3. 8. a-2, b-6, c-2.

1. a= 40 % b= 20 % c= 20 % d= 10 % e= 10 % 2. a= 30 % b= 20 % c= 20 % d= 20 % e= 10 % 3. a= 20 % b= 10 % c= 30 % d= 20 % e= 20 % 4. a= 20 % b= 30 % c= 20 % d= 20 % e= 10 % 5. a= 30 % b= 10 % c= 10 % d= 20 % e= 30 % 6. a= 30 % b= 30 % c= 40 % 7. a= 40 % b= 30 % c= 30 % 8. a= 20 % b= 60 % c= 20 %

1-5

a. could you give me that.. b. can you give me that Using 'Could I?' instead of 'Can I?' sounds slightly

more formal. You might use 'could' if you want to be more polite. Like the word 'can', 'could' is always used with the base infinitive form of the verb. c. could I have that sounds more like a demanding rather than a questioning, it depends on the intonation. d. will you be able to give me that. This is a more formal way to ask permission to use somebodys object. It is more common when addressing to someone we barely know. e. can I borrow that.. It is not very formal, it is rather informal, used when addressing to someone we know very well and are familiar with.

6-8
a. is it ok to leave now? Informal, when addressing to someone familiar
such as a parent or a friend. b. would it be all right to leave? More formal, when addressing to a superior such as our boss, a teacher, an elder person. c. will it be ok if I go now? Less formal than b. but still having in mind a superior addressee.

CONCLUSION:
Every day in different situations and with
different people we get in contact with we use another expressions, another style, a different choice of language in order to obtain the effect we are expecting. To ask the same thing we use different words when addressing to a parent, to a colleague, to our boss, or to a total stranger. If we were not to make choices when speaking with different people, our purposes would not be fulfilled.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
LEVINSON, Stephen C., Pragmatics,
Cambridge University Press, 1983. YULE, George, Pragmatics, Oxfort University Press, 1996. LEECH, N. Geoffrey, Principles of Pragmatics, Longman Group Limited, 1983.