Introducing English as a Lingua Franca: an Online Tutorial

Table of Contents

1. What is English as a Lingua Franca?
2. The tutorial: who it's for and what it aims to do
3. The tutorial: how it works
4. Analysing talk (the slightly theoretical bit)
5. Recording and transcribing: why record, why transcribe, what to transcribe
6. Notation
7. Three examples of classroom talk with accompanying transcripts
8. The activity - section one: form a group
9. The activity - section two: select your recording equipment
10. The activity - section three: record your discussion
11. The activity - section four: transcription and analysis
12. The activity - section five: discuss your transcript
13. Photos of the project team
14. References
15. Further reading
16. Acknowledgements
17. How to print and cite this resource
18. Creative Commons Licence

The activity - section four: transcription and analysis

In this section of the activity, work on your own to transcribe about 30 seconds of your discussion, as agreed with your group.

If you're not sure how to transcribe, try listening to the three examples of classroom talk here while reading through the transcriptions. For ideas about which notation symbols to use click here.

Read your transcript and make brief notes on question A and on one, several or all questions B to E, depending on what your group agreed. If there is anything else interesting in the transcript of your discussion, go ahead and make a note of it!

For a PDF version of these questions, click here.

A What is the main aim of the discussion? Who decided that this is the aim? Does the recording show that that everyone agreed with this aim? How do the people in the discussion show that they agree or disagree with this aim? In addition to what people say, try to listen for how they say it; for example, do they put stronger stress on some words, does their intonation rise or fall, do they speak louder or more softly and so on?

In the discussion,

B does anyone misunderstand what another person is saying? How do they show that they have misunderstood? What is the reaction of the misunderstood speaker? Is the misunderstanding sorted out? How? Who sorts the misunderstanding out? What is the effect of any misunderstanding on the group's achievement of its aims?

C does anyone disagree with what another person is saying or how they are saying it? How do they do this? What is the reaction of the corrected speaker? Is the disagreement sorted out? How? Who sorts the disagreement out? What is the effect of any disagreement on the group's achievement of its aims?

D does everyone have an equal opportunity to speak? Does anyone interrupt another speaker? How do they interrupt? What is the reaction of the other speakers to the interruption? What is the effect of the distribution of opportunity to speak on the group's achievement of its aims?

E does anyone: laugh; sigh; hesitate; repeat (maybe using slightly different words) an opinion or question several times; repeat (maybe using slightly different words) another person's opinion; use slang, idioms or taboo language; mix different languages? How? What is the effect of any of these features on the group's achievement of its aims?