AJL22098 Linguistic analysis of broadcast talk

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025

The course is not taught in Spring 2025

Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
prof. Mgr. Jan Chovanec, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. Mgr. Jan Chovanec, Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites
Students are expected to have mastered the basic linguistic terminology relating to various linguistic levels (phonological, semantic/lexical, syntactical) and be able to correctly use the concepts when analysing linguistic data.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The basic aim is to provide an introduction into the study of media discourse with a focus on spoken language. The course consists of theoretical discussions and practical analyses of various spoken media genres in English, ranging from radio and TV broadcasts to new media genres that span public and private zones of communication, while enabling the diverse social actors to become actively involved and create the media and the post-media space. Special attention is paid to the analysis of linguistic means of interaction between various media stakeholders and the public, as well as to the multimodal analysis of media texts. The course develops students' ability for critical thinking.
Learning outcomes
After passing the course, the students will be able to: - produce linguistic transcripts of spoken language;
- use the tools of conversation analysis to describe interaction;
- understand the differences between authentic, semi-scripted and scripted discourse;
- describe what reactions different personal styles of interviewing give rise to;
- understand how authenticity and spontaneity are discursively constructed by the media;
- see how expertise is negotiated in various genres of broadcast programmes;
- understand the underlying mechanisms of accountability interviews (mainly in political interviews);
- appreciate the specificities of dialogic interaction in various broadcast genres (TV documentaries, talk shows, political interviews, live sports commentary);
- apply their critical literacy skills;
- carry out an analysis of micro-level linguistic phenomena in media texts by applying specific linguistic methodologies (term essay).
Syllabus
  • The course will cover the following topics:
  • 1. Spoken news on radio/TV
  • 2. Spoken sports commentary
  • 3. Online sports commentary (features spokenness in the written mode)
  • 4. Reality TV, TV shows and series
  • 5. Historical aspects of spoken media communication
  • 6. Spoken texts and positioning: dialogism, voice, simulated interaction
  • 7. Interpersonal meanings in broadcast texts, audience involvement
  • 8. The construction of humour in interaction
Literature
    required literature
  • TOLSON, Andrew. Media talk : spoken discourse on TV and radio. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University, 2006, v, 193. ISBN 0748618260. info
  • Media discourserepresentation and interaction. Edited by Mary Talbot. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007, vi, 198 p. ISBN 0748623485. info
  • Lorenzo-Dus, Nuria (2009) Television Discourse: Analysing Language in the Media. Palgrave Macmillan.
    recommended literature
  • Telecinematic discourseapproaches to the language of films and television series. Edited by Roberta Piazza - Monika Bednarek - Fabio Rossi. Philadelphia: John Benjamins Pub. Company, 2011, xi, 315 p. ISBN 9789027285157. info
  • New discourse on languagefunctional perspectives on multimodality, identity, and affiliation. Edited by J. R. Martin - Monika Bednarek. New York: Continuum, 2010, ix, 269 p. ISBN 9781847064837. info
  • The language of fictional televisiondrama and identity. Edited by Monika Bednarek. New York, NY: Continuum International Pub. Group, 2010, 283 p. ISBN 9781441155856. info
  • TALBOT, Mary M. Media discourse : representation and interaction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007, vi, 198. ISBN 9780748623488. info
  • MATHESON, Donald. Media discourses : analysing media texts. 1st pub. Maidenhead: Open University, 2005, x, 206. ISBN 033521469X. info
Teaching methods
seminar work, discussion, group work, presentation of students' projects, independent reading, analytical essay
Assessment methods
course work, assignments during the term, compulsory attendance (seminar) Final evaluation: an exam in the form of a written test and/or an analytical essay of original material from the media
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
Information about innovation of course.
This course has been innovated under the project "Faculty of Arts as Centre of Excellence in Education: Complex Innovation of Study Programmes and Fields at FF MU with Regard to the Requirements of the Knowledge Economy“ – Reg. No. CZ.1.07/2.2.00/28.0228, which is cofinanced by the European Social Fond and the national budget of the Czech Republic.

logo image
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2022, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/AJL22098