1. Radio sports commentary How do sports commentators use and adapt language to communicate with their audience?

2. 1948 Grand National- cinema film 2012 Grand National – television clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rE6jPZW or0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rE6jPZW or0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur_hgbhX 5gg&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur_hgbhX 5gg&feature=related What are the aims of sports commentators on tv and film? Why was sport on the radio in the early days of broadcasting?

4. Aims of the Radio commentator To convey accurate information & analyse the skills and attitudes of competitors To paint a picture in words for the listener To convey atmosphere – of the ground/pitch setting – creating a rapport & relationship with listening audience To entertain and to generate excitement and passionate energy which will help listener identify with programme (offer an authentic emotional experience) To create a mini-culture – a sub-culture with its own idiolect – therefore offer a sense of inclusion to the listener – a world of knowledge and shared interests Share pleasure and love for a particular sport or event

5. In their own words.... “We are very much at the sharp but unglamorous end of sports broadcasting, following our teams wherever they go. It is a labour of love. Sometimes the long journeys home can be late into the evening when we’re tired, hungry and, if Essex have had a bad day, somewhat dispirited. But it’s worth it all because we love what we do and I think that comes across in the commentaries. “Via their e-mail comments, the appreciative response from listeners is overwhelming and, on occasions, quite humbling: we know that we are conveying the atmosphere of a match, as well as the basic score information, to enthusiasts in every corner of the globe. It’s the e-mails from servicemen and women in areas of conflict abroad which probably give us the most satisfaction and the greatest sense of achievement.”

6. What does the audience expect from a radio broadcast? Information about sporting event Entertainment through the nature of the broadcaster’s delivery (content and tone/pitch) Gaining a sense of identification/belonging with others in society Finding a basis for conversation and interaction with others Emotional release

7. Language on the radio It is spoken not written, therefore different rules apply and we can see that spontaneous nature of the speech can create all kinds of interesting effects e.g. Humour Repetition

8. The Grand National Why might you have listened to the race on radio instead of watching it on t.v.? The context of the race is important – its fame, its national appeal, the amount of money so many people bet...... Listen to some of the commentary and see what you notice about the way language is used

9. Other topics/areas to consider The changing voices of radio commentators reflecting shifts in public attitudes to spoken language – RP v dialect in recent years The gender issue – Eleanor Oldroyd first BBC female presenter of Sports Report – prejudice in male-dominated world (Andy Gray incident) Humour arising from spontaneous quips and blunders (Coleman-balls) Repressed Jingoism – the only ‘safe’ outlet for tribal passions (Norwegian guy)

10. What the students need to show they know and can analyse The aims of sports radio broadcasters – the ways they use language in spontaneous talk The attitudes of the presenters towards their sport and their audience (realtionships)and how their language is adapted as a consequence The reasons anyone might have for listening The ways audiences might respond to the cues given by commentators What the changes in sports broadcasting reveal about changes in society and changes in attitudes to spoken language

11. How to teach Create a title specific for the group – such as? Decide how many areas/topics you expect them to cover ( more able to explore sociolects and cultural subgroups as well as obvious stuff?) Base lessons around transcripts – annotating and discussing the ideas outlined previously Get class to create own transcript by playing an extract and ‘sharing’ the copying down – teacher might collect in and type up the whole piece?

12. Plan an essay structure which they can ‘imitate’ (not a scaffold but close) Intro: what are the aims of radio sports journalism? Describing and informing – analyse two examples Exciting and engaging audience – two examples Entertaining us - errors – word play – Coleman balls and perhaps an extract which delights through enthusiasm or wit Difference between live and retrospective? (Clare Balding /Frankie Dettori) Revealing changing attitudes in society – gender/power/ RP Creating patriotic fervour – uniting the country – inducing a sense of pride Offering listeners a comforting friendly world – a sub- culture which might reassure or give them identity (cricket/tennis/footie)

13. What are the language and prosodic features we want them to spot and explore ? Spontaneous speech does not necessarily obey rules of syntax Pace, tone and rhythm of delivery Pitch Subject specific vocab – jargon? Ellipsis and pauses for effect Repetition First and second person Colloquial expression mixed with poetic power?

14. Blumler and Katz's 1974 "Uses and Gratifications" theory – the purposes of media texts – for audience? Information: finding out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings, society and the world Finding reinforcement for personal values: finding models of behaviour Gaining insight into circumstances of others; social empathy: identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging finding a basis for conversation and social interaction having a substitute for real-life companionship helping to carry out social roles enabling one to connect with family, friends and society Entertainment Escaping, or being diverted, from problems: relaxing getting intrinsic cultural or aesthetic enjoyment filling time emotional release