Since the very beginning of mankind, humans try to depict reality. Not only to broaden their horizon by learning from it, but also to convey their achievements into future generations. You can see a clear development from the Stone Age, where simple cave-paintings were only able to depict actions that could be imitated, to the ancient advanced civilization, who tried to preserve spoken conversations, because oral discourse became the main but volatile transmitter of information.
One prime example and also a possible starting point for the idea of transcriptions can be seen in the ancient Greek society, “when the ideal of eloquence was central, [and] writing was viewed as a record of the spoken language”. The great thinker Socrates for instance, was transcribed by his student Plato. It was the urge Plato’s to save the spoken words of Socrates for posterity. His transcriptions or re-narrations of whole dialogues are now considered as the foundation for western philosophy. Of course this transcript was a rudimentary and corrected transcription because of its only purpose to spread ideas. During the ages,
writing developed from an illustration of conversation to an own part of cultural expression.
Although it is evident, that encoding spoken words into another semiotic signsystem can never be objective, transcriptions are useful sources in empirical science. In some case, subjectiveness can even be an advantage, as long as the results of research are reflected on. My main focus of this term paper lays on the suitability of movie scenes for transcriptions and if they could have a unique relevance in scientific conversational researches. For this purpose I transcribe two scenes from the film Fight Club by David Fincher with the conventions of the “discourse and conversation-analytic transcription system” called GAT and by that, test the applicability of this system to the branch of discourses in the medium of film.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. GAT 2
3. Transcription of films
4. Transcription
5. Applicability of GAT 2
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This paper explores the scientific relevance of using film dialogues as data sources for conversation analysis, specifically testing the suitability of the GAT 2 transcription system for analyzing scripted movie scenes.
- The theoretical basis of transcription in conversation analysis.
- Introduction and application of the GAT 2 system.
- Challenges of using scripted, artificial dialogue as linguistic data.
- Prosodic analysis of exaggerated speech in films.
- Comparing natural talk-in-interaction with performance-based dialogue.
Excerpt from the Book
Transcription of films
To use talk-in-interactions in movie scenes as “data source may seem strange at first, since the interactions recorded in such a way are generally considered to be rather artificial” (Have 2007: 81). There are several problems with the data of movies. The proper data for linguistic transcriptions is collected of everyday-talk. But since the conversations in films are all written by an author and just performed by actors, the occurring talk may seem like everyday-talk but the speakers are not really related to what they say. They just enacting a role in which their speak could be a naturally occurring conversation. The naturalness of interaction seems to be another problem of data collection. What should be transcribed are “activities which are recorded and situated as far as possible in the ordinary unfolding of people´s lives, as opposed to being prearranged, set up in laboratories, or otherwise experimentally designed” (Hutchby & Wooffitt 2008: 12). But a film is edited and designed in several ways. The locutions can be cut or exchanged in different ways to create a whole new illocutive meaning. Also the goal and importance of the conversation is not only known by one, but by all speakers. This means, that the way of achieving this goal happens not due to natural behavior but just by actors playing their role.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides a historical overview of transcription methods and outlines the paper's aim to evaluate the utility of film scenes for linguistic research.
GAT 2: Explains the structure and function of the GAT 2 transcription system, focusing on its efficacy in capturing prosodic features and intonation.
Transcription of films: Discusses the inherent difficulties of using scripted movie dialogue as a substitute for natural everyday conversation.
Transcription: Presents two specific transcribed scenes from the film 'Fight Club' using GAT 2 conventions.
Applicability of GAT 2: Evaluates the success of the GAT 2 system in documenting and analyzing the exaggerated prosodic elements found in cinematic dialogue.
Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, suggesting that while films are not natural data, they serve as valuable tools for refining transcription skills and analyzing stylized communication.
Keywords
Conversation Analysis, GAT 2, Transcription, Film Dialogue, Prosody, Scripted Interaction, Linguistic Analysis, Natural Talk, Empirical Science, Intonation, Communication, Discourse, Fight Club, Performance, Research Methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines whether film scenes can serve as scientifically relevant data for conversation analysis and how effectively the GAT 2 system can be applied to these scripted interactions.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Key themes include the differences between natural and enacted conversation, the evolution of transcription methods, the application of the GAT 2 transcription system, and the prosodic exaggerations present in film discourse.
What is the main objective of the study?
The primary goal is to test the applicability of the GAT 2 system on scripted movie scenes to see if they offer unique insights for conversational research despite their artificial nature.
Which scientific method is utilized in this paper?
The author uses the GAT 2 (Gesprächsorientierte Transkription) system to transcribe specific movie scenes and then conducts a qualitative evaluation of how well this system captures prosodic features in performance-based speech.
What topics are covered in the main body of the work?
The main body covers the theoretical necessity of transcription, the GAT 2 methodology, an analysis of the "artificiality" of film scripts, and practical transcriptions of scenes from the film 'Fight Club'.
What characterize the keywords of this work?
The keywords center around the intersection of linguistics, media studies, and conversation analysis, specifically focusing on the methodologies of documenting speech.
Why did the author specifically choose 'Fight Club' for the transcriptions?
The film was chosen because it contains intense, emotion-heavy dialogue which allows for a detailed analysis of prosodic markers like pauses and emphasis, which are essential for testing the GAT 2 system.
Does the author consider film dialogue to be "natural" conversation?
No, the author explicitly distinguishes between natural, everyday talk and the designed, prearranged dialogue of actors, though he argues that films can still be useful for practice and for observing idealized speech patterns.
How does the author handle the issue of silence and pauses in film transcriptions?
The author notes that while GAT 2 has specific markers for pauses, some pauses in films are much longer than those in natural conversation, often serving a stylistic purpose to emphasize dramatic tension.
What is the final conclusion regarding the use of films for academic discourse?
The author concludes that while film analysis remains marginal in the field of conversation analysis, it is a highly effective way to refine transcription skills and study how media influences our understanding of interaction.
- Citar trabajo
- Marcus Wenzel (Autor), 2012, The scientific relevance of films as data of transcriptions and the applicability of the GAT 2 system on movie scenes, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/450705
