The English language has always interested me. I find the way that language changes and evolves over time is a truly remarkable topic to study. For my A2 coursework, I will be studying language and the way that it is used throughout our modern society.

My coursework for this year will be an investigation into: “The ways that different genders use language when speaking about a topic that is affiliated with one more than the other”. To put it simply, I will be investigating how the language of men and women differs when they talk about football. To carry out my investigation, I will be transcribing two different commentators (One male and one female) and looking at the conversations to see how much topic specific lexis they use when they speak about football, which is one of my three frameworks that I will be looking at.

My other frameworks include phonology and pragmatics. I have chosen to study the use of phonology in this investigation because it signifies the interest and excitement that the commentator is feeling at that particular moment in time. It is said that men are more into sport than women, particularly in the sense of football, so by studying the ways in which their voices change according to what is happening around them, is a pretty good signifier as to whether or not this statement is indeed true or just another gender based cliché.

In terms of pragmatics, I will be looking to see whether or not there is a logical and shared understanding between the interlocutors during the commentary. For example, a male commentator could be describing a past footballing event to compare it to something that has happened during the game they are covering. Whilst a female commentator may just stick to what is happening now, because another interlocutor may not have the knowledge or understanding of footballing history, and may just be there to analyse and speak about a match.

I may also look at semantics, to study whether or not the different genders use topic specific lexis in the correct way. For example, a male commentator may use the term “Drop zone” to describe the relegation zone of a league, whilst a female commentator (Or a commentator with little knowledge) may use it to describe a particular area on the pitch.

I plan on obtaining this knowledge by watching the 2014 FIFA World Cup final, because it will be one of the most covered sporting events in the world. Furthermore, commentators will have done extensive research to raise interesting points and to share facts with the viewers, so it will really will prove their shared understanding of the topic of football.