I was just thinking about the speech events that I have experience before, and I suddenly thought of an incident that happened at last year's Formula 1 race in Singapore. I volunteered as a track marshal at last year's F1, possibly the most dangerous role on the circuit. This was what happened.
Nelson Piquet's Renault had crashed and left debris along the track, which posed as potential hazard to other drivers. A track marshal from my sector was tasked to run out onto the track (race still ongoing), pick up the debris, and run back to safety. The other track marshals will serve as lookouts for this (brave) track marshal to warn him of any incoming traffic.
My question is, is this a speech event? Here's the analysis using SPEAKING.
1. Genre: Warning
2. Topic: Warnings to keep track marshal (TM) out of danger
3. Function: To warn (brave)TM of incoming F1 cars, and to keep (brave)TM in as little danger as possible.
4. Setting: During the race, on the race track, sound transmission constrains due to the noisy track.
5. Key: Urgent and serious
6. Participants: (brave) TM, TM (behind barriers), Sector marshal
7. Message form: Whistling and running
8. Act sequence:
-(brave)TM runs out to the track,
- pick up debris,
-warning: TM (behind barriers) sees incoming traffic and whistles loudly to warn (brave) TM.
- response: (brave) TM quickly jump over the nearest track barrier to safety.
9. Rules for interaction: Socially acceptable behaviour- be alert and keep a look out; quickly run onto the track and back, don't dilly dally
10. Norms of interpretation: Warning is necessary for the safetey of a fellow TM, and also a life is at stake. The TM has to be quick about it so as not to cause any hazard or hindrance to the ongoing race. Whistling is necessary as shouting won't be of any use on the noisy track.
Through this simple analysis, perhaps we can all now see what my question mean. It does fulfil all the 10 criteria of a speech event, yet nothing has been uttered in the entire event. Communication was entirely replaced by sounds (whistling) and actions (running). Without the speech component, can this still be considered a SPEECH event?
Anybody?
On a lighter note, I am glad I won't be taking on such a dangerous role on the track this year. =)
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wow, cool!!!
ReplyDeletebut i think to qualify for a speech event, there should at least be some spoken sentences or instructions? so maybe from another angle (for f1) maybe refuelling for pitstop and discussing the pit strategies between the engineers and the driver would then qualify for a speech act? Or like in the Nelson Piquet case, when he crashed, he let the engineer know that he had crash or talking to the track marshall who will be there to "rescue" him from the tracks can be considered a speech act.
oh, btw, side tracking here, the crash was alleged to be deliberate. =P
i also have the same question.. sometimes communication does not involve oral conversation. i dont think that qualifies as an speech act/event going by the definition of "speech".
ReplyDeletei think it's the 7th component, message form. maybe it shd be "message form other othan oral" rather than just "message form"?
Not a prototypical example of a speech event, I would think.
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