Political interviewers like to pretend that they are are asking genuine questions to their political guests. But sometimes it is …
“Can I explain why?” “No explain how.”
Andrew Neil interviewed Jeremy Corbyn on BBC television tonight. Neil is a forensic interviewer who usually pins his interviewees down …
I AM answering your question
Politicians often get accused of not answering questions but sometimes they fight back as Andy McDonald did on Friday.
Eye fluttering
Politicians use all means to try and grab and hold the floor during interviews including non-verbal means. Nigel Farage has …
Fighting for control of the floor
Fight for control of the floor can sometimes produce odd utterances out of the mouths of the interlocutors. Here is …
Slips of the Tongue
Some slips of the tongue (speech errors) for analysis. Latest ones on top.
Interruptions at Prime Minister’s Questions
Interruptions at PMQs (Prime Minister’s Questions) are recorded in Hansard in a limited way, usually through the insertion of the …
Revealing ‘ah’ in PMQs
In a previous post I have argued that the house is a multi-faceted chamber with comments and background noise from members of …
Hesitations
Hesitations are a natural part of unscripted spoken language. We all hesitate from time to time while speaking for various …
Grayling’s grilling
Political interviewing can be a frustrating affair when the politician being interviewed refuses to answer directly the questions put to …
Slip-squared
Slips of the tongue can be embarrassing for anyone speaking in public, but when the slip occurs twice in quick …
The language of U-turns
We all have to make U-turns in our lives sometimes: reversing our car when we realise we’ve gone down the …
Chuntering from a sedentary position
John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, likes to pick up on members who ‘chunter from a sedentary …
Can I say s**t in the House of Commons?
Certain words in the House of Commons are normally taboo but sometimes it is possible to get away with using …
Exasperation and incredulity!
Political commentators and journalists all have their own idiosyncratic styles when interviewing politicians. Emily Maitlis, the BBC Newsnight commentator, often …
Gove’s Gestures
Michael Gove, Conservative MP, serves up some curious hand gestures while speaking including teacup gestures and steeple Vulcans. Here are …
Conversation Analysis – BBC Question Time (part 1)
Editor: The BBC’s Question Time programme on Thursday nights seems to court controversy these days as we hold it to ever …
Conversation Analysis – BBC Question Time (part 2)
Editor: This is part 2 of the blog on the BBC Question Time programme. Part 1 is here.
Linguistic Rapping
Fighting for the floor can take on epic proportions at times with your interlocutor when you both want to get …
Holding the floor: Eyes down
The eyes play an important part in human communication. They can signal an intention to communicate and sometimes act to …
Slip of the Tongue
A slip of the tongue.
The many faces of ‘no’
Theresa May seems to have developed many ways of saying ‘no’ without actually meaning it. In her interview with Andrew …
Slip of the Tongue: Titsly Come Dancing
Speech errors don’t get much better when they appear in front of a live audience of millions on the BBC …
Slips of the Tongue: Repair Procedures
Slips of the tongue (speech errors) nearly always include some repair whereby the speaker realises the mistake and then attempts …
Bad things always come in threes
One way to put a politician on the spot is to ask them how many people have been affected by …