Final Project Analysis - The Office PDF

Preview

Summary

Completed Coursework Exam language analysis on The Office. ...

Description

An investigation into the language of the British and American versions of The Office This investigation will focus on the ways language embodies the cultural differences between characters in the British and American version of the television show The Office. I will focus on how the characters are constructed and how their cultural attitudes are presented through their language use as well as their actions. This enables me identify how language can reflect similarities and differences between British and American culture. The Office is a comedy television programme with a ‘mockumentary’ format - a ‘mockumentary’ is a blend word implying a satirical approach to a documentary with fictional characters and events. Shown in both the United Kingdom and America, The Office has been adapted to suit its target region and culture. Humour in the show is often demonstrated through circumstances that ordinary people may encounter in an office job and characters are then stereotypical representations of the people found in that type of environment.

Ricky Gervais, co-writer of The Office, has written an article on the Time website describing how he had to adapt the original British show for an American audience. Gervais explains many differences between British and American culture and how this guided his transition as a writer. I will use some of his key points to help lay the foundations of my analysis. An overall observation that Gervais mentions is that large sections of British culture are built on the basis of irony and pessimism, whereas American culture has a more optimistic look on the future with a more direct approach. Equivalent characters can be found in both versions of the show helping display the adaptations that had to be made to make the characters more culturally appropriate for their target audience. I will structure my essay by comparing three sets of these equivalent characters, analysing relevant similarities and differences.

David Brent in comparison to Michael Scott

In the interview with Time, Ricky Gervais mentioned that when adapting David Brent into Michael Scott he had to make him a ‘slightly nicer guy, with a rosier outlook on life.’ ‘He could still be childish and even a bore but he couldn’t be too mean’. David Brent from The Office UK is the general manager of the Wernham-Hogg paper merchants. By contrast, in The Office US, Michael Scott plays the same role as general manager of Dunder Mifflin Inc. A similar scene found in both The Office UK S01E05 ‘New Girl’ and The Office US S01E06 ‘Hot Girl’ shows the managers conversing with a new female in the office. The titles of the episodes alone convey the initial attitude differences between the shows; both use a simple noun phrase including ‘girl’ but with different premodifying adjectives, ‘New’ and ‘Hot’. ‘New Girl’ simply implies what the episode is about, displaying the straightforward, conservative culture of the British. On the other hand, ‘Hot Girl’ implies meaning, it suggests that there is more to the girl and there are connotations suggesting sexual potential. Both episodes also present an asymmetrical relationship between the females and the office managers; each female wants to gain something, whether it be a job in ‘New Girl’ or a place to sell items in ‘Hot Girl’. In ‘New Girl’, Brent invites the new interviewee, Karen, into his office. It is apparent from Brent's mannerisms that he finds Karen attractive and is almost treating the interview as a date. After entering, Brent immediately uses the imperative ‘sit down’ taking control of the conversation and then attempts to lead the conversation in his direction: ‘let’s put that down there’. By using the inclusive contraction ‘let’s’, Brent is making an attempt to converge in conversation. Karen goes on to declare ‘Last year, I took a year out and I went traveling. Exploring’ to which Brent finishes her utterance with the sexual innuendo ‘Exploring yourself’. She immediately diverges from this topic by abruptly declaring ‘and Asia’. Following up with the interrogative ‘with your boyfriend?’ Brent again attempts to redirect the conversation to favour himself. He uses another innuendo ‘getting what you can while you’re young’. The conversation soon comes to an end and despite Karen's attempts to diverge, Brent gives her the job ‘you’ve charmed me, yeah? You’ve got the job’. Specifically the use of the laudatory verb ‘charmed’ exemplifies how desperately Brent wants to accommodate Karen in the hope to form a relationship with her. The whole conversation is not typical of a job interview and the use of sexual themes is a direct contrast from the initial title of the episode ‘New Girl’. From the first impression the title has no sexual

implications. It is apparent that Brent is using his position to his advantage and is prioritising his time for Karen. This could relate back to Gervais’ point where he states that Brent is ‘meaner’ in the sense that he will always put his priorities first. To relate this back to British culture, it could be concluded that the overall cynicism of romance in the workplace is what makes this instance seem so inappropriate; the idea that Brent’s attempts to challenge British cultural normalisations causes Karen to become uncomfortable. Brent’s inability to keep his inappropriate thoughts to himself also makes him appear in a negative manner.

In the American episode ‘Hot Girl’, Michael Scott first meets and invites a new saleswoman, Katy, into the office. Initially, Pam the receptionist tells Scott that there is ‘a person here who wants to sell handbags’, and Scott refuses her entry using the declarative ‘No vendors in the office. That is a distraction’. Scott’s states this as he wants to appear professional using directness to imply authority and concern for productivity in the workplace, that is until Scott sees Katy and realises that he finds her visually attractive. He then goes to greet her, approaching by using the sexually suggestive idiom ‘girls you’re being infiltrated - cock in the hen house!’. Scott then reins in the sexual connotations after Dwight attempts to extend the idiom by stating ‘cocks in the henhouse’, using the imperative ‘don’t say cocks’. This is an example of Scott's repetitive and often unnecessary attempts to appear ‘politically correct’, Scott here is being inappropriate as he is disregarding what is best for the workplace; unlike Brent who is inappropriate by being sexually suggestive. Using the interrogative ‘What is your name, my fair lass?’ Scott greets Katy. The noun phrase ‘my fair lass’ uses the laudatory and informal noun ‘lass’ with the premodifying adjective ‘fair’, Scott deliberately chooses these words to appear romantic which is not typical of office register. This is just one example of how attitudes to women may be perceived differently in American culture, it less frowned upon to be open about feelings with strangers, even if they are insincere. Gervais touched upon this point when he explained ‘Americans say, “have a nice day” whether they mean it or not. Brits are terrified to say this because we don’t want to sound insincere’. Scott then goes on to be inappropriately generous, similarly to Brent, in an attempt to converge with Katy: ‘so please make yourself at home’, ‘if you need anything else, something to make you more comfortable, just don’t hesitate to ask (1) I’m right here’. In this utterance Scott attempts to control the conversation using the imperative ‘make

yourself at home’ but using the mitigating adverb ‘please’ to seem less demanding. He also pauses before using the declarative ‘I’m right here’ using prosodic stress on the first person pronoun ‘I’m’, using stress here is Scott attempting to draw attention to himself as he wants to be centre of attention. Katy replies ‘I guess a cup of coffee would be great’ - by using the verb phrase ‘I guess’ she is deliberately trying to be unimposing to cede control. Further into the transcript, Scott again tries to be accommodating but also attempts to build heroic connotations of himself ‘my own man’, ‘nobody gets me’, ‘they’re always putting up walls and I tear ‘em down’. He deliberately paints a laudatory image of himself using masculine lexis before others cause him to be perceived in a negative way. The irony is that overselling himself causes him appear less engaging and confident.

Gervais mentioned that ‘Americans are more down the line’ than the British, ‘they don’t hide their hopes and fears, openly rewarding success’. This point alone can explain how Scott gets away with being romantic because Katy finds the expression of desires more normalised in American culture and is able to politely resist his intentions. Brent, however, goes against cultural expectations of the British involving the hiding of feelings and being afraid of insincerity. This may be one of the main reasons why Karen reacts in such a negative manner, she is unable to control the situation as it is completely unexpected in British culture. Scott is able to express his laudatory thoughts to Katy as American culture normalises the ability to share ‘hopes and fears’, something which, when Brent attempts, appears awkward and inappropriate for the workplace.

Tim Canterbury in comparison to Jim Halpert As mentioned earlier, Gervais explained the contrast of optimism in American culture to the pessimism of British culture: ‘Americans are more down the line. They don’t hide their hopes and fears, applauding ambition and openly rewarding success’ he further explained that ‘Brits are more comfortable with life’s losers, embracing the underdog until it’s no longer the underdog’.

The contrast in attitude can be visible through Tim Canterbury’s performance in The Office UK compared to Jim Halpert in The Office US. Both Tim and Jim play a desktop role in the office but there are some noticeable differences in their personalities. Tim is a cynical character who has a pessimistic persona, he is dissatisfied with his career and maintains a sense of distance from other characters which makes him display awkwardness. Jim, on the other hand, has an optimistic approach, he is more accepting of his situation, more open about his feelings and is ultimately more relaxed in his day to day life. Despite their differences, both characters display similar humour doing so through sarcasm and the torment of others in the office. These personality traits can be perceived through the language used by both characters.

In the UK episode ‘New Girl’ Tim is having a conversation with Gareth about his desire to go back into education. ‘I’m not thinking about it (.) I’m doing it’ Tim declares, ‘I’m leaving to learn about more than the price of opti-bright laser copy paper’. Here, Tim’s immediate dissatisfaction for his job is noticeable when he mentions learning about more than ‘opti-bright laser copy paper’ as it shows he has knowledge of his job but does not value it. Tim then goes on to survey a pejoratively playful character at the expense of Gareth, deliberately resisting and challenging Gareth's conversational face. Gareth declares ‘298 a gram’ to which Tim gently resists using the imperative ‘240 a gram, check the list’. Gareth attempts to save face by claiming ‘Yeah, I thought you said something different’ and then uses the interrogative ‘So what are you going to study?’. Tim explains ‘psychology’ to which Gareth then negatively reacts ‘What do you want to be a psychologist for? They’re all mad themselves aren’t they?’ showing an example of the British assumption of ‘doom and gloom’ displayed in the lack of encouragement for others, the use of the tag question ‘aren’t they?’ also shows a sense of validation Gareth hopes to achieve. Tim’s mention of going to study psychology at University reveals his sense of dissatisfaction with his job, displaying his pessimistic approach to work. In the British show there is tension between Tim and Dawn, the receptionist. Both characters are attracted to one another and due to their awkwardness and feeling of inadequacy for each other, the relationship succeeds. Jim, however, is in a similar situation with Pam and despite complications, their relationship works out leading to

marriage and pregnancy. This vast contrast in events is something that can be concluded with what Gervais mentioned about the cultural demands of the different shows: ‘Network America has to give people a reason to like you not just a reason to watch you.’ ‘We don’t want to watch a bunch of idiots having a good time. We want them to be as miserable as us.’ and a ‘perceived wicked streak is somewhat frowned upon’. This shows that an American audience wants to enjoy the success of Jim and Pam's relationship whereas the British audience wants to relate the failure of Tim and Dawn.

In the US episode ‘Hot Girl’, Jim displays his more optimistic and open attitudes to the workplace. In one scene, Roy, a warehouse worker questions Jim about his sexuality and opinion of the the new girl in the office. ‘Hey, Jimmy, what do you think about the purse girl?’ to which Jim responds ‘Cute, sure, yeah’. This interaction shows Roy's attempts at making Jim feel uncomfortable referring to him with the added ‘y’ suffix as ‘Jimmy’ to make him feel lesser and small, Jim sees this and gently resists using ‘sure, yeah’ to avoid conflict. Roy sees Jim's attempts to diverge so further challenges Jim’s face using the interrogative ‘why don’t you get on that?’ to which Jim declares ‘she’s not really my type’. Like before, Roy then attempts to demean Jim in front of the others workers ‘What? Are you gay?’, Jim is able to avoid this question using sarcasm ‘I don’t think so’ showing that he is secure in discussing his sexuality. After further questioning by Roy, Jim extends this joke declaring that he’s into ‘Moms, primarily’ then using an asyndetic list of various premodified noun phrases to calmly resist face ‘Soccer Moms, single Moms, NASCAR moms, any type of Mom really’. Jim’s straightforward sarcasm is one attribute he is able to build from his relaxed, accepting persona. Because of this Jim is much less awkward than Tim, he is able to play off situations and able to use his social skills to turn around the conversation. This may be reason why he is able to succeed in an office romance unlike Tim.

Gareth Keenan in comparison to Dwight Schrute Gareth Keenan and Dwight Schrute both play the same role as ‘Assistant to the Regional Manager’, a fictional position which displays the obsession both characters have in being in command, often the characters deliberately miss out ‘to the’

elevating themselves to become ‘Assistant Manager’. Both characters are insistent on being the hardest working in the office in hopes of receiving a promotion; this makes sense as Gareth is displayed to have worked in the military. Dwight, on the other hand, has a more Americanised position of owning a farm. The cultural adaptation of Gareth to Dwight displays the American form of humour, the more ‘sitcom’ esque show style with unrealistic but entertaining characters. Gareth is a relatable office stereotype of a sycophant character who attempts to impress others with his hard working and high achieving abilities with limited social skills. Gareth often appears awkward and flouts the Grice's maxims of quality and relevance. This was displayed earlier when Gareth attempted to save face by claiming ‘Yeah, I thought you said something different’ to seem as though he misheard rather than appearing wrong. Gareth also shows his inability to follow the maxim of quantity when beginning his health and safety speech to Donna ‘OK (.) Welcome to Wernham Hogg Health and Safety Training with Gareth Keenan (.) OK? ( .) That's me (1) Pleased to meet you (1) There are many hidden dangers in the workspace and we're going to find out what those dangers are together (2) Starting off with your workstation (1) Now (.) I want you to imagine that this is a mug of hot coffee (1) It's not (.) because that would be dangerous even in training situation (1) What we're going to do is play a little fun game that I've made up (.) I like to have a bit of fun when I'm teaching people (.) I like a laugh most of the time - in and out of work (2) in fact some us are going out tonight’. Donna sees his inability to be concise and uses the rhetoric interrogative ‘shall we crack on?’ mentioning the informal verb phrase ‘crack on’ to seem gentle and unimposing but also to resist Gareth’s conversational direction. During his introduction, Gareth's attitudes and social capabilities are displayed. By mentioning himself in third person using the proper noun ‘Gareth Keenan’, he is attempting to make himself seem important and influential to Donna. Gareth also makes uses of the second person pronoun ‘you’ and first person plural ‘we’ to seem inclusive and engaging; an attempt to take control as he enjoys having power. Gareth’s social limitations and attempts to impress are displayed when he flouts the maxim of relevance using the declaratives ‘I like a laugh most of the time - in and out of work. In fact some us are going out tonight’. Mentioning that he is ‘going out tonight’ is an attempt to be suggestive to Donna, to appear impressive and to persuade her to join him but instead he seems

rather awkward and out of place. Gareth’s overly formal and militarised personality can also be seen when he uses specialised military lexis for regular terms such ‘workstation’, ‘danger’, ‘training situation’ rather than their less formal equivalents. Dwight Schrute is a less realistic character, he is highly exaggerated and shows a strong Southern American stereotype with a passion for weapons and hunting. Similarly to Gareth, he lacks social skills but is much less forgiving. Dwight is open to criticise and sabotage others in the office clearly for his own gain, he is more inclined to resist conversational dominance and despite being distant, is intelligent enough to not appear awkward in conversation. Dwight’s social traits are displayed in ‘Hot Girl’ when he approaches Katy to ask her on a date. ‘Hey can I talk to you for a second in private?’ he asks; ‘I don’t think so I’m busy’ Katy replies. Here she begins to show signs of resistance, Dwight, being insistent and often acting purely for personal gain, asks again using the declarative ‘It will take a second’ in the hope she might follow through. Katy resists further stating ‘I can’t’, it is here where Dwight begins to flout the maxim of quantity and relevance by insisting on talking to Katy ‘Just for a minute, I wanted to talk to you so I could ask you on a date’. Dwight is very upfront here and clearly states his intentions, he shows more confidence than Gareth but similarly struggles to recognise social cues, in this case being Katy’s lack of interest in talking. The discourse comes to an end when Katy exclaims ‘no’ and after a 3 second pause Dwight asks ‘is that to talking to me in private or going on a date?’ demonstrating a further lack of social awareness. Interestingly both Gareth and Dwight are similar in terms of social capability, however, Dwight is much more confident and his seeming unawareness only inflicts awkwardness on others and not himself. Gareth manages to make conversations awkward for both himself and the other participants. The British sense of ‘failure and disappointment lurking around every corner’ as Gervais mentioned, displays the differences between both of these characters. Gareth suggests going on a date with Donna in an indirect and suggestive manner causing a display of awkwardness. Dwight asks Katy on a date in an upfront and out of place manner, which relating back to Gervais’ idea that Americans are more ‘down the line’ and they ‘don’t hide their hopes and fears’.

Conclusion Overall, it can be determined that there are many differences and similarities between the British and American versions of The Office. One of the main differences that can be picked out is the contrast of optimism in American culture to the pessimism of British culture. The American show displays much more relaxed theme, it is purely entertaining and wants to give the audience something to feel good about. The British show fo...