idiolect

At work: -I use Manners because it's expected and respectful -Speak clear and stress phonemes because I'm speaking to people who're in charge of me and I have to respect them -Politeness With family: -Please and thank you -"All good in the hood" -My mum uses the word "supper" Friends: -Slang -Picking up phrases like "Slash" -Cockney rhyming slang -Taboo -"meaty nikes" -Abbreviations College: -Higher prestige to sound more clever -Polite Media: -Tend to pick up vocab from The Simpsons

How does Pinter play with our expectations of conversation to show power in the characters relationships?

In the first scene, Pinter shows Meg as a very uncomfortable, powerless character. This is shown by Meg fussing over her husband Petey and asking lots of unnecessary questions. Pinter has composed this scene so that it doesn't abide by the normal conversation rules. This is due to Meg trying too hard to make the conversation flow and ending up making it very uncomfortable and a bit pointless. Also, Meg repeats herself a lot which is a sign of her flightiness and anxiety in the situation. She also seems to be doing a lot for the other characters in the play which shows she hasn't got a lot of power as she runs around doing everyone else's chores. A further point to show she's a weak character is the way the other characters speak to her. Petey is very blunt to Meg and puts in no effort to thank her or return any affection. Stanley is rude to her and at one point calls her a "succulent old washing bag" after being told by Meg not to use the word succulent. This is a sign that no one really listens to her as she is not relevant or powerful in the play. Her role is to fuss over the other characters and do the housework. Stanley is a powerful character. We can tell this from his sarcasm and short comments. He is also bossy towards Meg ordering her to clean up and "sweep his room". This is a sign of dominance and power over her. At points in the first scene meg is asking lots of questions to Stanley. In which he replies bluntly with little quantity. This seems to give him power and dominance because Meg continues to fuss and occasionally flirt despite his rude replies.