English Language Teaching in its Social Context

342 JOAN SWANNFocal Group 1 pre-intervention task use of "cos' or 'because'Elaine: It isn't 'cos look that's a squareGraham: No 'cos look watch there all down there and thcy arc all at the side and they areall up thereElaine: Wait wait wait its that one 'cos look it's them two and them two ( ) and themtwoJohn: 'Cos look that goes out like that ~Elaine: 'Cos look that goes inJohn: 'Cos look that goes too far outGraham: Look 'cos that's got 4Elaine: No . . . not that one not that one because it's got a little bit like that it's that onelook ~ it goes in and then it goes outJohn: No it's isn't because it's thereElaine: No because it will come along like thatElaine: Could be that one because look stops at the bottom and lookElaine: It isn't it isn't because look(12)Focal Group 1 post-intervention task use of "cos' or 'because'Graham: Number 6 'cos 6 stops in there 'cos look if youElaine: It can't be there 'cos look if you done thatElaine: It is look if that goes like that and then it has another one 'cos those two makeElaine: He doesn't say what thcy arc 'cos he might he wrongGraham: Yeh 'cos lookElaine:John:Elaine:'Cos it would go roundIt is 'cos it goes away 'cos look that one goes like thatNo it can't be 'cos look . . . with the squarc with the triangle you take away thetriangle so you're left with the square so if you do just this and then again takethat away it's going to end up, like that isn't it?Graham: Actually 'cos that's got a square and a circle round itJohn: Yeh 'cos it goes like that and then it takes that one away and does thatElaine: No 'cos lookElaine: Probably one in the circle 'cos there are only two circlesGraham: 'Cos if they are lines and then they are going like that it is because they arewonky isn't itGraham: No actually it ain't 'cos thenElaine: Yeh it's number 8 because those ones ~ those two came that those two make thatJohn: No because 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3John: No because that goes that way and that goes that wayGraham: No because it's that one(21)Figure 20.12 Incidence of 'cos and hecouse in primary school children's talk