ASP: verbal communication Flashcards
Locution
Words in a sequence eg: It’s cold in here.
Illocution
Context, Is it a statement, a criticism, a request etc? eg: Request for heating to be turned on.
Paralanguage
Not what you say but how you say it. Type of non-verbal communication. Use paralinguistic cues, which are used to recognise and communicate emotion. However cannot rely on this as sometimes paralinguistic cues are different to what is being communicated.
Non linguistic elements of speech
- Volume (amplitude)
- Stress
- Pitch eg: rising intonation at end of sentence signifies a question
- Speed (tempo)
- Tone
- Pauses (hesitation)
Why does how we speak affect how others view us?
Because certain speech styles are associated with certain social groups which are evaluated more or less positively.
Ethnolinguistic Identity Theory
Giles, Reid & Harwood (2009). Application and extension of SIT to deal with language behaviour in ethnolinguistic groups. The extent to which someone views their ethnic identity as a source of pride will determine whether they emphasise or de-emphasise their accent.
Speech accommodation theory
Modification of speech style to the context (eg: listener, situation), of a face-to-face inter-individual conversation. Occurs to help the listener understand and to promote an impression of ourselves to gain social approval.
Convergence
Higher status speaker shifts downwards and lower status speaker shifts upwards to meet in the middle. Increases similarity and promotes liking.
Divergence
Either both remain where they are (bilateral divergence) or lower status speaker shifts upwards whilst higher status speaker remains where they are.
Speech convergence in college roommates
(Pardo, Gibbons, Suppes & Krauss, 2012) - Significant correlation found between rated closeness and percentage of phonetic convergence.
‘I guess’ and ‘kind of’ are best labelled:
a) Expressions of uncertainty
b) Qualifiers
c) Hedges
d) Intensifiers
c) Hedges
What is an intensifier in tentative speech styles?
An adverb that adds little content, eg: very, so, really
Differences in what women and men tend to talk about:
5 dimensions where differ:
1) Word length - men use longer words
2) Articles - men use more words such as ‘a’ and ‘the’
3) Swear words - men use more
4) Social words - women use more (discuss others more and thoughts/emotions whilst men discuss ‘things’
5) Pronouns - women use more first person singular pronouns (‘I’, ‘me’) whereas men use more collective pronouns (‘we’)
(Newman et al., 2008)
Cameron, (2005)
Found that Margaret Thatcher lowered her voice and slowed her delivery
Jones (2016)
Found that Hilary Clinton made her speech more masculine during presidential campaigns
Searle (1979) identified 5 sorts of meaning that language can be intentionally used to communicate:
1) Say how something is (signified)
2) To get someone to do something
3) To express feelings and attitudes
4) To make a commitment
5) To accomplish something directly
2 broad aspects of a communicative situation that may influence speech style:
1) The scene (eg: its purpose, time of day, whether there are bystanders)
2) The participants (eg: personality, ethnicity, whether they like each other)
NB: People may perceive situations differently eg: one person may consider a formal situation informal or vice versa, therefore it is how the situation is subjectively perceived that influences speech style.
Social markers
Features of speech style that convey information about mood, context, status and group membership
Matched-guise technique
Research methodology to measure people’s attitudes towards a speaker solely based on speech style.
2 distinctive clusters measured by matched-guise technique:
1) Status variables (intelligence, competence, power)
2) Solidarity variables (friendly, warm)
What does received pronunciation mean?
Standard, high-status spoken variety of english
Ethnolinguistic group
Social group defined principally in terms of its language.
Ethnolinguistic vitality
Concepts describing objective features of an interethnic context that influence language and ultimately the cultural disappearance or survival of an ethnolinguistic group.
Influences on ethnolinguistic vitality
- Status
- Demographic variables
- Institutional support variables
