Discourse

Question 0

Problem-solution

Answer 0

Identifies a problem. E.g. Product advertisements.

Question 1

List/instruction

Answer 1

Logical progression through stages, use of imperative verbs to instruct or guide. E.g. Recipes, instructions, guides.

Question 2

Analysis

Answer 2

Breaks down key ideas into constituent parts, evaluates and explores. E.g. Academic articles, newspaper editorials

Question 3

Narrative

Answer 3

Details a series of events, can be chronological or non-chronological. E.g. Novels, witness accounts

Question 4

Adjacency pair

Answer 4

Two utterances by different speakers that have a natural and logical link and complete an idea together, a simple structure of two turns

Question 5

Turn-taking

Answer 5

The sharing of speaking roles, usually cooperatively

Question 6

Initiation-response-feedback

Answer 6

A triadic structure in speech that allows the first speaker to feed back on the response of a second speaker

Question 7

Topic management

Answer 7

The control of a conversation in terms of speaking and topic

Question 8

Powerful participants

Answer 8

Those who hold some degree of status in a conversation and direct the conversation

Question 9

Back channelling

Answer 9

A feature of speaker support: non-verbal utterances to show attention or agreement. E.g. OK, mmm, yeah.

Question 10

Discourse marker

Answer 10

Signal a shift in conversation and topic areas. Can also announce a counter argument. E.g. OK, right ten, so, but.

Question 11

Fillers

Answer 11

Non-verbal sounds that can act as pauses in speech, either naturally or to give a speaker thinking time, may signal uncertainty. E.g. er, um.

Question 12

Hedging

Answer 12

A strategy used to avoid directness. E.g. Kind of, sort of, maybe, possibly

Question 13

False starts

Answer 13

Begins to speak, pauses then recommences

Question 14

Repairs

Answer 14

Repairs/corrects the answer which has been given

Question 15

Skip connectors

Answer 15

A return to a previous topic or going back to conversation. E.g. Anyway.

Question 16

Fixed expressions

Answer 16

A routine expression. E.g. As a matter of fact, basically,at the end if the day.

Question 17

Vague expression

Answer 17

Similar to hedging, non-committal expressions. E.g. Anything, something.

Question 18

Ellipis

Answer 18

The missing out of words. E.g. ‘Just seen Jack’ (ellipsis of ‘i’ve’).

Question 19

Tag questions

Answer 19

A sign of speaker support, uncertainty or a request for clarification. E.g. You did really well, didn’t you?

Question 20

Deixis

Answer 20

Words associated with a person, time or place. E.g. I, you, me, now, yesterday, this, that.

Question 21

Non-fluency features

Answer 21

Non-verbal occurrences. E.g. Pauses, hesitations or repetition.