Introduction to Spoken Language Flashcards
What is GAPCAR?
- Genre = spontaneous / unplanned (everyday speech) or scripted / planned (a speech)
- Audience = public / private, mass / niche, active / passive, specialist / non-specialist
- Purpose = phatic, interactional, expressive, transactional, referential.
- Context = who, where, what, why?
- Register = manner (formality level), mode (written / spoken), field (lexis / lexical field used)
What are the 5 Purposes of Conversation?
- Phatic = small talk; conversations which maintain social relationships between strangers
- Interactional = talk that builds on existing relationships, usually between friends and acquaintances
- Expressive = relays emotions and opinions
- Transactional = talk that is spoken to get a job done
- Referential = talk that gives information
What are the 4 Types of Utterances?
- Declarative = statements that give information
- Imperative = give orders, instructions, advice or directions
- Interrogative = asks questions
- Exclamative = an expressive function which conveys force, uses an exclamation mark!
What are the pragmatic reasons why utterance types are used?
- Communication Efficiency = different utterance types help convey messages more effectively.
- Contextual Reference = utterances used to fit the context of the conversation
- Social Interaction = utterances help manage social interactions
- Speaker Support = non-verbal utterances, like Back Channelling, show the listener is engaged
- Turn Taking = discourse markers help manage turn taking in conversations, signalling when it’s another person’s turn to speak or when a topic shift is occurring.
What is Turn Taking?
Turn Taking = the process of taking turns where only one person speaks at a time, often described as a conversational move.
What will a speaker tend to do whilst turn-taking?
A speaker may turn-take and:
- dominate turns
- try to prevent others taking a turn
- interrupt and overlap someone else
- use a vocative to invite another speaker
- use a tag question to encourage response
What is Agenda Setting?
Agenda Setting = when a speaker establishes the topic or direction of a conversation. It’s often done at the beginning of a conversation to guide the interaction and ensure both participants are focused on the same subject.
What are Adjacency Pairs?
Adjacency Pairs = two part exchanges in conversation where one utterance naturally prompts a specific type of response.
EXAMPLES:
- Question / Answer
- Agreement / Disagreement
- Request / Reply
- Apology / Acceptance
- Greeting / Greeting
What are Adjacency Triplets?
Adjacency Triplets = expands on the concept of adjacency pairs but they have a third part, often to clarify, confirm or extend the conversation.
What are Insertion Sequences?
Insertion Sequences = refer to the parts of a conversation where additional information or utterances are inserted into the main flow of dialogue.
These insertions can provide clarification, add emphasis or introduce new topics.
What are Vocatives?
Vocatives = use of another person’s name to signal their turn in the conversation.
What are Tag Questions?
Tag Questions = short questions added at the end of a statement to confirm information, seek agreement, or invite a response
How are Tag Questions formed?
Tag Questions are formed by inverting the subject and auxiliary verb, and sometimes the pronoun, from the main clause.
What is Framing?
Framing = controlling the agenda of a conversation. It also refers to the way information is presented and structured in discourse to influence interpretation and meaning.
What are the key aspects of Framing?
- Context = the settings and circumstances frame how the message is understood.
- Word Choice = specific vocab and phrasing can frame an issue positively or negatively.
- Structure = organising information can guide interpretations
- Perspective = the speaker’s viewpoint can frame how the audience perceives information.
