Spoken Language Flashcards
Characteristics of Speech
Spontaneous
Transient
Interactive
Shared Context
Informal
Primary
Lacks Prestige
Paralinguistic Features
Meaning Often Inexplicit
Characteristics of Writing
Planned
Permanent
One Way
No Shared Context
Formal
Secondary
Perceived as Prestigious
No Paralinguistic Features
Meaning More Explicit
Non-Fluency Features
Break up the structure of spoken sentences
Fillers
Words such as “like” that fill an otherwise empty silence
False Starts
Speech begins but they abort what they said and either repeat it or start another topic
Repetition
Repeating what you said more than once for effect
Dialect
Specific words that occur due to a regional upbringing that other areas won’t use, e.g ginnel.
Backchannelling
Saying phrases that make sure the listener interacts with you, for example “You know?”
Discourse Markers
Words like “so” and “well” that show you are starting a new point
Deixis
Pointing words that are used alongside gestures, for example “over there”
Ellipsis
A short break
Hedging
Words that show you aren’t fully confident with what your saying, for example “i don’t really like Manchester”
Vague Language
Non-specific language that is used when generalising things
