Spoken Language Features Flashcards
Accent
Features of pronunciation which indicate the regional or social identity of the speaker
Adjecency pairs
2-part exchanges following a predictable pattern and found in conversation ex: how are you? fine thank you
Back-channel
Words, phrases and non-verbal utterances used by a listener to give feedback to a speaker that the message is being followed and understood ex: I see, oh, uh huh, really
Contraction
When words are combined to form a single shortened word
Deixis
Words such as this, that, here or there which refer backwards or forwards or outside the text. A context dependant feauture of talk.
Dialect
Form of speech peculiar to a district, class or person
Discourse marker
Words and phrases used to signal the relationship and connections between utterances and to make sure that what is said can be followed by the listener or reader ex: first, on the other hand, now, so anyway, what’s more
Elision
Omission or slurring of one or more sounds or syllables ex: gonna, wannabe, wassup
Ellipsis
Omission of part of a grammatical structure. Ex: You going to the party?/ Might be.
Conveys a more casual and informal tone
False start
When speaker begins an utterance, stops and either repeats it or reformulates it.
Filler
Items which don’t have a particular meaning but are inserted in speech to allow time to think, create a pause or hold a turn in conversation. Ex: er, um, ah
Grice’s Maxims
He proposed 4 basic conversational maxims for successful conversation:
- Quantity
- Relevance
- Manner
- Quality
Hedge
Words/phrases which soften/weaken the force of something said ex: perhaps, maybe, sort of , possibly, I think.
Idiolect
Form of language used by, and unique to, a single individual
Interactional talk
Language in conversation used for interpersonal reasons and/or socialising
Non-fluency features
Features that interrupt the flow of a person’s speech ex: hesitation, repetitions, interruptions, fillers, false starts
Paralinguistic features
Related to body language- use of gestures, facial expressions and other non-verbal elements such as laughter that add meaning to speaker’s message
Phatic talk
Utterances that have the purpose of establishing or maintaining personal relationships. Related to small talk and follows traditional patterns ex: cold, isn’t it? Freezing
Pragmatics
Study of the part that language plays in social situations and social relationships
Prosodic features
Non-verbal aspects of speech such as volume, intonation and pitch- used by speakers to mark key meanings in a message
Repairs
Repair resolves a problem that has arisen ex: speakers might correct themselves if something has been said in error
Sociolect
Variety of language used by a particular social group ex: working-class speech or upper-class speech
Tag question
Words added to declarative sentences to turn the statement into a question and influence the answer ex: it’s cold, isn’t it?
Transactional talk
Language to get things done or transmit info (exchange of goods and services)
Turn taking
When participants speak in an orderly arrangement with minimal overlap and gap between them
Utterance
Complete unit of talk, bounded by the speaker’s silence
Vague language
Statements that sound imprecise ex: and so on, whatsit, whatever
