Spoken Language Features Definitions

Question 1

Adjacency pairs

Answer 1

Parallel expressions used across the boundaries of individual speaking turns. They are usually ritualistic and formulaic socially. For example: ‘how are you?’/’Fine thanks’

Question 2

Accent

Answer 2

The ways in which words are pronounced. Accent can vary according to the region or social class of a speaker.

Question 3

Back-channel features

Answer 3

Words, phrases and non verbal utterances (e.g. ‘I see’, ‘oh’, ‘uh huh’, ‘really’) used by a listener to give feedback to a speaker that the message is being followed and understood.

Question 4

Contraction

Answer 4

A reduced form often marked by an apostrophe in writing - e.g. Can’t = cannot; she’ll = she will. See also ELISION

Question 5

Deixis/deictics

Answer 5

Words such as ‘this’, ‘that’, ‘here’, ‘there’ which refer backwards or forwards or outside a text - a sort of verbal pointing. Very much a context dependent feature or talk.

Question 6

Dialect

Answer 6

The distinctive grammar and vocabulary which is associated with a regionally or social use of a language

Question 7

Discourse markers

Answer 7

words and phrases which are used to signal the relationship and connections between utterances and to signpost that what is said can be followed by the listener or reader. E.g. ‘first’, ‘on the other hand’, ‘now’, ‘what’s more’, ‘so anyway’, etc

Question 8

Elision

Answer 8

the omission or slurring [eliding] of one or more sounds or syllables - e.g. gonna = going to; wannabe = want to be; wasp = what is up

Question 9

Ellipsis

Answer 9

the omission of part of a grammatical structure. For example, in the dialogue: “you going to the party?” / “Might be.” - the verb ‘are’ and the pronoun ‘I’ are missed out. The resulting ellipsis conveys a more casual and informal tone

Question 10

Face

Answer 10

see positive face and negative face

Question 11

False start

Answer 11

this is when the speaker begins an utterance, then stops and either repeats or reformulates it. Sometimes called self correction. See also repairs

Question 12

Fillers

Answer 12

items which do not carry conventional meaning but which are inserted in speech to allow time to think, to create a pause or to hold a turn in conversation. Examples are ‘er’, ‘um’, ‘ah’. Also called voiced pause.

Question 13

Grice’s Maxims

Answer 13

Grice proposed 4 basic conversational ‘rules’ [maxims] as criteria for successful conversation: quantity [don’t say too much or too little]; relevance [keep to the point]; manner [speak in clear, coherent and orderly way]; quality [be truthful

Question 14

Header

Answer 14

when an element in speech is placed at the front of a statement for added effect, e.g. ‘England, what a team.’

Question 15

Hedge

Answer 15

words and phrases which soften or weaken the force with which something is said - e.g. ‘perhaps’ ‘maybe’ ‘sort of’ ‘possibly’ ‘I think’

Question 16

Idiolect

Answer 16

an individually distinctive style of speaking

Question 17

Insertion sequences

Answer 17

conversational acts which interrupt or forestall adjacency pairs. for example, a question-answer routine can be interrupted by further questions, requests for clarification, objections etc

Question 18

Interactional talk

Answer 18

language in conversation used for interpersonal reasons and/or socialising

Question 19

Negative face

Answer 19

utterances which are designed to make hearers disapprove / feel negatively. Speakers try to avoid negative face by not allowing themselves to be imposed upon. ‘I’d rather not but just for you’, or ‘Well , I am a bit busy this weekend but…’ are typical phrases which which to avoid too much negative face

Question 20

Non-fluency features

Answer 20

typical and normal characteristics of spoken language that interrupt the ‘flow’ of talk. Some examples: hesitations, false starts, fillers, repetitions [though can be used for emphasis], overlaps and interruptions

Question 21

Paralinguistic features

Answer 21

related to body language - it is the use of gestures, facial expressions + other on verbal elements [such as laughter] to add meaning to the speakers message beyond the words being spoken

Question 22

Phatic talk

Answer 22

conversational utterances that have no concrete purpose other than to establish or maintain personal relationships. It’s related to small talk - and follows traditional patterns, with stock responses and formulaic expressions: ‘How are you?’ / ‘Fine’; ‘cold isn’t it?’ / ‘Freezing’

Question 23

Positive face

Answer 23

utterances which are designed to make hearers approve/feel positively. Speakers try to preserve the positive face of the people they are talking with by not, for example, seeming to impose upon them. Phrases, ‘Do you mind if…’ or ‘I know this is inconvenient but…’ help to preserve positive face.

Question 24

Pragmatics

Answer 24

an approach to discourse analysis which focuses less on structures and more on contexts and purposes of people talking to each other. Crystal: ‘pragmatics studies the factors that govern our choice of language in social interaction and the effects of our choice on other.’

Question 25

Pre-closings

Answer 25

words and phrases which are used to indicate that a conversation is about to be brought to a close.

Question 26

Prosodic features

Answer 26

includes features such as stress, rhythm, pitch, tempo and intonation - which are used by speakers to mark out key meanings in a message. Essentially, how something is said.

Question 27

Repairs

Answer 27

an alteration that is suggested or made by a speaker, the addressee, or audience in order to correct or clarify a previous conversational contribution.

Question 28

Response token

Answer 28

comments from participants in a conversation which respond to what is being said.

Question 29

Side sequence

Answer 29

where an adjacency pair is interrupted by a sequence which has little strict relevance to the pair itself.

Question 30

Speech act

Answer 30

what is done when something is said (for example, warning, threatening, promising, requesting)

Question 31

Speech event

Answer 31

a use of language in a social context in which the speakers normally follow a set of agreed rules and conventions. For example, telling a joke, recounting a story or purchasing stamps in the post office.

Question 32

Sociolect

Answer 32

a social dialect or variety of speech used by a particular group, such as working class or upper class speech.

Question 33

Tag question

Answer 33

strings of words normally added to a declarative sentence to turn the statement into a question, E.g. “It’s a bit expensive around here, isn’t it?”

Question 34

Tail

Answer 34

placing an item at the end of a statement, but still for added effect, e.g. ‘They’re a great team, England’

Question 35

Transactional talk

Answer 35

language to get things done or to transmit content or information [used when the participants are exchanging goods and/or services]

Question 36

Turn taking

Answer 36

a turn is a time during which a single participant talks, within a typical, orderly arrangement in which participants speak with minimal overlap and gap between them

Question 37

Utterances

Answer 37

an utterance is a complete unit or talk, bounded by the speakers silence. The principle unit of description in conversational structure.

Question 38

Vague language

Answer 38

statements that sound imprecise and unassertive. E.g. - ‘And so on’, ‘or whatever’, ‘thingymajiggy’, ‘Whatsit’

Question 39

accelerando

Answer 39

a term used to describe speech that is getting faster (access on transcripts)

Question 40

accommodation

Answer 40

A term used to describe the changes people make to their speech, prosodic features and gestures in order to emphasise or minimise the difference between them.

Question 41

assimilation

Answer 41

In phonology, the way in which the sounds of one word can change the sounds of neighbouring words in connected speech.

Question 42

comment clause

Answer 42

A commonly occurring clause in speech which adds a remark to another clause e.g. I mean…, I think…

Question 43

convergence

Answer 43

A process in which two speakers adapt their language and pronunciation to reduce the difference between them.

Question 44

divergence

Answer 44

A process in which two speakers adapt their language and pronunciation to increase the difference between them

Question 45

emphatic stress

Answer 45

Stress placed upon syllables or words in spoken discourse

Question 46

hesitation

Answer 46

the repetition of the initial sound of a letter e.g. h (.) hesitation

Question 47

implicature

Answer 47

a term used to describe what a hearer infers from an utterance

Question 48

interactive

Answer 48

Distinctive non-verbal utterances that affirm (e.g. mm, yes), show agreement (e.g. laughter) and reinforcement (e.g. echoes utterance)

Question 49

interruption

Answer 49

The ending of one speakers turn by the intervention of another speaker, which may be a non-cooperative challenge, or may be the result multiple participants of equal status being involved in the same conversation.

Question 50

intonation

Answer 50

the quality or tone of voice in speech, which can stay level, rise or fall

Question 51

latch-on

Answer 51

A smooth link between different speakers in a spoken exchange

Question 52

liaison

Answer 52

A process that changes the pronunciation of words at boundaries, usually inserting /r/.

Question 53

monitoring features

Answer 53

Expressions which allow a speaker to check that the hearer is still listening, has understood etc. e.g. if you remember…., would you believe…., you know.

Question 54

normal non-fluency

Answer 54

Commonly occurring features of spoken language such as hesitations and false starts which break up the few of speech.

Question 55

overlap

Answer 55

Participants speak at the same time, but the dominant speakers turn is not ended - this can mark positive feedback where one speaker provide backchannel affirmation or support; the misjudgement of the end of a turn; or an additional point or comment on what is being said.

Question 56

pauses

Answer 56

breaks in spoken language which can be minimal (micro pause), often marking the end of utterances, or timed (in seconds) e.g. we’ll stop there (.) lets try to (2) meet up later.

Question 57

phoneme

Answer 57

the smallest unit of sound

Question 58

phonetics

Answer 58

The study of spoken sounds and the i which they are produced

Question 59

phonology

Answer 59

The study of sounds in a particular language and the ways in which they are combined to create meaning

Question 60

pitch

Answer 60

The level of sound, which can be lowered or raised.

Question 61

rallentando

Answer 61

A term used to describe speech that is getting slower (marked rall on transcripts).

Question 62

self-correction

Answer 62

A speakers repair to an utterance e.g. Steve (.) Sir Stephen

Question 63

spontaneity markers

Answer 63

Distinctive features of spoken language that mark speech as spontaneous and unscripted, including comment clauses, fillers and hesitations etc

Question 64

unintentional repetition

Answer 64

The accidental repetition of a monosyllabic word in spoken language e.g. they they’ve; we we we