Spoken Language - Key Features

Question 1

Tag Questions

Answer 1

Extra phrases added to the end of sentences in order to make it a question.
May be a sign of speaker support, uncertainty, or a request for clarification.
(…, wasn’t it? …., didn’t you?)

Question 2

Back-channelling

Answer 2

A feature to show the listener is supporting or paying attention to the speaker
(Mmm, yeah, okay)

Question 3

Fillers

Answer 3

Non-verbal sounds that can act as pauses in speech, either naturally or to give the speaker some thinking time, which may signal uncertainty
(Er, um)

Question 4

Skip connectors

Answer 4

Return to a previous topic of conversation and act as a discourse marker
(Anyway, …)

Question 5

Hedging

Answer 5

A strategy used by a speaker to avoid directness or to try to avoid a face-threatening act
(kind of, sort of, perhaps, possibly)

Question 6

Discourse Markers

Answer 6

Words that signal a shift in conversation and topic areas, could also announce a counter-argument
(Okay, right then, so, but)

Question 7

False Starts

Answer 7

Used when a speaker begins to speak, pauses, and then starts again

Question 8

Non-fluency Features

Answer 8

Parts of speech that are not made of actual words
(Pauses, hesitations, repetitions)

Question 9

Ellipsis

Answer 9

Leaving out words in spoken language because they are not needed

Question 10

Adjacency pairs

Answer 10

Made up of two utterances by two speakers, one after the other.
The first utterance provokes a responding utterance.

Question 11

Repairs

Answer 11

Used when a speaker returns to correct a previously stated phrase or sentence
(He, sorry, she broke the glass)

Question 12

Vague Expressions

Answer 12

Deliberately non-committal expressions
(Anything, something, whatsit, thing)