spoken language features

accent

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

adjacency pairs

parallel expressions used across the boundaries of individual speaking turns. They are usually ritualistic and formulaic socially.

accent

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

adjacency pairs

parallel expressions used across the boundaries of individual speaking turns. They are usually ritualistic and formulaic socially.

examples of adjacency pairs

“how are you?” “fine thanks”

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.

examples of back-channels

“I see”, “oh”, “uh huh”, “really”

contraction

a reduced form often marked by an apostrophe in writing.

examples of contractions

can’t= cannot, she’ll= she will

deixis/ deitics

words such as “this”, “that”, “here” which refer backwards or forwards or outside of a text- a sort of verbal pointing.

dialect

the distinctive grammar and vocabulary which is associated with a regional or social use of language.

discourse marker

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 the reader.

examples of discourse markers

first, on the other hand, now, what’s more, so anyway

elision

the omission or slurring of one or more sounds or syllables e.g: “gonna”= going to

ellipsis

the omission of part of a grammatical structure E.g- “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

false start

this is when the speaker begins an utterance, then stops and either repeats or reformulates it

filler

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 of filler

er, um,ah

grices maxisms

grice proposed four basic conversational rules for a great conversation.

quantity

don’t say too much or too little

relevance

keep to the point

manner

speak in a clear and orderly way

quality

be truthful

hedge

words and phrases which soften or weaken the force with which something is said

idiolect

an individually distinctive style of speaking

interactional talk

language in conversation used for interpersonal reasons

Non-fluency features

typical and normal characteristics of spoken language that interrupt the “flow” of the talk.

example of non-fluency features

hesitations, false starts, fillers, repetitions, overlaps and interrruptions

paralinguistic features

related to body language, it can be used for gestures, facial expressions and other non-verbal elements (laughter) to add meaning to the speakers message beyond the words being spoken

phatic talk

conversational utterances that have no concrete purpose other than to establish or maintain personal relationships. It is related to small talks- and follows traditional patterns, with stock responses and formulaic expressions

pragmatics

the meaning of words

prosodic features

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

repairs

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

sociolect

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

tag question

strings of words normally added to a declarative sentence to turn the statement into a question

examples of tag questions

“it’s a bit expensive around here, isn’t it?”

transactional talk

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

turn taking

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

utterance

an utterance is a complete unit of talk, bounded by the speaker’s silence

vague language

statements that sound imprecise and unassertive

example of vague language

“and so on”, “or whatever”, “whatsit”