Spoken Language Features

Question 1

Accent

Answer 1

Features of pronunciation which indicate the regional or social identity of the speaker

Question 2

Adjecency pairs

Answer 2

2-part exchanges following a predictable pattern and found in conversation ex: how are you? fine thank you

Question 3

Back-channel

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Contraction

Answer 4

When words are combined to form a single shortened word

Question 5

Deixis

Answer 5

Words such as this, that, here or there which refer backwards or forwards or outside the text. A context dependant feauture of talk.

Question 6

Dialect

Answer 6

Form of speech peculiar to a district, class or person

Question 7

Discourse marker

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Elision

Answer 8

Omission or slurring of one or more sounds or syllables ex: gonna, wannabe, wassup

Question 9

Ellipsis

Answer 9

Omission of part of a grammatical structure. Ex: You going to the party?/ Might be.

Conveys a more casual and informal tone

Question 10

False start

Answer 10

When speaker begins an utterance, stops and either repeats it or reformulates it.

Question 11

Filler

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Grice’s Maxims

Answer 12

He proposed 4 basic conversational maxims for successful conversation:

1. Quantity
2. Relevance
3. Manner
4. Quality

Question 13

Hedge

Answer 13

Words/phrases which soften/weaken the force of something said ex: perhaps, maybe, sort of , possibly, I think.

Question 14

Idiolect

Answer 14

Form of language used by, and unique to, a single individual

Question 15

Interactional talk

Answer 15

Language in conversation used for interpersonal reasons and/or socialising

Question 16

Non-fluency features

Answer 16

Features that interrupt the flow of a person’s speech ex: hesitation, repetitions, interruptions, fillers, false starts

Question 17

Paralinguistic features

Answer 17

Related to body language- use of gestures, facial expressions and other non-verbal elements such as laughter that add meaning to speaker’s message

Question 18

Phatic talk

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Pragmatics

Answer 19

Study of the part that language plays in social situations and social relationships

Question 20

Prosodic features

Answer 20

Non-verbal aspects of speech such as volume, intonation and pitch- used by speakers to mark key meanings in a message

Question 21

Repairs

Answer 21

Repair resolves a problem that has arisen ex: speakers might correct themselves if something has been said in error

Question 22

Sociolect

Answer 22

Variety of language used by a particular social group ex: working-class speech or upper-class speech

Question 23

Tag question

Answer 23

Words added to declarative sentences to turn the statement into a question and influence the answer ex: it’s cold, isn’t it?

Question 24

Transactional talk

Answer 24

Language to get things done or transmit info (exchange of goods and services)

Question 25

Turn taking

Answer 25

When participants speak in an orderly arrangement with minimal overlap and gap between them

Question 26

Utterance

Answer 26

Complete unit of talk, bounded by the speaker’s silence

Question 27

Vague language

Answer 27

Statements that sound imprecise ex: and so on, whatsit, whatever