Features of Spoken Discourse Flashcards
Features of Spoken discourse
used in order to achieve purposes in situational and cultural contexts
Openings
- initial phrase of discourse where participants establish contact and introduce the topic or purpose
- specific to context
- helps create rapport (familiarity and solidarity)
E.g. “hi!” “sorry to bother”
Closings
- final phrase of discourse wraps up the interaction
- provide a clear end point to conversation
- helps maintain social norms, demonstrate politeness/respect
e.g. “bye” “see you later!”
Adjacency Pairs
- sequentially linked utterances/ turns in conversation
- one speech act (question) followed by its expected response (answer)
- have preferred (expected) or dispreferred (not expected)
Minimal Responses/Backchannels
- brief reply, acknowledge and encourage speaker
- maintain conversational flow, indicate understanding, engagement, support, agreement
E.g. “right “mm-hmm” “yeah”
Overlapping Speech
- two or more participants speak simultaneously
- can be cooperative (mutual understanding) or uncooperative (without regard for convo, disrupt flow)
Discourse Markers/Particles
- linguistic elements that do not carry semantic meaning but play a role in organising communication, managing interactions, and indicating speaker intention
e.g. well, you know, like, anyway, so, i mean, right
Non- Fluency Features
Pauses
Filled Pauses/voiced hesitation
False Starts
Repetition
Repairs
Pauses (non-fluency features)
brief intervals of silence (.) (..)
Filled Pauses/ Voiced hesitation (non-fluency features)
indicates uncertainty/hesitation/ holding the floor
e.g. “um” “err” “uh”
False Starts (non-fluency features)
begin utterance, interrupt themselves, and start again. self-correction, uncertainty, rephrasing
Repetition (non-fluency features)
unintentional restating of phrases/words/clauses
Repairs (non-fluency features)
speakers correct or revise previous utterances
