Spoken Language Features

Question 1

Accent

Answer 1

The ways in which words are pronounced (can vary according to the region on social class)

Question 2

Adjacency pairs

Answer 2

Parallel expressions used across the boundaries or individual speaking turns (e.g. “how are you?” “fine thanks.”)

Question 3

Back-channel

Answer 3

Words, phrases and nonverbal utterances used by a listener to give feedback to a speaker so they know they’re being followed and understood

Question 4

Contraction

Answer 4

A reduced form often marked by an apostrophe

Question 5

Deixis / deistic

Answer 5

Words such as ‘this’, that’, ‘here’, there’ which refer backwards or forwards or outside a text (context dependent)

Question 6

Dialect

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Discourse marker

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’)

Question 8

Elision

Answer 8

The omission or slurring of one or more sounds or
syllables (e.g. gonna = going to, wannabe = want to be,
wassup = what is up)

Question 9

Ellipsis

Answer 9

The missing out of part of a grammatical structure (e.g. “You going to the party?” “Might be.” are and i are missed out) - more casual and informal tone

Question 10

False starts

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Filler

Answer 11

Items which don’t carry conventional meaning but are inserted in speech to allow time to think, to create a pause or to hold a turn in conversation (e.g. ‘er’, ‘um’, ‘ah’)

Question 12

Repairs

Answer 12

An alteration that is suggested or made in order to correct or clarify a previous conversational contribution

Question 13

Sociolect

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Tag question

Answer 14

Strings of words added to a declarative sentence to turn it into a question (e.g. “It’s a bit expensive round here, isn’t it?”)

Question 15

Transactional talk

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Turn talking

Answer 16

A turn is a time during which a single participant speaks in which participants speak with minimal overlap and gap between the next participant

Question 17

Utterance

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Vague language

Answer 18

Statements that sound imprecise and unassertive (e.g. ‘whatever’,‘thingimajig’, ‘whatsit’)

Question 19

Interactional talk

Answer 19

Language in conversation used for interpersonal reasons and/or socialising

Question 20

Non-fluency features

Answer 20

Typical and normal characteristics of spoken language that interrupt the flow of talk (hesitations, false starts, fillers, repetitions, overlaps and interruptions)

Question 21

Paralinguistic features

Answer 21

Related to body language - the use of gestures, facial expressions and other non-verbal elements 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 (small talk)

Question 23

Pragmatic

Answer 23

An approach to discourse analysis which focuses less on structures and more on contexts and purposes of people talking to each other - context

Question 24

Prosodies features

Answer 24

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 25

Grice’s Maxims : Quantity

Answer 25

Use an appropriate amount of detail (talk enough but not too much)

Question 26

Grice’s Maxims : Quality

Answer 26

Speak the truth and do not knowingly misled (tell truthful and useful stories)

Question 27

Grice’s Maxims : Relevance

Answer 27

Keep what is being discussed relevant to the topic (don’t go off on a tangent)

Question 28

Grice’s Maxims : Manner

Answer 28

Avoid vagueness and ambiguity (speak clearly and go into the right amount of detail)