Spoken Language Key Terms Flashcards
(33 cards)
What is an accent?
It is a variation in pronunciation associated with a particular geographical region.
What are adjacency pairs?
It is a simple structure of two Turns of speech.
What is back-channeling?
They are words, phrases and non-verbal utterances used by a listener to give feedback to a speaker that the message is being followed and understood.
What is a closing?
It is words or phrases used to indicate that a conversation sequence is ending.
For example a “goodbye” is a closing
What is code switching?
It occurs when bilingual speakers will use and alternate between different languages.
What are discourse markers?
They are spoken words or phrases which help to organise speech, especially turn-taking.
Often they come at the start of a new topic.
What is elision?
It is the omission or slurring of one or more sounds or syllables.
E.g. gonna, wannabe, wassup.
What is a positive face need?
It is a universal human need to feel valued and appreciated.
What is a negative face need?
It is a universal human need to feel independent and not be imposed upon.
What are fillers?
They are items which do not carry conventional meaning but are inserted in speech to allow time to think, to create a pause or to hold a turn in a conversation.
E.g. like, sort of, kinda, er, um.
What are false starts?
They are when the speaker begins an utterance, then stops and either repeats or formulates it.
Sometimes called self-correction.
What is grice’s cooperative principle?
It is the general principle that people work together to communicate.
What are Grice’s conversational maxims?
Quantity- not saying too much or too little.
Relevance- keeping to the point.
Manner- speaking in a clear, coherent and orderly way.
Quality- being truthful.
What are hedges?
When words and phrases soften or weaken the force with something that is being said.
E.g. perhaps, maybe, possibly.
What are interruptions?
It is when you cut in and stop someone who is already speaking.
What is an intrusion?
It is the use of sounds in connected speech that do not appear when the words or syllables are heard in isolation.
E.g. intrusive-r.
How do you work out the mean length of utterance (MLU).
You count the number of words spoken by each participant in the transcript.
Divide the numbers you get by the number of times each speaker speaks, and that will give you the MLU.
What are minimal responses?
It is a brief response token, such as mmm, yeah or supportive laughter.
A response token is a comment from a participant in a conversation in response to what is being said.
What are openings?
Words and phrases used to indicate that a conversational sequence is beginning.
Greetings are an example of openings.
What are overlaps?
Speaking over someone who is already speaking.
What are pauses?
Hesitations in speech.
What are politeness strategies?
They are distinctive ways in which speakers can choose to speak to avoid threatening face.
What is a register?
It is when you use a particular variety of language for a particular situation.
What are repairs?
They are alterations that are suggested or made by a speaker, the addressee, or audience in order to correct or clarify previous conversational contribution.
