Analysis of spontaneous speech Exploring features of spontaneous speech and discourse markers. AO1 – Language terminology. AO2 – Demonstrate an understanding of a range of concepts and analysis of meanings in spoken language

“I’ll speak to you about this tomorrow – my train’s here now.” Individually analyse this utterance for deictic expression.

Features of natural conversations: Interruptions – occurs frequently in spontaneous speech/talk. This often demonstrates a competition to speak or someone disagreeing with someone. An interruption is where a speaker is not allowed to finish one unit of meaning before being stopped.

Intervention Attempts to gain the floor often made by several participants simultaneous demonstrating a commonly perceived understanding of when interventions can be allowed i.e. when a speaker pauses at the end of a unit of meaning. Not always successful.

Overlaps – This is where one speaker speaks at the same time as another speaker before one of them withdraws to await another. Repairs – These are when speakers start to say something and then stop in order to re- phrase or re-think or clarify what they are planning to say. This also includes making grammatical errors whilst speaking. Pauses & voiced pauses (hesitation phenomenon) (.) er, um, or elongated syllables. Any type of hesitation in a conversation.

Hedges and digression Hedges are when speakers qualify what they are trying to say using words such as: perhaps, if only on the one hand, is it okay if, could you. This careful modulation of what is said makes statements less direct and assertive and consequently more acceptable. Try to think of them as softners. Digression – slightly going off the subject to help give a new perspective to the discussion. Digressions can make the conversation seem disjointed and random.

Ellipsis/Deletion A: “Have you tried that new Indian restaurant on Gloucester Street?” B: “Yes, twice.” Ellipsis is when a speaker does not complete an utterance fully, because it’s explanation is clear. What B. actually means is “Yes, I have been to that new Indian restaurant on Gloucester Street twice.”

Non verbal signalling/body language Language in conversation relies a great deal upon external factors such as body movement. Body language can convey many different feelings.

Repetitions – repeating something, often for emphasis. Incompleteness – similar to ellipsis. Often in speech a speaker will simply leave a word out if they can’t remember it. Often the conversation will continue without a certain word. Phatic – small talk Replacement of lexical terms – when a speaker can’t remember a certain word and replaces it with another word, e.g. ‘thingy’ ‘whatsit.’

Markers of sympathetic circularity – this refers to expressions such as: You know? Ain’t it? Sort of? Know what I mean? These do not require an answer or the speaker does not usually want to end their utterance, but may receive some kind of nod or acknowledgement. Back channel behaviour – this refers to the behaviour of the listener. The listener signals they are following the conversation by saying things like ‘ok,’ ‘right,’ or ‘mmmh.’

Informality of language – because speech is quite often informal and in an informal situation, conversations often contain informal characteristics such as: Slang, deixis, taboo language, formal language used for humour, accents, non-standard grammar, nicknames. Initiators and vague completers – devices which signal opening and closing of utterances. They often give the speaker more thinking time. Examples of completers are ‘and stuff’ and ‘everything.’ Metaphors – we don’t just use metaphors in writing. “I was burning with anger.” “I’m feeling down.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhQNpw_hhho Analyse the video of speech for the features of spontaneous speech discussed. Work in pairs or 3s.