Spoken language A guide to the key terms

Accent The way in which words are pronounced. Accent can vary according to the region or social class of a speaker. Think of three distinct accents What do you notice about them?

Adjacency pairs Parallel expressions used across the boundaries of individual speaking turns. These are often social rituals such as: ‘How are you?’/ ‘Fine thanks’. Think of three more.

Back- Channel Words, phrases and non-verbal utterances (e.g. ‘I see’, ‘oh’, ‘uh huh’, really’) used by a listener to give feedback to a speaker that the message is being followed and understood.

Colloquial Words and phrases that are informal and especially used in conversation. Give 3 examples of colloquialisms

Dialect The distinctive grammar and vocabulary which is associated with a regional or social use of a language. Give three examples of dialects

Examples of (slang terms for) Dialects Geordie Brummie Cockney Scouse Manc Where do these dialects come from?

Discourse marker Words and phrases which are used to show the relationship and connections between utterances. They signpost what is said so that it can be followed by the listener or reader. E.g. ‘first’, ‘on the other hand’, ‘now’, ‘what’s more’, ‘so anyway’, etc.

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

Ellipsis The omission of part of a grammatical structure. For example, in the dialogue: ‘You going to the party?’/ ‘Might be.’ – the verb ‘are’ and the pronoun ‘I’ are missed out. The resulting ellipsis conveys a more casual and informal tone.

Exchange A sequence of turns in a conversation I saw Harry in a very heated exchange this morning.

False Start This is when the speaker begins an utterance, then stops and either repeats or reformulates it. Sometimes called self-correction.

Filler Items which do not carry conventional meaning but which 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’.

Hedge Words and phrases which soften or weaken the force with which something is said – e.g. ‘perhaps’, ‘maybe’, ‘sort of’, ‘possibly’, ‘I think’.

Idiolect An individually distinctive style of speaking. Everyone has their own idiolect can you think of four factors (reasons) that contribute to the way that you speak?

Jargon Words that are used in special or technical ways by particular groups of people (such as IT specialists), often making the language difficult to understand. Can you think of professions that have their own jargon? Give some examples

Lexis The vocabulary of language

Intonation The way a voice rises and falls during speech.

Non-fluency features Typical and normal characteristics of spoken language that interrupt the ‘flow’ of talk. Some example: hesitations, false starts, fillers, repetitions (though can be used for emphasis), overlaps and interruptions.

Paralinguistic features Related to body language – it is the use of gestures, facial expressions and other non-verbal elements (such as laughter) to add meaning to the speaker’s message beyond the words being spoken. Give three examples of this

Pitch How high or low the sound of the speaker’s voice is.

Prosodic features 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.

Received Pronunciation The form of spoken British English based on educated speech in southern England and considered to be least regional.

Register The (appropriate) style of language for a situation or social group. For example informal register: a style appropriate to a chat with friends

Slang Language that consists of very informal words and expressions.

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

Standard English Refers to the dialect previously spoken in the areas around London, Oxford and Cambridge and which is now accepted as the model for educated written language in the UK.

Status A person’s position and importance in society and/or a group.

Stress Emphasis placed on a word or part of a word when it is pronounced, making it slightly louder

Taboo Words or expressions felt to be shocking or unacceptable in polite situations

Tone The quality in someone’s voice which shows what he or she is thinking or feeling.

Turn taking The quality in someone’s voice which shows what he or she is thinking or feeling.

Vague language Statements that sound imprecise and unassertive. E.g. – ‘and so on’, ‘or ‘whatever’, ‘thingummy’, ‘whatsit’

Task: Create a transcript In pairs (3 maximum) Write a short conversation that has (at least 5) examples of the features of spoken language Highlight and annotate the features Write a short commentary about why you think the feature has been used i.e; A filler might be used because one of the speakers is nervous TIP: Remember the conversation can be formal, informal or a mixture of both.

Possible topics/Characters Student/Teacher - Behaviour Parent child – Staying out late Friends – Going to a party Workmates – Talking about a colleague Interview – Work/Radio/News