Analysing the Spoken Language

Analysing the Spoken Language: 

Analysing the Spoken Language

Teaching the Spoken Language: 

“… successful teaching of discoursal competence demands of the teacher that he should analyse the language which native speakers use in discourse in order that he can ensure that reasonable and realistic models are presented for students to imitate and base their spoken models on.” Brown and Yule: Teaching the Spoken Language, CUP Teaching the Spoken Language

Discourse is affected by …: 

Discourse is affected by … Participants : roles, status, expectations Setting : board room or coffee bar – though the topic may be the same Channel : speech or writing? Purpose : informative, persuasive … Communicative event – Church service or meeting? Message form : prayer or sermon? presentation or discussion?

Written and Spoken English: 

Written and Spoken English Can’t talk about two distinct varieties? Rather a continuum? Legal contract Business correspondence News broadcast – written to be spoken Letter to a friend Academic lecture Informal conversation

Why are Written and Spoken English Different?: 

Why are Written and Spoken English Different? Spoken Real time Presence of interlocutor Written Time for planning Reader not present, sometimes hardly known

Analysing Spoken Discourse: 

Analysing Spoken Discourse Three approaches : Analysis of the linguistic features of spoken discourse – eg Crystal and Davy Analysis of the structure of spoken discourse – eg Sacks, Schegloff and Jefferson; Brazil and Coulthard Analysis of functions of language and their effect on the linguistic and structural features of the discourse: Brown and Yule – interactional and transactional functions

Linguistic features of informal spoken discourse: 

Linguistic features of informal spoken discourse Concept of “sentence” doesn’t apply. Division into tone groups – phrase or clause based: //Yes I remember // there was a terrible // story // horrifying story // that was told by a colleague of mine // when I used to teach // years ago //

Linguistic features of informal spoken discourse: 

Linguistic features of informal spoken discourse Connection by coordination- and, but, so – rather than subordination or sentence connectors (exception – because?) And this man allowed his wife to drive the car, very unwisely,and she was having a first go in it, and he backed it out of the garage so that it was standing on the driveway, and she came out of the house …so she came out very gingerly and opened the door and sat in the car ….

Linguistic features of informal spoken discourse: 

Linguistic features of informal spoken discourse Avoidance of heavily premodified noun phrases – like that one, or : A small, red, equal-sided square Draw a square + a red square + red square + equal sided + quite small side + quite a small square

Linguistic features of informal spoken discourse: 

Linguistic features of informal spoken discourse Anacoluthon – a change in direction of the sentence : A stupid friend of mind got her telephone cut off because well she asked for it to be cut off in fact because her last bill was £500 people with maybe + minor civil servants and things like that

Linguistic features of spoken discourse: 

Linguistic features of spoken discourse Mistakes : That’s what I expected to find in New York was lots of bagels minor civil servants and things like that

Linguistic features of spoken discourse: 

Linguistic features of spoken discourse Hesitation features : erm …, repetition Occasionally with the second form you get, you know, we’ll we’ll we’ll have erm a

Linguistic features of spoken discourse: 

Linguistic features of spoken discourse Lexical vagueness : … and all that … lots of that stuff … a sort of table thing on wheels … a wotsit … and sort of touched the bumper

Linguistic features of spoken discourse: 

Linguistic features of spoken discourse Dramatic effects : Intensification – it was absolutely beautiful, something incredibly strange happened Repetition + intensifier – it’s got the rough, really rough salt …

And some more …: 

And some more … Discourse markers : well, anyway, by the way … Idiomatic and colloquial language Ellipsis : Fancy a drink? Parenthetical comments rather than relative clauses This used instead of a : There was this man // he was a friend of John’s I think // and he …

Why don’t students sound natural? : 1: 

Why don’t students sound natural? : 1 Language presented to students based on the written rather than the spoken form Eg Italian students : vocabulary that is most accessible to them is Latin based Ts often insist on unnatural spoken language – eg answers in complete sentences.

Conversational Structure: 

Conversational Structure Eg – Adjacency pairs Preference sequences Repair strategies Turn taking rules Participant rights

Conversational Structure : Adjacency Pairs: 

Conversational Structure : Adjacency Pairs How much is it? £3.95 I’m really sorry. That’s OK. How much is it? Large or small? Large. £3.95

Adjacency Pairs : Interpreting Meaning: 

Adjacency Pairs : Interpreting Meaning Are you working tomorrow? I’m on jury duty. I have a fourteen year old son. Well, that’s all right. And a dog. Oh, I’m sorry Do you have the correct time? My husband’s not back yet. I’m sorry?

Adjacency Pairs : Interpreting Meaning: 

Adjacency Pairs : Interpreting Meaning Concept of conditional relevance : given the first part of an adjacency pair, a relevant second part is expectable. If such a second part fails to occur it is noticeably absent, and if some other element occurs in it’s place it will be understood, where possible, as some preliminary to the second part. Linus : Do you want to play with me Violet? Violet : You’re younger than me. (Shuts the door) Linus : She didn’t answer my question.

Adjacency Pairs : Interpreting Meaning: 

Adjacency Pairs : Interpreting Meaning Interpretation of meaning is therefore dependent not just on the words spoken, but also on the context and the participant’s knowledge of external factors (“knowledge of the world”)

Conversational Structure : Preference Organisation: 

Conversational Structure : Preference Organisation Do you want to go out tonight? Yes No Preferred Dispreferred Second Second

Conversational Structure : Examples of Preference Organisation: 

Conversational Structure : Examples of Preference Organisation Pre-sequence : Are you doing anything tonight? No, nothing special. Invitation : Fancy going out? Pre sequence : Have you got any Granny Smith’s? Yeah. Request : I’ll have two pound please. Pre-sequence : David, I was wondering if I could ask you a favour. Yeah, sure. Request : Is there any chance of swapping shifts on Friday?

Characteristics of Dispreferred Seconds: 

Characteristics of Dispreferred Seconds Delays - pause before delivery - prefaces : uh… well… I see your point but … That’s awfully good of you but .. I’m sorry but I’m afraid … Accounts Justifications of why the act can’t be done : … we’re out of stock … I’ve already arranged to visit my grandmother

Preference Organisation: 

Preference Organisation Some functions preferred to others – eg an offer is preferred to a request- therefore on hearing a pre-sequence the listener may pre-empt the dispreferred function : Don’t you think it’s stuffy in here? Yes. Shall I open a window. Do you have any milk? Yes, here you are.

Repair Strategies: 

Repair Strategies - Turn left down Maze Hill, and then left again Left? Sorry, right. Down to Heathwood Gardens. Listen to the pigeons. They’re quail, I think. But you know, single beds are awfully thin to sleep on. What? Single beds. They’re … You mean narrow. They’re awfully narrow, yeah.

Why don’t students sound natural? : 2: 

Why don’t students sound natural? : 2 Adjacency pairs not the same in every language – each language has its own conventions of language use. Eg : English : Compliment / Thanks Thai : Compliment / Silence Shop dialogue Italian : Buon giorno /Arrivederci English : Silence English : (Change given) / Thank you Italian : (Change given) / Silence

Turn taking: 

Turn taking Speakers signal when they intend to finish a turn by : Intonation Sociocentric sequences – but uh, or something, you know Paralanguage – drawl on the final syllable or stressed syllable; drop in pitch or loudness in combination with a sociocentric sequence Body language - termination of hand gesture or relaxation of tense hand position Syntax – completion of a grammatical clause

Turn taking: 

Turn taking Devices used to start a turn include Inhalation and head movement Eye contact Repetition A friend – a stupid friend of mine … I have an aunt - I have an aunt who …

Why don’t students sound natural ? : 3: 

Why don’t students sound natural ? : 3 Turn taking conventions not the same in every language – eg Japanese : Lack of interruption Lack of gaze during turn Acceptance of silence between turns

Participant Rights: 

Participant Rights Brazil and Coulthard : research into teacher talk The teacher has more communicative rights than the students – can perform more communicative acts

Teacher Talk: 

Teacher Talk T : Right. Let’s leave that exercise and do a little bit of conversation. Can you look at this picture - Maria, what can you see ? S1 : I can see a panther, and I think it’s in a bathroom, and it’s got something round its neck. T : A chain. It’s got a chain round its neck. Fabio, what do we call the things on the wall in the bathroom? S2 : Tiles T : Yes tiles. Good. Would you like a panther for a pet, Anna? S3 : No, I don’t think so because it might be dangerous. T : Yes, and the neighbours might not be very happy. Have you got any pets Laura? S4 : Yes, a little dog. T : That’s nice. T : FRAME FOCUS DIRECT NOMINATE ELICIT S : REPLY T : INFORM NOMINATE ELICIT S; REPLY T: ACCEPT EVALUATE ELICIT NOMINATE S : REPLY T : COMMENT ELICIT S : REPLY T : COMMENT

Functions of language: 

Functions of language Transactional function – message oriented Interactional function – listener oriented NB : No conversation will be 100% transactional or interactional. But it may be primarily transactional or interactional

Primarily Interactional Language: 

Primarily Interactional Language Aimed at maintenance of the social relationship. Not important that the listener understands or retains the specific details- One person will offer a topic for comment by the other Topic shifting frequent A lot of agreement (“yes”) and few challenges Very generalised vocabulary Frequent unnoticed areas of unclarity and ambiguity

Primarily Transactional Language: 

Primarily Transactional Language Important that the listener understands and retains the message. May be … Short turns - eg I want to make an appointment with Mr Ellis at 3 on Friday Long turns – eg giving instructions; telling a doctor what’s wrong with you; business presentations

Implications for Teaching: 

Implications for Teaching Students need models and practice of : the grammar and vocabulary of spoken English both primarily interactional and primarily transactional language both long turns and short turns taking both dominant and “junior” roles natural discourse patterns – eg adjacency pairs communicative events relative to their needs