Speech as Social Interaction

7/28/2019 Speech as Social Interaction

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Functions of Speech

Human behavior a link between people and

their activities

mode of action and not an instrument of

reflection (Branislav M, 1923)

Speech to obtain information, directions

Speech to express emotions, compliments

Speech for its own sake entertainment


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Functions of Speech (cont.)

Speech actsperformative utterances

Naming of a ship, building or institution

Christening of a child

Celebrations, funerals, visiting the sick

Philosophical reflection

Cultural inclusion

Multidimensional functions can co-exist and

are not mutually exclusive


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Speech as Skilled Work

Work

Skilled because its degree of success dependson the effort that is made.

Speech is sufficiently important to s_________ Social categories reflect rather than determine

the ways in which speech is used in thecommunity.

Know-how type of knowledge - other factorssuch as intelligence or the speakers point of viewand position in society.


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Work because it requires effort.


Speech is sufficiently important to Social categories reflect rather than determine




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Work because it requires effort.


Speech is sufficiently important to society Social categories reflect rather than determine




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Speech as Skilled WorkFace to Face Communication


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Specific linguistic items are used with specific

situations: Mrs., Sir, My Beloved,..

Intelligence is hierarchically arranged andlearned skills are used at school, at the

doctors office, bus station or in a meeting.


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Speech as Skilled Work (cont.)

People put effort into wanting someonesapproval or liking

FACE WORK Goffman, 1955

Maintaining, Gaining, Saving or Losing Face

Judged by others on how we speak

Aim for the right level not too high and not too low aim at the average of the group, not above, to avoidmaking mistakes.

Read the audience and adjust speech to the peoplelistening especially knowledge level andcircumstances, i.e. comfort, timing, motivation


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Speech as Skilled Work (cont.)

Social interaction in general as skilled work is

due to a lack of skill or motivation or both on

the part of the speaker Goffman

Speech is not simply an individual activity

owing nothing to society (as de Saussere

stated) but it is an integral part of society (as

Goffman stated)


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Norms Governing Speech

Norms vary from culture to culture what is expectedand normal in one society may not be normal inanother. Other norms may be considered universalex. eye contact is expected

Quantity of speech understood amount of what istoo much and what is too little

Number of speakers talking at once

Cooperative principle information is given as

specifically as possible Standard declarative sentences

May I ask you to..

To whom it refers to


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Speech as a Signal of Social IdentityNon-relational Social Categories

More freely help your self

More casual coming

Baby talk mummy tired Men talk give me a break

Women talk could you do it, please

Imperatives call me later

Speaking to a child yummy yummy


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Power and Solidarity

Speech is always impacted by the social relationship

between the speaker and the addressee.

Power does the speaker have more or less

authority than the listener

Solidarity what is the shared social experience

What to they have in common?

How willing are they to share intimacies and otherfactors?


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Power and Solidarity (cont)

Prototypes are used depending on therelationship Mr. Jason Brown, Jason Brown or simply Jason

You form Plural (more formal) Singular (less formal)

Noun phrases and verbs used chosen toacknowledge the differences or similarities

between the speaker and the listener. Vocabulary level - if more sophisticated, it will be

more likely to be misunderstood


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Structure of SpeechEntries and Exits

Greeting patterns that are easily recognized

and accepted within society

Nice to see you

Regards and farewells

Formal, informal, casual

Affected by time seen yesterday vs. last year

Patterns change as relationships change

Patterns evolve and change as society changes


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Other Kinds of Structure in Speech

Discourse structure - a structure of speech

above the sentence level general knowledge

Discourse structure at an encyclopedic level

more of a lecture

Turn-taking structure usually easier speakers

if stick to one topic


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How to say Sorry

Ways to ApologiseSorry.Im sorry.Im so sorry!Sorry for your loss. (a person or pet died)Sorry to hear that. (after someone shares bad news such as a childs illness or a job loss) I apologize. (youve made an error)Sorry for keeping you waiting.Sorry Im late.Please forgive me.

Sorry, I didnt mean to do that. (you did something by accident) Excuse me (you need to get by )Pardon me (you need to interrupt )I owe you an apology. (your mistake happened a while ago)

Common Gestures that go with ApologiesEye contact (look into the others persons eyes as you say sorry)Hold one hand in front of your mouth after you make a mistakeHold a hand over your heart as you say sorryWide eyes and mouth show how sorry you are

When words are not enough:bring flowersbring a hot coffee or teabring a bottle of wineleave an apology phone messagesend an e-card

Slang for Im sorryMy bad (common among teenagers)

Whoops (casual)Oops, sorry. (casual or sarcastic)


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Verbal and Non-verbal Behavior

We speak with our vocal organs but we converse withour entire bodies Abercrombie, 1968

Non-verbal behavior (body language) conveys andreflects speech content, emotion and relationship

Distance between speaker and listener also calledproxemics space varies dependent on relationshipbetween speaker and addressee and cultural norms

Non-verbal cues eye movement, gestures, nods,

pauses, moving closer or further away, raising a hand,head movements for yes and no, etc. all have animpact on effective communication.

Speech as Social Interaction

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