Terms

• What is an adjacency pair in conversation?

  A unit of conversation where two speakers take one turn each without interruption.
• What is the purpose of back-channel utterances?

  To give feedback to a speaker that the message is being followed and understood.
• What is a contraction?

  A reduced form of a word or phrase, such as "can't" for "cannot."
• What is a discourse marker?

  A word or phrase used to organize speech into segments.
• What does elision refer to in speech?

  The omission or slurring of one or more sounds or syllables.
• What is ellipsis in conversation?

  Shortening a conversation by omitting parts of it.
• What is a filler in conversation?

  A part of a conversation that does not carry any meaning and is used to allow time to think.
• What is an idiolect?

  An individually distinctive way of talking and using language.
• What are paralinguistic features?

  Elements related to body language, such as gestures and facial expressions.
• What is phatic talk?

  Conversational utterances that have no concrete purpose other than to establish or maintain personal relationships.
• What does pragmatics focus on in discourse analysis?

  Contexts and purposes of talking to each other rather than structures.
• What is simultaneous speech?

  Speech that occurs at the same time by multiple speakers, enhancing collaboration.
• What is a sociolect?

  A social dialect or variety of speech used by a particular group or social class.
• What is a topic shift in conversation?

  The points at which speakers move from one topic to another.
• What is turn-taking in conversation?

  The orderly arrangement of speaking time among participants.
• What is an utterance?

  A complete unit of talk, bounded by the speaker's silence.
• What are Grice's maxims in conversation?

  • Quality: Be truthful.
  • Quantity: Provide the right amount of information.
  • Relation: Stay relevant to the conversation.
  • Manner: Be clear and avoid ambiguity.
• What are the elements in William Labov's order of narrative elements?

  1. Abstract: Signals the start of the narrative.
  2. Orientation: Provides background information.
  3. Complicating action: The main body of the narrative.
  4. Resolution: Ties up loose ends.
  5. Coda: Signals the end of the narrative.
• What is a declarative sentence?

  A sentence that declares something.
• What is an imperative sentence?

  A sentence that gives a command.
• What is an interrogative sentence?

  A sentence that asks a question.
• What is an exclamatory sentence?

  A sentence that exclaims something.
• What is a simple sentence?

  A sentence that contains one subject and one verb.
• What is a compound sentence?

  A sentence that includes a connective to join clauses.
• What is a complex sentence?

  A sentence that includes a subordinate clause along with a main clause.
• What is a minor sentence?

  A sentence that is typically incomplete but can still be understood.
• What is colloquial language?

  Language used in ordinary and familiar conversation.
• What does ephemeral mean?

  Lasting for a short time.
• What is anthropomorphism?

  The attributing of human characteristics to non-human entities.
• What is the cooperative principle in conversation?

  How effective communication is achieved based on speaking and listening.
• What are felicity conditions?

  Conditions needed for a speech act to be successful.
• What is phonaesthetics?

  The study of the aesthetic properties of speech and sound.
• What is cacophony?

  A speech sound that is unpleasing to the ear.
• What is euphony?

  A speech sound that is pleasing to the ear.
• What is deixis?

  Words or expressions that rely on the immediate context.
• What is an expletive?

  A swear word.
• What is a triadic structure?

  A rhetorical device that uses the rule of three.
• What is a modal verb?

  Examples include "would," "could," and "should."
• What is an archaism?

  A word that is no longer in common use.
• What is polysyllabic lexis?

  Words with more than two syllables.