Affectivity in Interaction

Sound objects in English

Author

Elisabeth Reber | University of Würzburg

Hardbound – Available

ISBN 9789027256201 | EUR 90.00 | USD 135.00

e-Book –

ISBN 9789027281654 | EUR 90.00 | USD 135.00

How do participants display affectivity in social interaction? Based on recordings of authentic everyday conversations and radio phone-ins, this study offers a fine-grained analysis of how recipients of affect-laden informings deploy sound objects, i.e. interjections (oh, ooh and ah) and paralinguistic signals (whistle and clicks), for responsive displays of affectivity. Examining the use of such sound objects across a number of interactional activities including news telling, troubles talk, complaining, assessments and repair, the study provides evidence that the sound pattern and sequential placement of sound objects systematically contribute to their specific meaning-making in interaction, i.e. the management of sequence organisation and interactional relevancies (e.g. affiliation). Presenting an in-depth analysis of a little researched area of language use from an interactional linguistic perspective, the book will be of theoretical and methodological interest to an audience with a background in linguistics, sociology and conversational studies.

[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 215] 2012. ix, 281 pp.

Publishing status: Available

https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.215

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements | p. ix

I. Introduction

Introduction | pp. 3–8

II. Background

1. Preliminaries: Affectivity and sound objects in an interactional linguistic perspective | pp. 11–24

2. Approaching sound objects: Previous research on interjections, discourse markers and vocalisations | pp. 25–40

3. Approaching affectivity in talk-in-interaction I: Previous research on prosody | pp. 41–52

4. Approaching affectivity in talk-in-interaction II: Previous research on conversational activities | pp. 53–72

III. An analysis of responsive affect-laden sound objects in talk-in-interaction

5. Affectivity and sound objects: An interactional linguistic perspective | pp. 75–82

6. Affect-laden oh in repair sequences and news tellings | pp. 83–130

7. Affect-laden oohs in radio phone-ins and in mundane complaint sequences/troubles talk | pp. 131–170

8. Types of affect-laden ahs in troubles talk and deliveries of bad news | pp. 171–222

9. More affect-laden sound objects | pp. 223–242

IV. Summary and conclusions

Summary | pp. 245–256

Appendix | pp. 273–278

Subject index | pp. 279–280

Name index | p. 281

“We are witnessing here a study which forms clearly a distinct addition to existing knowledge. […] It begins where many of the prior studies have stopped: it shows that there is variation in meaning associated with prosodic-phonetic variation at levels that much of the prior research has been unable to reach.”

Marja-Leena Sorjonen, University of Helsinki

“What is often described in lay terms as 'oh-ing', 'ah-ing' and 'ooh-ing' is shown here to be a systematic social practice for displaying different sorts of affective stance in response to conversational news reports and other kinds of informings. This book is highly recommended for all those who take the emotive dimensions of social interaction seriously.”

Elizabeth Couper-Kuhlen, University of Helsinki

“This is an accessible and compelling volume, valuable for scholars doing research on the combination of social interactions and emotions.”

Xue Yaoqin, Taiyuan Institute of Technology, in Discourse Studies, Vol.16:1 (2014). Pgs. 120-122

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This list is based on CrossRef data as of 7 may 2023. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Subjects

Linguistics

English linguistics

Germanic linguistics

Pragmatics

Main BIC Subject

CFG: Semantics, Pragmatics, Discourse Analysis

Main BISAC Subject

LAN009000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General

U.S. Library of Congress Control Number: 2011039790 | Marc record