Syllable and Syllable Structure (continued)

The syllables we have looked at so far are fairly simple ones. We have not, for example, represented the difference between short and long vowels. Such distinctions are represented by attaching the segments of the syllable into timing slots referred to as the skeletal tier. In order to do this, the nucleus is branched and short vowels are represented on a single tier while long vowels (including...

Syllable and Syllable Structure

Syllables are often described as the phonological building blocks of words. Linguistically a syllable is defined as a unit of speech that is made up of a syllable nucleus (usually a vowel) and one or more optional phones. The syllable has two immediate constituents: – onset any consonant(s) that precede the nucleus – rhyme the nucleus and any consonant(s) that follow it The rhyme is...

Conversation Analysis

According to Levinson (1983) unlike a sentence, a conversation is not a structural product – it is rather the result of the interaction between two or more independent, goal-directed individuals, with often divergent interests. Conversation Analysis (CA), the study of talk in interaction (inspired by ethnomethodology) was developed in the 1960s and early 1970s principally by the...

Schemata & Schemata Theory

Our world knowledge and social knowledge is crucial for the production and understanding of discourse. For effective communication to occur, it is necessary that – the receiver have enough prior knowledge – the sender correctly judge the extent of that knowledge How our pre-existing knowledge of the world shapes the production and understanding of discourse attracted attention mostly...

Felicity Conditions & Conversational Implicature

Think about the following situation: You see a man snatch a lady’s bag and run. You chase the man and when you catch him you hold his hands behind his back and say, ‘You are under arrest’. Would the man consider himself under arrest? Why? Another example: If I were to say: ‘s of now, I declare the Maldives a kingdom!’ or ‘I will reduce enrollment fees for BA...

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