article Closed Access EN 2012-11-23

How phonetic features project more talk

Journal of the International Phonetic Association, Vol. 42, Issue 3, pp. 255–280 (2012)

Institute of Linguistic Studies, University of York, Center for Applied Linguistics, University of Sheffield

DOI: 10.1017/s0025100312000187

Abstract

Investigations into the management of turn-taking have typically focussed on pitch and other prosodic phenomena, particularly pitch-accents. Here, non-pitch phonetic features and their role in turn-taking are described. Through sustained phonetic and interactional analysis of a naturally occurring, 12-minute long telephone call between two adult speakers of British English, sets of talk-projecting and turn-projecting features are identified. Talk-projecting features include the avoidance of durational lengthening, articulatory anticipation, continuation of voicing, the production of talk in maximally close proximity to a preceding point of possible turn-completion, and the reduction of consonants and vowels. Turn-projecting features include the converse of each of the talk-projecting features, and two other distinct features: release of plosives at the point of possible turn-completion, and the production of audible outbreaths. We show that features of articulatory and phonatory quality and duration are relevant factors in the design and treatment of talk as talk- or turn-projective.

Topics

Phonetics and Phonology Research 1.00 Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies 1.00 Linguistic Variation and Morphology 1.00

Field: Psychology · Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Keywords

Voice,Converse,Anticipation (artificial intelligence),Turn-taking,Point (geometry),Duration (music),Psychology,Linguistics,Communication,Speech recognition

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Quality Education (0.72)

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