The Handbook of Discourse Analysis
The Handbook of Discourse Analysis The Handbook of Discourse Analysis
26 Elizabeth Couper-Kuhlen that speech rhythm provides a metric for timing in English interaction seems rather compelling (see also Couper-Kuhlen 1993). Rhythm in the interactional sense refers to a regular beat which establishes itself in talk through the even placement of accented syllables in time (see Auer et al. 1999). The distance between two, typically adjacent accented syllables creates a temporal interval. 10 When two or more successive temporal intervals are perceived to be approximately equal in duration, the speaker (or speakers) can be said to be speaking rhythmically. Isochronously timed accents create the impression of a regular rhythmic beat in speech. Observation suggests that speakers use the rhythmic delivery of withinturn talk for a variety of structural and rhetorical purposes. And it appears to be the maintenance of a common rhythmic beat across turns at talk which counts as the well-timed option for turn transition in English conversation. Consider the case of smooth interactional timing, i.e. where turn transition is wholly unremarkable. For instance: (5) Brain Teaser: Fenella McNally 1 M: let’s see how we do in Staleybridge, Fenella McNally; hi. → F: hello! → 5 M: hello: Fenella, → F: hello; we spoke last night. hehn The first thing to notice about this opening is the fact that the moderator’s accents on see, Staleybridge, Fenella and hi are timed regularly at the end of his first turn. The rhythmic beat which this timing establishes can be represented notationally as follows: 11 (5′) Rhythmic analysis of Fenella McNally opening 1 M: let’s /'see how we do in / /'Staleybridge, Fe-/ /'nella McNally; / /'hi. Fenella now picks up the moderator’s rhythmic beat in the next turn by timing her accent on hello accordingly. Moreover, the moderator adjusts the timing of his next turn to synchronize with this beat: (5″) Rhythmic analysis of Fenella McNally opening 1 M: let’s /'see how we do in / /'Staleybridge, Fe-/ /'nella McNally; / /'hi. 5 F: hel-/ /'lo! M: hel-/ /'lo:
Intonation and Discourse 27 Moderator and caller collaborate here in the production of a common rhythm which they maintain across speaking turns by picking up in each new turn the beat established in the prior turn. Now observe what happens in the continuation of line 5 in the orthographic transcript. The moderator shifts the rhythm slightly by placing an accent on Fenella which comes sooner than the next expected beat. This creates a number of rhythmic options for the timing of the next turn. (For instance, a next speaker could simply ignore the syncopation and continue according to prior timing. Or a next speaker could miss the next beat altogether, perhaps causing the rhythm to break down.) What this caller opts for, however, is to create a new, faster rhythmic pattern based on the timing of the moderator’s accents on hello and Fenella by placing her next accents on hello, spoke and night accordingly. In rhythmic notation this can be shown as follows: (5″) Rhythmic analysis of Fenella McNally opening 1 M: let’s /'see how we do in / /'Staleybridge, Fe-/ /'nella McNally; / /'hi. 5 F: hel-/ /'lo! M: hel-/ /'lo: Fe- / (faster) /'nella, 10 F: hel-/ /'lo; we / /'spoke last/ /'night. hehn The transitions in this exchange can thus be reconstructed as smooth due to the fact that each turn onset is rhythmically well-timed with respect to the prior turn. Rhythmic coordination of this sort requires a fine sensing of timing on the part of participants. Unaccented syllables before the first accent of a new turn must be timed so that the first accent falls on the beat. Sometimes just a fraction of a second delay is necessary between turns in order to make the synchronization work. In fact, there are tiny micropauses at each of the transitions here, which suggests that speakers are timing their turn onsets rhythmically. In other words, they are not coming in at the earliest possible moment in time but at the earliest possible rhythmic moment in time. The micropauses are scarcely noticeable because they help maintain the regular rhythm rather than destroy it. Now examine a case where transition timing is less successful: (6) Brain Teaser: Sexy Nora 1 M: so I think we’ll kick off; with er - sexy Nora; who lives in Heaton Chapel.
- Page 1: The Handbook of Discourse Analysis
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26 Elizabeth Couper-Kuhlen<br />
that speech rhythm provides a metric for timing in English interaction seems rather<br />
compelling (see also Couper-Kuhlen 1993).<br />
Rhythm in the interactional sense refers to a regular beat which establishes itself<br />
in talk through the even placement <strong>of</strong> accented syllables in time (see Auer et al. 1999).<br />
<strong>The</strong> distance between two, typically adjacent accented syllables creates a temporal<br />
interval. 10 When two or more successive temporal intervals are perceived to be<br />
approximately equal in duration, the speaker (or speakers) can be said to be speaking<br />
rhythmically. Isochronously timed accents create the impression <strong>of</strong> a regular rhythmic<br />
beat in speech. Observation suggests that speakers use the rhythmic delivery <strong>of</strong> withinturn<br />
talk for a variety <strong>of</strong> structural and rhetorical purposes. And it appears to be<br />
the maintenance <strong>of</strong> a common rhythmic beat across turns at talk which counts as the<br />
well-timed option for turn transition in English conversation.<br />
Consider the case <strong>of</strong> smooth interactional timing, i.e. where turn transition is wholly<br />
unremarkable. For instance:<br />
(5) Brain Teaser: Fenella McNally<br />
1 M: let’s see how we do in Staleybridge,<br />
Fenella McNally;<br />
hi.<br />
→ F: hello!<br />
→ 5 M: hello: Fenella,<br />
→ F: hello;<br />
we spoke last night.<br />
hehn<br />
<strong>The</strong> first thing to notice about this opening is the fact that the moderator’s accents<br />
on see, Staleybridge, Fenella and hi are timed regularly at the end <strong>of</strong> his first turn. <strong>The</strong><br />
rhythmic beat which this timing establishes can be represented notationally as follows: 11<br />
(5′) Rhythmic analysis <strong>of</strong> Fenella McNally opening<br />
1 M: let’s /'see how we do in /<br />
/'Staleybridge, Fe-/<br />
/'nella McNally; /<br />
/'hi.<br />
Fenella now picks up the moderator’s rhythmic beat in the next turn by timing her<br />
accent on hello accordingly. Moreover, the moderator adjusts the timing <strong>of</strong> his next<br />
turn to synchronize with this beat:<br />
(5″) Rhythmic analysis <strong>of</strong> Fenella McNally opening<br />
1 M: let’s /'see how we do in /<br />
/'Staleybridge, Fe-/<br />
/'nella McNally; /<br />
/'hi.<br />
5 F: hel-/<br />
/'lo!<br />
M: hel-/<br />
/'lo:
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