Analysing Conversation

Beatrice Szczepek Reed has written a lucid introduction to English prosody for scholars working with interactional data. This is an invaluable resource for both students and researchers like myself who appreciate the importance of prosody and phonetics for understanding social interaction in English but who need much more grounding in the concepts, terms and techniques of this highly sophisticated area of study. Crisp audio clips enliven Szczepek Reed's examples and offer essential exposure to details of prosody in common varieties of English.' - Cecilia E. Ford, Professor of English and Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA

This is an accessible introduction to the prosody of everyday conversation, and its analysis. Basic concepts and methods of interpretation are explained, and a wealth of examples from naturally-occurring talk are used to demonstrate the roles of pitch, time, loudness and voice quality.Spoken interaction is impossible without prosody. Intonation, pitch register, tempo, rhythm, pausing, loudness and voice quality all contribute to the spontaneous negotiation process that is everyday talk.

This highly accessible introduction to the prosody and analysis of everyday conversation explains basic concepts and methods of interpretation using a wealth of examples from real-life conversations. Readers are introduced to the many conversational practices prosody plays a part in through sample analyses, all of which are available to listen to as downloadable audio files on the accompanying companion website: www.palgrave.com/analysingconversation

Packed with authentic examples, practical suggestions for analysis, suggestions for further reading and a helpful glossary, this clear and comprehensive guide is essential reading for students and researchers alike.