Exploring Highly Frequent Prefabs in Spontaneous Conversation
Document Type
Paper Presentation
Presenter Language
English
Research Area
Pragmatics and discourse analysis
Location
MBSC Dodge Room 302A
Start Date
17-10-2024 5:00 PM
End Date
17-10-2024 5:30 PM
Abstract
Thesis Statement In this study, we describe highly frequent prefabs in spontaneous conversation.
Research Questions What are the most frequent prefabs in spontaneous conversations? What elements have the highest frequencies, and what functions do they serve in discourse? Description of the Topic Previous investigations have explored patterns of formulaic language usage over time through corpus analysis (Wilson, 2009; Bybee and Eddington, 1996). However, there is a need for further exploration of this area in contemporary spoken Spanish. Frequency determines patterns of language and usage (Bybee & Hopper, 2001; Hay, 2001; Bybee, 2002).
Existing research on Spanish prefabs has focused on discourse marker expressions like "o sea," "pues," "bueno," "esto es" (Travis, 2005; Pons Bordería, 2006; Vásquez Carranza, 2012; García, Vizcaíno & Martínez-Cabeza, 2015; Rodríguez García & Goria, 2023). Other studies explore the acquisition of prefabs in SLA and pragmatics (Bardovi-Harlig and Mossman, 2020) or in academic writing (Pérez-Llantada, 2014). Less attention has been given to prefabs in spontaneous conversation.
Approach This project uses audio recordings of spontaneous conversations, transcribed, and analyzed to identify the most frequent collocations. We followed the prefab classification by Erman and Warren (2000), categorizing prefabs as lexical, grammatical, or pragmatic. Grammatical prefabs are subclassified into verb tense/mood/aspect forming prefabs, links, and transitions. Pragmatic prefabs are classified as discourse markers, petitions, and requests, while lexical prefabs are categorized as concrete and abstract entities, locations, places, and events. Our hypothesis is that pragmatic prefabs are the most frequent in spontaneous conversations.
Conclusions The research found that grammatical prefabs were the most common in spontaneous Spanish conversations followed by pragmatic prefabs and lexical prefabs . Pragmatic prefabs had significantly higher frequencies within their category compared to grammatical prefabs.
This study enhances the understanding of prefab usage in spontaneous Spanish and contributes to the description of discourse patterns.
Examples: de acuerdo, en realidad, no crea, o sea.
Exploring Highly Frequent Prefabs in Spontaneous Conversation
MBSC Dodge Room 302A
Thesis Statement In this study, we describe highly frequent prefabs in spontaneous conversation.
Research Questions What are the most frequent prefabs in spontaneous conversations? What elements have the highest frequencies, and what functions do they serve in discourse? Description of the Topic Previous investigations have explored patterns of formulaic language usage over time through corpus analysis (Wilson, 2009; Bybee and Eddington, 1996). However, there is a need for further exploration of this area in contemporary spoken Spanish. Frequency determines patterns of language and usage (Bybee & Hopper, 2001; Hay, 2001; Bybee, 2002).
Existing research on Spanish prefabs has focused on discourse marker expressions like "o sea," "pues," "bueno," "esto es" (Travis, 2005; Pons Bordería, 2006; Vásquez Carranza, 2012; García, Vizcaíno & Martínez-Cabeza, 2015; Rodríguez García & Goria, 2023). Other studies explore the acquisition of prefabs in SLA and pragmatics (Bardovi-Harlig and Mossman, 2020) or in academic writing (Pérez-Llantada, 2014). Less attention has been given to prefabs in spontaneous conversation.
Approach This project uses audio recordings of spontaneous conversations, transcribed, and analyzed to identify the most frequent collocations. We followed the prefab classification by Erman and Warren (2000), categorizing prefabs as lexical, grammatical, or pragmatic. Grammatical prefabs are subclassified into verb tense/mood/aspect forming prefabs, links, and transitions. Pragmatic prefabs are classified as discourse markers, petitions, and requests, while lexical prefabs are categorized as concrete and abstract entities, locations, places, and events. Our hypothesis is that pragmatic prefabs are the most frequent in spontaneous conversations.
Conclusions The research found that grammatical prefabs were the most common in spontaneous Spanish conversations followed by pragmatic prefabs and lexical prefabs . Pragmatic prefabs had significantly higher frequencies within their category compared to grammatical prefabs.
This study enhances the understanding of prefab usage in spontaneous Spanish and contributes to the description of discourse patterns.
Examples: de acuerdo, en realidad, no crea, o sea.