Spoken Discourse: Patterns and Diversity

What is in fact conversation? What does it consist of, how is it formed and how are we formed by it? Conversation is the basic form of human communication. The human language has developed through conversations, and it is through conversation we learn our mother tongue and are socialized as individuals into a specific culture. In all other forms of linguistic communication, conversation forms the main component. These are key points to be discussed in the course called Oral communication: variety and patterns.

KNOWLEDGE
Candidates:
• Have a research-based understanding of conversation as a phenomenon and as a process, and of the interdependency between discourse and context.
• Have basic knowledge of topics, theories, and procedures that are central to main traditions in the research of spoken discourse, and understand the interrelationship between linguistic, cognitive, and communicative development in children.
• Have basic knowledge of how research on spoken discourse may contribute to multidisciplinary and problem-driven work.
• Have sufficient knowledge of the field to be able to seek and evaluate new knowledge independently.
• Are familiar with the ethical guidelines for collecting, eliciting, and using spoken discourse data for research purposes.

SKILLS

Candidates:
• Are able to use one recognized notation system to transcribe spoken discourse for the purpose of analysis, and to interpret other notation systems.
• Are able to use the tools of the discipline to analyse spoken discourse in its social and cultural context.
• Are able to evaluate popular beliefs about spoken discourse and of how conversational competencies are developed.
• Are able to present and discuss knowledge in a consistent manner and provide arguments in keeping with the discipline.

The teaching alternates between lectures, seminars and language analysis workshops. Students are trained to work with sound and video recordings and to work independently by using analysis and problem solving. The students are recquired to hand in two assignments during the academic term in order to be approved to sit the exam.