Analysing Conversation: An Introduction to Prosody

‘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
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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 at www.palgrave.com/language/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.

Beatrice Szczepek Reed is Lecturer in TESOL in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of York, UK. She is the author of Prosodic Orientation in English Conversation and of numerous publications in the area of prosody and conversation, cross-cultural interaction and English pronunciation teaching.