Pub Date : 2025-07-05DOI: 10.1016/j.langcom.2025.06.005
Daniel Weston
This article explores how Chinese candidates draw on aspects of their sociocultural background during the University of Cambridge undergraduate admissions interview, an academic gatekeeping encounter. Tannen's three-tiered narrative framework is used to capture how candidates provide (small-n) narratives about China; how these narratives are organized by themes or (big-N) Narratives; and how these Narratives stand in relation to the cultural ideologies, or Master Narratives, disseminated throughout Chinese society. The analysis shows that candidates do not simply reproduce these Master Narratives during the interview. Owing to its interculturality, and marked power differential, candidates are shown instead to engage in careful acts of sociocultural positioning in order to express ideas and opinions—sometimes on matters of geopolitical sensitivity—that may not align with those of their interviewers. In so doing, they also problematize the notion of the “immigrant story”, in which migrant candidates efface and replace their sociocultural identity with one that is fully accommodating.
{"title":"“Telling the China story well” in Cambridge undergraduate admissions interviews","authors":"Daniel Weston","doi":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.06.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.06.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article explores how Chinese candidates draw on aspects of their sociocultural background during the University of Cambridge undergraduate admissions interview, an academic gatekeeping encounter. Tannen's three-tiered narrative framework is used to capture how candidates provide (small-n) narratives about China; how these narratives are organized by themes or (big-N) Narratives; and how these Narratives stand in relation to the cultural ideologies, or Master Narratives, disseminated throughout Chinese society. The analysis shows that candidates do not simply reproduce these Master Narratives during the interview. Owing to its interculturality, and marked power differential, candidates are shown instead to engage in careful acts of sociocultural positioning in order to express ideas and opinions—sometimes on matters of geopolitical sensitivity—that may not align with those of their interviewers. In so doing, they also problematize the notion of the “immigrant story”, in which migrant candidates efface and replace their sociocultural identity with one that is fully accommodating.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47575,"journal":{"name":"Language & Communication","volume":"104 ","pages":"Pages 50-65"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144564037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-07-05DOI: 10.1016/j.langcom.2025.06.004
Reza Kazemian, Mohammad Amouzadeh, Homa Asadi
This study examines the phono-pragmatic properties of bebin (‘look’) in Persian within the framework of Interactive Grammar (IG), focusing on its prosodic characteristics and various pragmatic functions in interaction. Specifically, it explores how variations in prosodic features (duration, f0, and intensity) correlate with the four primary functions of bebin: directive, attention signal, discourse marker, and interjection. The findings highlight the dynamic interplay between prosody and pragmatics, demonstrating how prosodic cues facilitate pragmatic interpretation and how pragmatic functions influence prosodic realization. Moreover, the study provides evidence of a systematic relationship between phonetic reduction and grammaticalization, with increased phonetic reduction observed in more grammaticalized uses of bebin. This contributes to broader discussions on the role of prosody in linguistic change. The study also addresses challenges related to functional overlap and polysemy, offering insights into the complexities of interactive discourse. Finally, the quantifiable nature of the analysis makes it highly applicable to computational linguistics, particularly in training language models for corpus annotation and enhancing pragmatic understanding in natural language processing.
{"title":"The interface of prosody and pragmatics: A phono-pragmatic analysis of bebin (‘look’) in Persian","authors":"Reza Kazemian, Mohammad Amouzadeh, Homa Asadi","doi":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.06.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.06.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the phono-pragmatic properties of <em>bebin</em> (‘look’) in Persian within the framework of Interactive Grammar (IG), focusing on its prosodic characteristics and various pragmatic functions in interaction. Specifically, it explores how variations in prosodic features (duration, <em>f</em><sub><em>0</em></sub>, and intensity) correlate with the four primary functions of <em>bebin</em>: directive, attention signal, discourse marker, and interjection. The findings highlight the dynamic interplay between prosody and pragmatics, demonstrating how prosodic cues facilitate pragmatic interpretation and how pragmatic functions influence prosodic realization. Moreover, the study provides evidence of a systematic relationship between phonetic reduction and grammaticalization, with increased phonetic reduction observed in more grammaticalized uses of <em>bebin</em>. This contributes to broader discussions on the role of prosody in linguistic change. The study also addresses challenges related to functional overlap and polysemy, offering insights into the complexities of interactive discourse. Finally, the quantifiable nature of the analysis makes it highly applicable to computational linguistics, particularly in training language models for corpus annotation and enhancing pragmatic understanding in natural language processing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47575,"journal":{"name":"Language & Communication","volume":"104 ","pages":"Pages 29-49"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144562802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-19DOI: 10.1016/j.langcom.2025.06.001
Jining Chen
This study investigates how linguistic landscapes function as semiotic systems for the expression of city image, using Beijing’s Hutongs as a case study to explore the interaction between linguistic landscapes and urban identity formation. Adopting an ethnographic approach, the study employs a three-tier “frame-polyphony-semiotics” theoretical framework to identify four dominant frames in the Hutong linguistic landscape. These include the historical–cultural, globalization, political-discourse, and everyday-life frames, which respectively correspond to four distinct city images: “Old Beijing”, “Global Metropolis”, “Institutionalized Space”, and “Lived Community”. The findings suggest that linguistic landscapes not only mirror urban spatial configurations and everyday practices but also actively contribute to city-image construction through frame overlap and polyphonic interactions. By examining linguistic landscapes’ semiotic structures and social embeddedness, this study demonstrates their role as discursive instruments that mediate meanings across diverse contexts, shaping city image in dynamic ways. Finally, the study explores the ecological interplay between people, urban spaces, and semiotic resources, offering fresh perspectives on conceptualizing cities as readable and interpretable textual spaces.
{"title":"The expression of polyphonic city image: A perspective from the linguistic landscape of Beijing’s Hutongs","authors":"Jining Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.06.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.06.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates how linguistic landscapes function as semiotic systems for the expression of city image, using Beijing’s Hutongs as a case study to explore the interaction between linguistic landscapes and urban identity formation. Adopting an ethnographic approach, the study employs a three-tier “frame-polyphony-semiotics” theoretical framework to identify four dominant frames in the Hutong linguistic landscape. These include the historical–cultural, globalization, political-discourse, and everyday-life frames, which respectively correspond to four distinct city images: “Old Beijing”, “Global Metropolis”, “Institutionalized Space”, and “Lived Community”. The findings suggest that linguistic landscapes not only mirror urban spatial configurations and everyday practices but also actively contribute to city-image construction through frame overlap and polyphonic interactions. By examining linguistic landscapes’ semiotic structures and social embeddedness, this study demonstrates their role as discursive instruments that mediate meanings across diverse contexts, shaping city image in dynamic ways. Finally, the study explores the ecological interplay between people, urban spaces, and semiotic resources, offering fresh perspectives on conceptualizing cities as readable and interpretable textual spaces.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47575,"journal":{"name":"Language & Communication","volume":"104 ","pages":"Pages 9-28"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144313083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-06DOI: 10.1016/j.langcom.2025.05.003
Andreas Candefors Stæhr, Lian Malai Madsen
{"title":"Introduction: Digital technology as human experience","authors":"Andreas Candefors Stæhr, Lian Malai Madsen","doi":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.05.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.05.003","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47575,"journal":{"name":"Language & Communication","volume":"104 ","pages":"Pages 1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144221311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-02DOI: 10.1016/j.langcom.2025.05.002
Adrian Pablé
This paper argues that there exist philosophical disagreements over the nature and function of signs when it comes to theorizing perception. For this purpose, the paper compares three thinkers in terms of how they position themselves towards the thesis of perception as sign-mediated, namely Uexküll's semiotic biology, Gibson's ecological psychology, and Harris' integrationism. While Gibson stresses that perception is direct and unmediated, Harris suggests that perceptions are semiologically complex. In the final part, the paper introduces Tim Ingold's concepts of ‘semiophilia’ and ‘semiophobia’ within the context of a philosophy of semiotics and applies them to the theories of perception discussed. The conclusion that the paper draws is that the three thinkers subscribe to incompatible views on human-animal and human-world relations.
{"title":"Theories of perception between semiophilia and semiophobia","authors":"Adrian Pablé","doi":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.05.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.05.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper argues that there exist philosophical disagreements over the nature and function of signs when it comes to theorizing perception. For this purpose, the paper compares three thinkers in terms of how they position themselves towards the thesis of perception as sign-mediated, namely Uexküll's semiotic biology, Gibson's ecological psychology, and Harris' integrationism. While Gibson stresses that perception is direct and unmediated, Harris suggests that perceptions are semiologically complex. In the final part, the paper introduces Tim Ingold's concepts of ‘semiophilia’ and ‘semiophobia’ within the context of a philosophy of semiotics and applies them to the theories of perception discussed. The conclusion that the paper draws is that the three thinkers subscribe to incompatible views on human-animal and human-world relations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47575,"journal":{"name":"Language & Communication","volume":"103 ","pages":"Pages 150-158"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144189930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-05-29DOI: 10.1016/j.langcom.2025.05.001
Laura Párrilla Gómez , Encarnación Postigo Pinazo
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Artificial intelligence in the training of public service interpreters” [Lang. Commun. 103 (2025) 86–107]","authors":"Laura Párrilla Gómez , Encarnación Postigo Pinazo","doi":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.05.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.05.001","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47575,"journal":{"name":"Language & Communication","volume":"103 ","pages":"Page 149"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144169375","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-05-07DOI: 10.1016/j.langcom.2025.04.006
Rea Peltola , Yaru Wu , Marine Grandgeorge
The aim of this paper is to explore how interpersonal distance, mouth sounds, and human language are synchronized to construe meaning within interspecies play projects. The data consist of video recordings presenting 4 child-dog dyads in ecological French-speaking contexts. The study combines ethological methods, phonetic analysis, and cognitive-linguistic analysis. The paper shows that physical contact and proximity characterize child-dog play and affect children's vocal behaviour. Adjustments in interpersonal distance are conditioned by ongoing play projects. In plays including hidden or out-of-reach objects, proxemic adjustments, sounds, and language structures construe referentiality and perspective-taking.
{"title":"Interpersonal distance, mouth sounds, and referentiality in child-dog play: A pluridisciplinary approach","authors":"Rea Peltola , Yaru Wu , Marine Grandgeorge","doi":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.04.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.04.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aim of this paper is to explore how interpersonal distance, mouth sounds, and human language are synchronized to construe meaning within interspecies play projects. The data consist of video recordings presenting 4 child-dog dyads in ecological French-speaking contexts. The study combines ethological methods, phonetic analysis, and cognitive-linguistic analysis. The paper shows that physical contact and proximity characterize child-dog play and affect children's vocal behaviour. Adjustments in interpersonal distance are conditioned by ongoing play projects. In plays including hidden or out-of-reach objects, proxemic adjustments, sounds, and language structures construe referentiality and perspective-taking.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47575,"journal":{"name":"Language & Communication","volume":"103 ","pages":"Pages 126-148"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143912919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-29DOI: 10.1016/j.langcom.2025.04.008
Caroline Tagg
This article puts forward the ‘mobile event’ – a communicative event mediated in part by mobile phone messaging – as a way of understanding how social actions are accomplished at the intersection of online and offline activity. It draws methodologically on an innovative approach to mobile mediated communication which analyses individuals' mobile conversations within the immediate physical spaces in which they unfold. Interactional analysis of selected mobile events carried out by a British couple points to the centrality of offline interaction within communicative events involving mobile conversations, as well as to the importance of ‘device attending’ as an organizing principle in the management of contemporary communicative practices at the online-offline nexus.
{"title":"Mobile events: Exploring mobile conversations in context as communicative events","authors":"Caroline Tagg","doi":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.04.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.04.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article puts forward the ‘mobile event’ – a communicative event mediated in part by mobile phone messaging – as a way of understanding how social actions are accomplished at the intersection of online and offline activity. It draws methodologically on an innovative approach to mobile mediated communication which analyses individuals' mobile conversations within the immediate physical spaces in which they unfold. Interactional analysis of selected mobile events carried out by a British couple points to the centrality of offline interaction within communicative events involving mobile conversations, as well as to the importance of ‘device attending’ as an organizing principle in the management of contemporary communicative practices at the online-offline nexus.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47575,"journal":{"name":"Language & Communication","volume":"103 ","pages":"Pages 108-125"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143887036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-28DOI: 10.1016/j.langcom.2025.04.002
Laura Parrilla Gómez , Encarnación Postigo Pinazo
Great advances achieved in recent years in artificial intelligence (AI) have made it possible to address the huge challenges posed in the field of education. Indeed, thanks to the development of innovative practices, Sustainable Development Goal 4 has been enhanced. This goal is one of the 17 global goals established by the United Nations in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It consists of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and of promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Over the last decade, new applications and digital tools have allowed future interpreters to access training materials in the field of Public Service Interpreting (PSI) and to develop their skills during their training. The full potential of these AI tools, however, have yet to be fully explored in the field of Translation and Interpreting, and specifically in the Public Service sector.
Transcription and audio recognition tools have been analysed (Ünlü, 2023; Parrilla Gómez and Postigo Pinazo, 2023), as well as the tools to support preparation phases such as terminology management (Braun, 2019). But the use of the different AI options available on the market require further analysis to verify their validity for training purposes.
Given the important role of new technologies in the training of interpreters, and the need to upskill interpreters working in the public sector, we explored the potential of AI technologies to help ensure quality training and the attainment of the 2030 Education Agenda. The research questions were thus as follows: What are the ethical and pedagogical implications of AI for the training of Public Service interpreters? How can educators, researchers and future interpreters benefit from these tools? And lastly: Which tools could adequately replace the real materials which are lacking? In order to answer these questions, three AI tools (Chat GPT, Twee, and ElevenLabs) have been analysed to assess their effectiveness in generating material for the bilateral interpreting classroom in the context of public services, and then to analyse the students‘ and teachers’ opinion of these materials.
近年来，人工智能（AI）取得了巨大的进步，这使得解决教育领域面临的巨大挑战成为可能。事实上，由于创新实践的发展，可持续发展目标4得到了加强。这一目标是联合国在2015年制定的17项全球目标之一，是《2030年可持续发展议程》的一部分。它包括确保包容和公平的优质教育，并为所有人提供终身学习机会。在过去的十年中，新的应用程序和数字工具使未来的口译员能够访问公共服务口译（PSI）领域的培训材料，并在培训期间发展他们的技能。然而，这些人工智能工具的全部潜力尚未在翻译和口译领域，特别是在公共服务部门得到充分探索。转录和音频识别工具已被分析(Ünlü， 2023；Parrilla Gómez and Postigo Pinazo, 2023)，以及支持准备阶段（如术语管理）的工具（Braun, 2019）。但是，市场上可用的不同人工智能选项的使用需要进一步分析，以验证其用于培训目的的有效性。鉴于新技术在口译培训中的重要作用，以及提高公共部门口译人员技能的必要性，我们探索了人工智能技术的潜力，以帮助确保高质量培训和实现《2030年教育议程》。因此，研究问题如下：人工智能对公共服务口译员培训的伦理和教学意义是什么？教育工作者、研究人员和未来的口译员如何从这些工具中受益？最后：哪些工具可以充分取代真正缺乏的材料？为了回答这些问题，我们分析了三种人工智能工具（Chat GPT、Twee和ElevenLabs），以评估它们在公共服务背景下为双边口译课堂生成材料的有效性，然后分析学生和教师对这些材料的看法。
{"title":"Artificial intelligence in the training of public service interpreters","authors":"Laura Parrilla Gómez , Encarnación Postigo Pinazo","doi":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.04.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.04.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Great advances achieved in recent years in artificial intelligence (AI) have made it possible to address the huge challenges posed in the field of education. Indeed, thanks to the development of innovative practices, Sustainable Development Goal 4 has been enhanced. This goal is one of the 17 global goals established by the United Nations in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It consists of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and of promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.</div><div>Over the last decade, new applications and digital tools have allowed future interpreters to access training materials in the field of Public Service Interpreting (PSI) and to develop their skills during their training. The full potential of these AI tools, however, have yet to be fully explored in the field of Translation and Interpreting, and specifically in the Public Service sector.</div><div>Transcription and audio recognition tools have been analysed (Ünlü, 2023; Parrilla Gómez and Postigo Pinazo, 2023), as well as the tools to support preparation phases such as terminology management (Braun, 2019). But the use of the different AI options available on the market require further analysis to verify their validity for training purposes.</div><div>Given the important role of new technologies in the training of interpreters, and the need to upskill interpreters working in the public sector, we explored the potential of AI technologies to help ensure quality training and the attainment of the 2030 Education Agenda. The research questions were thus as follows: What are the ethical and pedagogical implications of AI for the training of Public Service interpreters? How can educators, researchers and future interpreters benefit from these tools? And lastly: Which tools could adequately replace the real materials which are lacking? In order to answer these questions, three AI tools (Chat GPT, Twee, and ElevenLabs) have been analysed to assess their effectiveness in generating material for the bilateral interpreting classroom in the context of public services, and then to analyse the students‘ and teachers’ opinion of these materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47575,"journal":{"name":"Language & Communication","volume":"103 ","pages":"Pages 86-107"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143879221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-25DOI: 10.1016/j.langcom.2025.04.007
Katariina Harjunpää , Beatrice Szczepek Reed
This conversation analytic study investigates a Finnish-speaking caretaker interacting with a cat and her two kittens while she records them on video. The study shows that when talking to the cats, the human prosodically matches their meows, chirps, trills, and purrs by approximating their pitch, duration, voice quality, loudness, and rhythm. Matching occurs with directives, questions, and response tokens (m-hm), as well as with imitative interjections (miu). Through different combinations of prosodic and lexical imitation, the human makes her talk responsive to the cats’ local conduct, and displays understanding and sharing of their ongoing activities and/or affective stances. The study sheds light on how prosodic features associated with so-called animal-directed talk emerge in the interspecies interactions in instances of matching.
{"title":"Prosodic matching beyond humans: On the interactional basis of “cat-directed” talk","authors":"Katariina Harjunpää , Beatrice Szczepek Reed","doi":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.04.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.langcom.2025.04.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This conversation analytic study investigates a Finnish-speaking caretaker interacting with a cat and her two kittens while she records them on video. The study shows that when talking to the cats, the human prosodically matches their meows, chirps, trills, and purrs by approximating their pitch, duration, voice quality, loudness, and rhythm. Matching occurs with directives, questions, and response tokens (<em>m-hm</em>), as well as with imitative interjections (<em>miu</em>). Through different combinations of prosodic and lexical imitation, the human makes her talk responsive to the cats’ local conduct, and displays understanding and sharing of their ongoing activities and/or affective stances. The study sheds light on how prosodic features associated with so-called animal-directed talk emerge in the interspecies interactions in instances of matching.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47575,"journal":{"name":"Language & Communication","volume":"103 ","pages":"Pages 65-85"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143874886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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