SPOKEN

INTERACTION
SPOKEN INTERACTION
● By saying something we are also
doing something;
● When we say something we also
expect the addressee to respond in
one way or another;
● It refers to the ability to actually
hold, maintain and continue a
conversation.
What is typical of spoken interaction?

Spoken interaction is a
joint, here-and-now social
activity that is governed
by two main principles:
● Speakers take turns
● speakers cooperate
● Cooperativeness and
harmony
● interaction is possible
without proper turn-
taking
● backchannels
● questions and answers
constitute the backbone
of conversation
● In narrative
conversation,
information play the
main role
● Speaker take turns
A turn is everything the current
speaker says before the next
speaker takes over. Some turns are
very short and consist of a single
word, Other turns are very long and
resemble short monologues
 [TURNS]
A: You’re right 1
B: Yes, thank you very much 2
A: Ok bye 3
B: Bye 4
● Speaker shifts
Smooth speaker shift
Unsmooth speaker shift
Cut-off
● Backchannels
What distinguishes backchannels
from turns is that they do not
involve a speaker shift. On the
contrary, they acknowledge what
the current speaker says and
generally encourage them to go on.
A turn is not just a continuous flow
of speech. When we speak, we
divide the flow of words into some
kind of units, whether they be
pause units or tone units or a
combination of both.
● Pause Units
Pauses reflect how we structure a
message, where we hesitate, where we
separate semantic-syntactic chunks and
where we breathe. Roughly speaking,
pauses can be said to mark off
performance units.
There are two types of
pause:
● Silent
● Filled
Vocabulary
What is a Vocabulary?

●Reference to Cambridge
Advanced Learner's
Dictionary (2022), a
vocabulary is a set of
familiar words within a
person's language.
What is a Vocabulary?

●A vocabulary, usually
developed with age,
serves as a useful and
fundamental tool for
communication and
acquiring knowledge
What is a Vocabulary?

●is commonly defined as

all the words known and
used by a particular
person.
What is a Vocabulary?
● stated in Pusat Dunia Ilmu
(2022), vocabulary is
knowledge of words and words
meaning in both oral and print
language and in productive and
receptive forms which is used
in listening, speaking, reading
and writing
Vocabulary Types

●Reading vocabulary
●Listening vocabulary
●Speaking vocabulary
●Writing vocabulary
Vocabulary is an important focus of
literacy teaching and refers to the
knowledge or words, including their
structure (morphology), use
(grammar), meanings (semantics),
and connections to other words
(word/semantic relationships).
The English language has a large
vocabulary, with an estimated
vocabulary of 450,000 to 750,000
words. Contact with Anglo-Saxon
English, Spanish, French, Greek,
and Latin, to name a few, has
resulted in the evolution of English.
Types of Vocabulary Words Involes Three Tiers

●Tier 1- Basic words

●Tier 2- High Frequency
words
●Tier 3- Low Frequency
words
Types of Vocabulary Words Involes Three Tiers

High frequency words are one

of the main types of sight words
and are those words which occur
most frequently in written
material.
Types of Vocabulary Words Involes Three Tiers
● Low Frequency Words
Words under this type of vocabulary
refers to words that are not commonly
used; these words belong to content
specific (have distinct meanings or
purposes) or specific classes such as:
Science/Math/Social studies.
 Table 2

70 Low Frequency Words

Abstemious Abstinence Absquatulate Caterwaul Contrive
(Moderate (Regaining from (To flee) (To protest noisily) (To invent)
eating/drinking) something
entirely)

Deferment Delineate Gloaming Loquacious louche

(talkative) disreputable
(Delay) (Describe with (Twilight/dusk)
precision)

Maleficence Mendacious Obloquy Orotund Osculate

(evil) (condemning
(deceptive) (pompous) (to kiss)
or abusive
language)

Perspicacious Poltroon Peccadillo Prognosticate (to Raffish

(minor offense) predict)
(Having a ready (coward) (vulgar)
insight into)

Rambunctious Resplendent Ribaldry Rigmarole Ragamuffin

(brilliantly
(unruly) (Coarse (Confused talk/ (dirty)
glowing)
behavior) complicated
procedure)

Ruckus Scofflaw Spiffy Squelch Rogue

(disturbance) (lawbreaker) (stylish) (to suppress or (a dishonest or
silence) unprincipled
man)

Spiffy Subterfuge Slump Tat Defiant

(stylish) (deception) (sit, lean, or fall (Tasteless or (Disobedient)
heavily) shoddy clothes)

Fops Balderdash Pelf Helve Finagle

(Men who are (nonsense) (Money gained (Handle of a (To trick)
very with their in a
Appropriateness of
Words
Appropriateness of Language
An inability to communicate with all ages
and sectors of society is bound to put the
speaker at a serious disadvantage when it
comes to long-term achievement. It’s not
“old-fashioned” to know when to use
socially acceptable language; it’s a life-skill
that should be nurtured.
 Word Choice
Word choice is a person’s choice or selection
of words. It is a manner in which something
is expressed in words. The choice of words is
the style of expression. A person, in general,
chooses words to which he feels
comfortable, confident, and simple enough
for a general audience to understand
Six Principles of Word Choice
1. Choose understandable words
2. Use Specific, Precise words
3. Choose strong words
4. Emphasize positive words
5. Avoid overused words
6. Avoid obsolete words
 Importance of Word Choice
● If a person is using an incorrect word,
the message delivered is not meant.
● Incorrect word choice leads to the
misunderstanding among the
audience.
● It sometimes makes a situation
awkward and unclear.
 Importance of Word Choice

●Sometimes, an incorrect word

makes no sense.
●Correct word choice increases
the impact on one’s mind.
●It reveals the attitude and
personality of a person.
 Ways of Improving the Choices of Word

●Focus on the tone of diction or

communication.
●Pick words that match with the
tone.
●Use a dictionary or thesaurus for
finding synonyms and antonyms.
 Ways of Improving the Choices of Word

●Focus on the age group of the

audience.
●Improve your vocabulary.
●Learn some metaphors.
●Learn the meaning of the words as
much as you can.
 Ways of Improving the Choices of Word

●Use new words in sentences for

practice.
●Differentiate between parts of
speech. Learn the difference
between the words used as a noun,
adverbs, verbs, or adjectives.
 Ways of Improving the Choices of Word
●Avoid redundancies.
●Avoid awkward, vague, and unclear
words.
●Do not use the word only because
others are using it.
●Replace general words with more
specific ones
 Ways of Improving the Choices of Word
●Learn to use a single word in
different situations to give different
meanings.
●Use bias-free language or words.
●Use politically correct words.
●Try to use words clearly and only
when needed
 Ways of Improving the Choices of Word
●Try to simplify your content or
writing before delivering.
●Use proper diction.
●Avoid slang.
●Avoid jargon.
●Practice a lot.
Appropriateness of
Language
 Appropriateness of Language

Using appropriate language

means that a speaker’s
language is suitable or fitting
for ourselves, as the speaker;
our audience; the speaking
context; and the speech itself.
 Appropriate for the Speaker

Not all language choices are

appropriate for all speakers.
The language you select
should be suitable for you,
not someone else.
 Appropriate for the Audience

The second aspect of

appropriateness asks
whether the language you
are choosing is appropriate
for your specific audience.
 Appropriate for the Context
Recall that the speaking context
includes the occasion, the time of day,
the mood of the audience, and other
factors in addition to the physical
location. Take the entire speaking
context into consideration when you
make the language choices for your
speech.
 Appropriate for the Topic

The fourth and final question

about the appropriateness of
language involves whether
the language is appropriate
for your specific topic.
  Use Vivid Langugae

Vivid language helps your

listeners create strong, distinct,
clear, and memorable mental
images. Good vivid language
usage helps an audience member
truly understand and imagine what
a speaker is saying
  Imagery

Imagery is the use of language

to represent objects, actions, or
ideas. The goal of imagery is to
help an audience member
create a mental picture of what
a speaker is saying.
  Imagery

• Concreteness
Ultimately, the goal of
concreteness is to show an
audience something instead
of talking about it abstractly
  Imagery

• Simile
It is used to compare two
things using words as “like”
and “as”.
  Imagery

• Metaphor
Makes a direct comparison,
substituting one thing for
another
  Rhythm

Rhythm refers to the

patterned, recurring
variance of elements of
sound or speech.
  Four types of rhythmic language
●Parallelism
When listing items in a
sequence, audiences will
respond more strongly when
those ideas are presented in a
grammatically parallel fashion
  Four types of rhythmic language

For example:
“Give me liberty or I’d rather
die.”
“Give me liberty or give me
death.
  Four types of rhythmic language
● Repetition
Repetition as a linguistic device is
designed to help audiences
become familiar with a short piece
of the speech as they hear it over
and over again. By repeating a
phrase during a speech, you create
a specific rhythm.
  Four types of rhythmic language

●Alliteration
repeating two or more
words in a series that
begin with the same
consonant
  Four types of rhythmic language

 Two basic types of alliteration:

Immediate Juxtaposition
occurs when the consonants
clearly follow one after the
other
  Four types of rhythmic language

 Two basic types of alliteration:

Immediate Juxtaposition
For example: Godric
Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff,
Rowena Ravenclaw, and
Salazar Slytherin
  Four types of rhythmic language

 Two basic types of alliteration:

Non-immediate Juxtaposition
occurs when the
consonants are repeated in
nonadjacent words
  Four types of rhythmic language

 Two basic types of alliteration:

Non-immediate Juxtaposition
For example: “It is the poison that
we must purge from our politics, the
wall that we must tear down before
the hour grows too late”) (Obama,
2008).
  Four types of rhythmic language

Assonance
assonance gets its rhythm
from repeating the same vowel
sounds with different
consonants in the stressed
syllables.
  Four types of rhythmic language

For example:
“free as a breeze,”
“mad as a hatter,”
“no pain, no gain”
“go, grow, and glow”
Use Inclusive
Language
 Use Inclusive Language

Inclusive language is
language that avoids placing
any one group of people
above or below other groups
while speaking.
 Gender-Specific Language

There are three common

problem areas that speakers
run into while speaking: using
“he” as generic, using “man” to
mean all humans, and gender
typing jobs
 Gender-Specific Language

Generic “He”
“Every morning when an
officer of the law puts on his
badge, he risks his life to serve
and protect his fellow citizens.”
 Gender-Specific Language
Use of “Man”
Traditionally, speakers of English
have used terms like “man,”
“mankind,” and (in casual
contexts) “guys” when referring to
both females and males.
 Gender-Specific Language
Use of “Man”
The National Council of Teachers
of English developed guidelines
for nonsexist language (National
Council of Teachers of English,
2002)
 Gender-Specific Language
Use of “Man”
For example, instead of using the
word “man,” you could refer to the
“human race.” Instead of saying,
“hey, guys,” you could say, “OK,
everyone.”
 Gender-Specific Language
Use of “Man”
By using gender-fair language
you will be able to convey your
meaning just as well, and you
won’t risk alienating half of your
audience.
 Gender-Specific Language

Gender-Typed Jobs
Speakers sometimes also use
a gender-specific pronoun to
refer to an occupation that has
both males and females.
Gender-Specific Language
Exclusive Language Inclusive Language
Policeman Police officer
Businessman Businessperson
Fireman Firefighter
Stewardess Flight attendant
Waiters Wait staff / servers
Mailman Letter carrier / postal worker

Barmaid Bartender
Ethnic Identity

Ethnic identity refers to a

group an individual identifies
with based on a common
culture.
Ethnic Identity

Avoid statements such as “The

committee is made up of four
women and a Vietnamese
man.” Instead, say, “The
committee is made up of four
women and a man”
Ethnic Identity

“The committee is made up of

three European American
women, an Israeli American
woman, a Brazilian American
woman, and a Vietnamese
American man.”
Ethnic Identity

If you want to be safe, the best

thing you can do is ask a
couple of people who belong
to an ethnic group how they
prefer to label themselves.
 Sexual Orientation
Another area that can cause
some problems is referred to as
heterosexism. Heterosexism
occurs when a speaker presumes
that everyone in an audience is
heterosexual or that opposite-sex
relationships are the only norm.
 Sexual Orientation
For example, a speaker might
begin a speech by saying, “I
am going to talk about the
legal obligations you will have
with your future husband or
wife.”
 Disability
Exclusive Language Inclusive Language
Handicapped People People with disabilities
Insane Person Person with a psychiatric disability
(or label the psychiatric diagnosis,
e.g. “person with schizophrenia”)

Person in a wheelchair Person who uses a wheelchair

Crippled Person with a physical disability

Special needs program Accessible needs program

Mentally retarded Person with an intellectual disability
 Use Familiar language
The last category related to
using language appropriately
simply ask you to use
language that is familiar both
to you and your audience.
Conversational
Phrases
Conversational Phrases
Conversational words are common phrases
or expressions that we use when we speak.
Finding or using the right words to convey
precise feelings or thoughts can improve
conversation skills. Not all phrases have a
particular register, but the ones that do have
are tagged with formal or informal register.
Examples of Formal and Informal Conversational Words/Phrases
Examples of Formal and Informal Conversational Words/Phrases

GREETINGS IN ENGLISH

Formal Informal
Hello! Hey!/Hey there!/Hi!
Good morning How are things!
Good afternoon How’s it going?
Good evening! What’s up?/What’s new?
How are you? It’s good to see you
It is nice to meet you! Long-time no see
It is lovely to meet you! What’s up/Sup
It is pleasure to meet you! Yo/Yoyo
Pleased to meet you! Howdy!
How have you been?
Examples of Formal and Informal Conversational Words/Phrases
Examples of Formal and Informal Conversational Words/Phrases
FORMAL vs INFORMAL EXPRESSIONS

FORMAL INFORMAL

▪I regret to inform you that ... ▪I hate to have to tell you this but ...

▪I am writing to inform you that ... ▪Just a quick line to say ...

▪It is a pleasure to meet you. ▪Nice to meet you.

▪Upon your arrival ... ▪As soon as you get here …

▪At your earliest convenience ▪As soon as you can

 Use Special Terminology to Run a Formal Conversation

Each industry has its own specifics, so

try to use the appropriate jargon or
vocabulary. Jargon is formal language
unique to a specific discipline or field.
This language often helps experts
communicate with clarity and precision.
 Idiomatic Expressions

Every language has its own idioms and

expressions and the English language
has plenty of phrases that is useful to
learn. Idioms are words or phrases that
are not meant to be taken literally and
usually have a cultural meaning behind
them.
 Idiomatic Expressions

Using idioms shows familiarity with

English. It demonstrates that you
are comfortable with both formal
language and informal
colloquialisms.
Idiomatic Expressions
IDIOMS MEANING

A blessing in disguise a good thing that seemed bad at first

A dime a dozen Something common

Beat around the bush Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable

Better late than never Better to arrive late than not to come at all

Bite the bullet To get something over with because it is inevitable

Break a leg Good luck

Call it a day Stop working on something

Cut somebody some slack Don't be so critical