1. Language play in conversation
-
Neal R. Norrick
Abstract
Language play has been understood in two contrastive ways, giving rise to two separate, but partly complementary research traditions: first, play with language as its object, and second, play with language as its medium. Language is clearly the object of play in games like crosswords, anagrams and punning, where metalingual focus (Jakobson 1960) on the forms of language replaces the coherence of ordinary discourse. This sort of play with language may become serious business, for instance in the creation of concrete poetry and advertising slogans (see Crystal 1998). But language may also be the medium of play in teasing a friend or exchanging embarrassing personal anecdotes, where a play frame (Bateson 1953, Fry 1963) or a non-serious key (Hymes 1972) holds sway. Properly framed, even pointedly negative remarks can come across as playful sarcasm rather than serious aggression (see Boxer and Cortés-Conde 1997). But within the playful interaction, language may retain its literal meaning, as when friends flirtatiously pay each other compliments. The two types fall together when conversationalists non-seriously frame their interaction as play and also transform the means and routines of everyday talk, as when the flirtatious compliments become obviously exaggerated, allusive or punning (see Straehle 1993): Hence the complementary overlap between the two research paradigms on language play. My chapter will illustrate both sorts of language play and their convergence with examples from everyday conversation, and present ways of analyzing such interactions, particularly with regard to their significance for the organization of conversation, for our understanding of the forms of everyday talk, and for interpersonal relationships, especially concerning the interplay of humor and aggression.
Abstract
Language play has been understood in two contrastive ways, giving rise to two separate, but partly complementary research traditions: first, play with language as its object, and second, play with language as its medium. Language is clearly the object of play in games like crosswords, anagrams and punning, where metalingual focus (Jakobson 1960) on the forms of language replaces the coherence of ordinary discourse. This sort of play with language may become serious business, for instance in the creation of concrete poetry and advertising slogans (see Crystal 1998). But language may also be the medium of play in teasing a friend or exchanging embarrassing personal anecdotes, where a play frame (Bateson 1953, Fry 1963) or a non-serious key (Hymes 1972) holds sway. Properly framed, even pointedly negative remarks can come across as playful sarcasm rather than serious aggression (see Boxer and Cortés-Conde 1997). But within the playful interaction, language may retain its literal meaning, as when friends flirtatiously pay each other compliments. The two types fall together when conversationalists non-seriously frame their interaction as play and also transform the means and routines of everyday talk, as when the flirtatious compliments become obviously exaggerated, allusive or punning (see Straehle 1993): Hence the complementary overlap between the two research paradigms on language play. My chapter will illustrate both sorts of language play and their convergence with examples from everyday conversation, and present ways of analyzing such interactions, particularly with regard to their significance for the organization of conversation, for our understanding of the forms of everyday talk, and for interpersonal relationships, especially concerning the interplay of humor and aggression.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter i
- Contents v
- Introduction 1
- 1. Language play in conversation 11
- 2. Playing with turns, playing with action? A social-interactionist perspective 47
- 3. The shape of tweets to come: Automating language play in social networks 73
- 4. “This system’s so slow”: Negotiating sequences of laughter and laughables in call-center interaction 93
- 5. Laughter as a “serious business”: Clients’ laughter in prenatal screening for Down’s syndrome 119
- 6. Jocular language play, social action and (dis)affiliation in conversational interaction 143
- 7. “Everything he says to me it’s like he stabs me in the face”: Frontstage and backstage reactions to teasing 169
- 8. Cities, conviviality and double-edged language play 199
- 9. Building rapport and a sense of communal identity through play in a second language classroom 219
- 10. The first English (EFL) lesson: Initial settings or the emergence of a playful classroom culture 245
- 11. The emergence of creativity in L2 English: A usage-based case-study 281
- 12. Teaching language learners how to understand sarcasm in L2 English 317
- 13. Anti-language: Linguistic innovation, identity construction, and group affiliation among emerging speech communities 347
- 14. Celebrations of a satirical song: Ideologies of anti-racism in the media 377
- Index 403
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter i
- Contents v
- Introduction 1
- 1. Language play in conversation 11
- 2. Playing with turns, playing with action? A social-interactionist perspective 47
- 3. The shape of tweets to come: Automating language play in social networks 73
- 4. “This system’s so slow”: Negotiating sequences of laughter and laughables in call-center interaction 93
- 5. Laughter as a “serious business”: Clients’ laughter in prenatal screening for Down’s syndrome 119
- 6. Jocular language play, social action and (dis)affiliation in conversational interaction 143
- 7. “Everything he says to me it’s like he stabs me in the face”: Frontstage and backstage reactions to teasing 169
- 8. Cities, conviviality and double-edged language play 199
- 9. Building rapport and a sense of communal identity through play in a second language classroom 219
- 10. The first English (EFL) lesson: Initial settings or the emergence of a playful classroom culture 245
- 11. The emergence of creativity in L2 English: A usage-based case-study 281
- 12. Teaching language learners how to understand sarcasm in L2 English 317
- 13. Anti-language: Linguistic innovation, identity construction, and group affiliation among emerging speech communities 347
- 14. Celebrations of a satirical song: Ideologies of anti-racism in the media 377
- Index 403
