Home Linguistics & Semiotics 8. Oral features in fiction
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

8. Oral features in fiction

  • Wolfram Bublitz
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill
Pragmatics of Fiction
This chapter is in the book Pragmatics of Fiction

Abstract

This chapter explores to what extent and why the typical oral features identified in naturally occurring spontaneous face-to-face discourse make it on screen, on stage or into a book. Following some necessary terminological clarifications (concerning notions such as medium and mode, orality and spokenness), the oral features reviewed are classified into five categories: (1) features of meta-communication, (2) features of turn management, (3) features of topic management (whose predominant functions are planning, repairing and organizing), (4) features of involvement and the micro-level category (5) features of formal reduction. The necessary (and tolerated) reduction of these oral features in scripted fictional dialogue is then comprehensively examined and explained.

Abstract

This chapter explores to what extent and why the typical oral features identified in naturally occurring spontaneous face-to-face discourse make it on screen, on stage or into a book. Following some necessary terminological clarifications (concerning notions such as medium and mode, orality and spokenness), the oral features reviewed are classified into five categories: (1) features of meta-communication, (2) features of turn management, (3) features of topic management (whose predominant functions are planning, repairing and organizing), (4) features of involvement and the micro-level category (5) features of formal reduction. The necessary (and tolerated) reduction of these oral features in scripted fictional dialogue is then comprehensively examined and explained.

Downloaded on 27.1.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110431094-008/html
Scroll to top button