Volume 53, Issue 2 - Themenheft: Schweigen

In this paper, we discuss how silent intervals – typically referred to as pauses, silences, gaps, and Schweigen  – can be annotated in speech corpora. ( Schweigen could be loosely translated as ‚deliberate silence‘, but we argue that the concept has more connotations.) This issue is closely tied to aspects of form (which exponents are annotated?) and function (which categories are annotated?) of these phenomena. We demonstrate that there is an n:m mapping between forms and functions of silences, pauses, gaps, and Schweigen , and we will discuss how these categorizations may differ depending on the research question. For any silent interval, i. e., one of missing verbalization, in a speech corpus, we argue that: – it does not need to be acoustically silent; – it does not need to be intentional or semantically loaded; – it can have different, and multiple, functions, which are not always separable; – some of its functions overlap with those of other speech phenomena. We also argue that the form and function properties of silent intervals need to be covered on multiple independent annotation levels. The layout of this paper follows the decision sequence necessary for each annotation, starting with a definition of forms, followed by a definition of functions, ultimately leading to the mapping of concrete instances of silent intervals to possible functions

This article examines pauses as forms of planned silence in institutional communication. Excerpts from a court hearing and a dispute reported in the media are examined. A reconstructive analysis is used to determine how the pauses are brought about and what communicative significance they have in the interaction. The approach is based on the types of silence phases developed by Bergmann (1982) and pursues the question of the extent to which silence phases prove to be constitutive components of complex forms of action.

This article examines conversational silence, defined as silence embedded in the co-presence of interlocutors or within ongoing interaction. My approach is both historical and metapragmatic, focusing on how conversational silence was thematized and evaluated in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. I explore observable continuities and shifts in its perception and assess how these correlate with broader socio-cultural transformations. In essence, the study addresses changes in the cultural consciousness surrounding conversational silence. The primary sources are etiquette manuals, which are well-represented across the period in question and allow for the tracing of historical trajectories. The article concludes with theoretical reflections on silence as a communicative practice and reticence as a communicative habitus.

This paper explores the role of silence and concealment in political discourse from a linguistic-pragmatic perspective. It distinguishes between overt, observable silence and the intentional withholding of information, using conversational maxims and empirical analysis as interpretive tools. Drawing on examples from interviews and public events, the study demonstrates how deliberate non-communication functions both as a device of strategic ambiguity and as a tool of deflection. Through detailed examples and reference to conversational maxims, it shows how deliberate silence can undermine democratic transparency and erode public trust. The paper also addresses the ethical dimensions of omitting relevant information, highlighting the resulting damage to political credibility. Ultimately, it calls for a critical re-evaluation of silence as a multifaceted communicative strategy within the public sphere.

Silence is constitutive medium of both music and language. Based on semantic reflections on central concepts (e.g. ‚silence‘), selected ‚silent passages‘ by Claudio Monteverdi and Heinrich Schütz ( Representative Silence ) and reflections on the ‚Unsagbarkeitstopos‘ of Romantic musical aesthetics ( Sonorous Silence ), this article explores analogies and differences with regard to the phenomenon ‚Silence‘ across the boundaries of language and music. Following on from that, with John Cage, attention is drawn to the silence that surrounds us, which we then perceive as resonant silence ( Real Silence ). In this, silence ultimately becomes music itself.