Social speech: voice, prosody, and formulaic language.
Naturalistic speech utilizes elements that were not in focus in traditional linguistic studies, but
have recently emerged as extremely important to descriptions of human verbal communication.
Using capacities of the voice, an array of nuances, meanings, and intentions contributes mightily to
conversational interaction. Although these prosodic signals still elude full and detailed
description, they can be described in broad outline. Related to the configurations of prosody are
the formulaic expressions that are so prevalent in discourse. These are conversational speech
formulas (“how’s it going?”), expletives, idioms, and other unitary expressions known to the native
speaker in terms of their words, prosodic shape, contextual meanings, and conditions of use in the
social setting. Depending on speakers, social register, and theme, about 25% of talk consists of
formulaic language. Second language speakers famously err in use of prosody and formulaic
expressions. For example, the expression “I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes,” to sound native,
must have the sentence accent on “his.” Brain damage interferes selectively with native sounding
prosody and formulaic expression usage. Current studies of the important roles of voice, prosody,
and formulaic language in naturalistic speech, and the effects of brain damage on these
communicative elements, will be reviewed, with several themes presented for discussion.
References (* = priority recommended)
Voice and prosody
*Kreiman, J. & Sidtis, D. (2011). Foundations of Voice Studies: Interdisciplinary Approaches to
Voice Production and Perception. Boston: Wiley-Blackwell. Chapters 8 & 9.
Van Lancker, D. & Sidtis, J. (1992). The identification of affective-prosodic stimuli by left- and right-brain
damaged subjects: all errors are not created equal. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 35, 963970.
*Sidtis, J. J.,& Van Lancker-Sidtis, D. (2003). A neurobehavioral approach to dysprosody. Seminars in
Speech and Language, 24 (2), 93-105.
Formulaic language
Van Lancker, D. & Rallon, G. (2004). Tracking the incidence of formulaic expressions in everyday speech:
methods for classification and verification. Language and Communication, 24, 207-240.
Van Lancker Sidtis, D. & Postman, W.A. (2006). Formulaic expressions in spontaneous speech of leftand right-hemisphere damaged subjects. Aphasiology, 20 (5), 411-426.
*Van Lancker Sidtis, D. (2012). Two track mind: Formulaic and novel language support a dual process
model. In Miriam Faust (Ed.) Advances in the neural substrates of language: Toward a synthesis
of basic science and clinical research (pp. 342-367). London: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.