When is a question not a question? To answer this we need to look at the prosody of the utterance and its co-text.
My latest article on TESL-EJ The article is free on the TESL-EJ website:
With the advent of chatGPT and AI text-generation software, the need for university tutors to design assignments which dissuade students from utilising these tools has never been more apparent. We can achieve this in part by setting second-order assignments which… Continue Reading →
My new monograph is available for free here. It looks at Nonrepresentational Linguistic Idealism (NLI).
Tomorrow (Monday) we learn who will be the next British Prime Minister. The bookies have Liz Truss as odds on favourite over her rival, Rishi Sunak. Both candidates appeared on the BBC’s new flagship programme ‘Sunday with Laura Kuennsberg’ this… Continue Reading →
As I was going to St. Ives I met a man with seven wives, Each wife had seven sacks, each sack had seven cats,Each cat had seven kits: kits, cats, sacks and wives,How many were going to St. Ives? [Answer… Continue Reading →
The notion of sentience has been in the news recently since a Google AI researcher, Blake Lemoine, claimed that a chatbot he had been interacting with was sentient. His claim has been rebuffed by some antagonists and he has been… Continue Reading →
Here is an example of an FTA to help you understand the concept. It is a non political example.
I heard this comment on Radio 4 this afternoon on the PM show and though it was worthy to bring it to you.
Here are some journals that will be of interest to students on ELT and Applied Linguistic courses. As a student, the key to success is to engage with the academic literature so you should be reading these journal morning afternoon… Continue Reading →
The quote below of Andrew Neil on the GMB show, said somewhat tongue-in-cheek, claims that a virus ‘can’t read’. Most people would agree with that I think. Andrew Neil01 well as you say02 the only reason for not making this… Continue Reading →
Ever thought there might be something missing from our understanding of the universe? Ever thought there may be some extra dimension curled up, hidden away right in front of us? What if language was that dimension, a fifth dimension in… Continue Reading →
Sometimes being impolite and creating conflict doesn’t take much effort. All you need to do is raise your voice!
Grice’s maxim of relevance states that: “expect a partner’s contribution to be appropriate to immediate needs at each stage of the transaction”.Leech (1983: 94) In the following turns, we see in line 01 that A signals to B that he… Continue Reading →
Fight for control of the floor can sometimes produce odd utterances out of the mouths of the interlocutors. Here is Boris Johnson and Nick Robinson spluttering syllables like bird wings flapping in the air as they fight for the turn… Continue Reading →
Fighting for the floor can take on epic proportions at times with your interlocutor when you both want to get something out. In the following two examples, David Davis and John Humphrys almost end up rapping together as they negotiate… Continue Reading →
I heard an interesting little neologism today in a meeting when someone misheard the word ‘ungrammatical’ for ‘angrammatical’. The neologism has quite a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Maybe a blend along the lines of ‘anger about some… Continue Reading →
Standing up and speaking in public is not just a one-way affair from speaker to audience. The reaction of the audience to what is said can be just as important and defining as the speaker’s words themselves.
In general, only one person can hold the floor in a conversation. When a debate is taking place, there are often periods where negotiation of the floor occurs. The current speaker will use rhetorical devices to try and maintain the… Continue Reading →
Is it “trite journalism” to ask the shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer what the country pays on its national debt? Should the shadow chancellor have these figures to hand, or can he rely on an iPad or advisor to tell… Continue Reading →
Corbyn negotiates with the Chamber The example below is a good example of how the current speaker at the dispatch box, Jeremy Corbyn in this case, often has to negotiate with the chamber to establish their rights to the floor…. Continue Reading →
By Daniel Hartworth Swift Key Neural: the world’s first smartphone keyboard software that uses an artificial neural network to predict and correct language. Swift Key Blog is here Swift key are an software company, most notably known for their original,… Continue Reading →
The general theory of verbal humour (GTVH) is a theory which attempts to explain how a joke works and why it is funny. The theory only refers to ‘verbal’ humour and not other forms such as slapstick comedy. The basic… Continue Reading →
Read the following sentence: Does the Andromeda Galaxy disappear after you finish reading this question? What is your answer? Some of you may say ‘yes’, many I expect will say ‘no’. Others might ask what is the ‘Andromeda Galaxy’? Well… Continue Reading →
Hello, This website is designed for students on module 313DEL Language and the Mind at Coventry University. The website is run by the module leader, Mike Cribb. On this site you will find blogs and articles relating to the topics and issues… Continue Reading →
Cry Woman walking We live by faith Corona Corona Circles of Hell
This site contains a lot of information in the form of blogs (posts), pages, documents and audio. Only a limited amount can be shown on the homepage. It is useful, therefore, to have an oversight of the structure and organisation… Continue Reading →
In 1941, Hannah Arendt, a Jewish political theorist, escaped Nazi-controlled Europe and emigrated to the United States. As an immigrant in an English-speaking country, she lamented the loss of her German mother tongue and the ‘productivity’ it had afforded her…. Continue Reading →
RM
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