Keevallik, Hofstetter, Löfgren, & Wiggins presented at the Embodied Syntax Network conference, Sept 8 2023, on the syntax of response cries.
Abstract:
The essence of response cries, as described by Goffman (1978), is that their sequential placement in the immediate aftermath of an event performs them as visceral reactions to this event. While some studies already show that they are implemented at specific interactional junctures, such as pain expressions in response to doctor’s elicitation (Heath 1989) or surprise tokens after turns seeking surprise (Wilkinson & Kitzinger 2006), we have yet to explore how they are organized in relation to syntax and incorporated into turn design. This study targets the relationship between evaluative adjectival constructions and response cries.
Response cries have been shown to occur turn-initially (Heritage 1984: 325); for instance, gustatory mmms typically follow rather than precede evaluative terms (Wiggins 2002: 321). At the same time, response cries are regularly characterized by extreme prosodies and use of sounds not germane to the phonology of a specific language, which can potentially disrupt fluent syntax and turn design, meaning we need a systematic account of how syntax and turns are shaped around them. At this point of tension between the ‘natural overflowing’ of the body and the social organization of (verbal) interaction, there are opportunities for qualitatively different meaning-making, such as other participants suspending their turns upon an occurrence of a cry, endowing it with urgency and priority, as well as offering adjectival interpretations of its cause.
Based on data from a variety of contexts, such as mealtimes, sports training, and arts rehearsals, we will show how participants use response cries and evaluative constructions in a way that mutually elaborates their meaning in various sequential and simultaneous orders, such as in the form of depictions that take an embodied stance in parallel with verbal assessments. We thereby argue for the expansion of the conceptualization of syntax into areas hitherto left beyond its scope.
Goffman, E. (1978). Response Cries. Language, 54(4), 787-815.
Heath, C. (2002). Demonstrative Suffering: The Gestural (Re)embodiment of Symptoms.
Journal of Communication, 52(3), 597-616.
Heritage, J. (1984). A change-of-state token and aspects of its sequential placement. In J.
M. Atkinson (Ed.), Structures of Social Action (pp. 299-345). Cambridge University
Press.
Wiggins, S. (2002). Talking With Your Mouth Full: Gustatory Mmms and the Embodiment of
Pleasure. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 35(3), 311-336. Wilkinson, S., & Kitzinger, C. (2006). Surprise As an Interactional Achievement: Reaction
Tokens in Conversation. Social Psychology Quarterly, 69(2), 150-182. https://doi.org/10.1177/019027250606900203
Non-lexical vocalizations 