While all along we have probably been familiar with the existence of a conventional sequence of utterances for certain types of speech, such as the vows taken at a wedding ceremony, it was really interesting to learn how even more common types of speech events can have an identifiable sequence structure that may be studied and analyzed as well.
One of these speech events is the market transaction. Who ever thought that the exchange which goes on between the friendly vegetable seller and his or her customer in the neighbourhood wet market would also be somewhat structured, and governed by established cultural norms? With the framework at hand (incorporating the 10 components of a speech event),I feel better equipped to pay more attention to speech events around me and to derive greater meaning from their varied components. On the whole, this week's seminar helped me better appreciate the value of studying speech, and how it can contribute to a deeper understanding of the inner workings of society and culture.
I reckon that when I follow my mother on her grocery shopping trip to the neighbourhood wet market this week, it'll be a whole new exciting experience. :)
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Hey Jia Xin, I feel the same way. I'm starting to be more attentive to everyday speech events around me. Prior to last week's lecture, I was oblivious to any speech events I was involved in. Now, I find myself listening to conversations closely. You can say it's eavesdropping, but I guess a bit of it is good. Haha. I think learning speech events has also helped me to re-discover our own Singapore/Asian culture. See you on Wed, cheers.
ReplyDeleteThat's very good to hear that it has some relevance to our daily practices.
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