Spoken interaction is impossible without prosody. Intonation, pitch register, tempo, rhythm, pausing, loudness and voice quality all contribute to the spontaneous negotiation process that is everyday talk.

This highly accessible introduction to the prosody and analysis of everyday conversation explains basic concepts and methods of interpretation using a wealth of examples from real-life conversations. Readers are introduced to the many conversational practices prosody plays a part in through sample analyses, all of which are available to listen to as downloadable audio files on the accompanying companion website: www.palgrave.com/analysingconversation

Packed with authentic examples, practical suggestions for analysis, suggestions for further reading and a helpful glossary, this clear and comprehensive guide is essential reading for students and researchers alike.

BEATRICE SZCZEPEK REED is Lecturer in TESOL at the University of York, UK.

List of Tables and Figures
Acknowledgements
Preliminaries
Pitch: Introduction
Pitch: Intonation
Pitch: Range and Register
Time: Sound and Syllable Duration
Speech Rate
Speech Rhythm
Pauses
Loudness
Voice Quality
Outlook: Future Issues in Research on Prosody in Conversation
Answers to Exercises
Appendix: Transcription Conventions
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Index.