Conducting an Interview: using the analysis of a speech event to elicit certain varieties of speech

Author(s): Margareta Tan & Thomas Herbst
E-mail: mtan@tattoo.ed.ac.uk

In any research project that attempts to compile a corpus of speech production sampled from any given population there arises the question of appropriate elicitation techniques and the varieties of speech that they tap. This paper takes a closer look at the informal interview and shows how the theoretical analysis of a speech event can serve as a twofold tool: Firstly, it can be used to anticipate the kinds of varieties of speech to be expected in the interview situation. Secondly, it can help the researcher influence the parameters in the interview situation to encourage particular varieties of speech. The analysis of a speech event is based on Hymes' components of speech and Koch & Österreicher's conditions of communication (e.g. degree of familiarity, emotional involvement, spontaneity). Special consideration will be given to the situation of L2 interviewees.

Paper: Postscript (345965 bytes)