Prosodic Patterns in English Conversation

audio examples for Chapter 12: Topic Management Constructions

Topic Closing

12.1) I dunno know how that works // that's good // yeah. we've been talking for seven minutes

12.2) it's with Romero. I've never had a class with him // me neither // there's a lot of professors I haven't had a class with...

12.3) so that's basically how it is

Topic Starting and Continuation

12.4) do you want to stay in school? // I want to go into industry; I didn't want to do a Masters

12.5) what's the favorite class that you do learn something in?

12.6) we're making a project for, our project is for him. Move that thing?

Topic Development

12.7) ...Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings. But I also I really loved the Boondock Saints. Have you ever watched it?

12.8) we can turn it in at the beginning of class. I mean we'll all have worked on it.

Digressions

12.9) J. R. Tolkien (J. R. R. Tolkien, is that it? // yeah // right.) He's being hailed as the Tolkien of this era.

12.10) the assignment // (assignment, which one? // the one for AI) // I did alright

Interpolated, Meta-, and High-Priority Utterances

12.11) which one's your favorite? Programming Languages, because it's the only hope I have (laughing)

12.12) I love ethics (laughter)

12.13) the other topic, about your major // these topics are ... we wouldn't talk about these topics in normal life

12.14) but you're not even answering my question

12.15) how much time do we have?

12.16) we're live, man

12.17) yep

12.18) bye // bye

12.19) whee!

12.20) jump jump jump!

12.21) look out!