Non-Linguistic Utterance
A Non-Linguistic Utterance is Speech Unit that approximates an linguistic utterance but is not (because it does not conform to a Natural Language Syntax).
- AKA: Non-Sentential Utterance.
- Example(s):
- Counter-Example(s):
- See: Ungrammatical Sentence, Gricean Maxim, Phonology, Child-directed Speech.
References
- (Wikipedia, 2019) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utterance Retrieved:2019-2-24.
- In spoken language analysis, an utterance is the smallest unit of speech. It is a continuous piece of speech beginning and ending with a clear pause. In the case of oral languages, it is generally but not always bounded by silence. Utterances do not exist in written language, only their representations do. They can be represented and delineated in written language in many ways.
In oral/spoken language utterances have several features including paralinguistic features which are aspects of speech such as facial expression, gesture, and posture. Prosodic features include stress, intonation, and tone of voice, as well as ellipsis, which are words that the listener inserts in spoken language to fill gaps. Moreover, other aspects of utterances found in spoken languages are non-fluency features including: voiced/un-voiced pauses (like "umm"), tag questions, and false starts when someone begins their utterances again to correct themselves. Other features include: fillers ("and stuff"); accent/dialect; deictic expressions, which are utterances like "over there!" which need further explanation to be understood; simple conjunctions ("and," "but," etc.); and colloquial lexis which are everyday informal words.[1]
Utterances that are portrayed in writing are planned, in contrast to utterances in improvised spoken language. In written language there are frameworks that are used to portray this type of language. Discourse structure (which can also be found in spoken language) is how the conversation is organized, in which adjacency pairs - an utterance and the answer to that utterance - are used. Discourse markers are used to organize conversation ("first," "secondly," etc.). Lexis denotes the words being used in a text or spoken; these words can create a semantic field. For example, a semantic field of love can be created with lexical choices such as adore, admire, and care. Grammar/syntax is another feature of language in general but also utterances, and pragmatics means that when utterances are spoken or written the meaning is not literal, as in sarcasm.
- In spoken language analysis, an utterance is the smallest unit of speech. It is a continuous piece of speech beginning and ending with a clear pause. In the case of oral languages, it is generally but not always bounded by silence. Utterances do not exist in written language, only their representations do. They can be represented and delineated in written language in many ways.
2016
- (Read & Belpaeme, 2016) ⇒ Robin Read, and Tony Belpaeme. (2016). “People Interpret Robotic Non-linguistic Utterances Categorically.” In: International Journal of Social Robotics, 8(1). ISBN:1875-4805 doi:10.1007/s12369-015-0304-0
2012
- (Read & Belpaeme, 2012) ⇒ Robin Read, and Tony Belpaeme. (2012). “How to Use Non-linguistic Utterances to Convey Emotion in Child-robot Interaction.” In: Proceedings of the seventh annual ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction. ISBN:978-1-4503-1063-5 doi:10.1145/2157689.2157764
- QUOTE: Utterances made by robots need to be congruent with the user expectations. While it is well established that natural language plays a vital role in increasing interaction quality, breakdowns in natural language interaction are uncomfortable for users. In such cases, it is worth looking at alternative communication strategies. Solutions have been to constrain interactions to scripted scenarios, narrowing the scope of user responses, thus aiding their interpretation, or to switch to what has been termed “mother in law” mode, where the robot employs a set of general purpose utterances. These approaches have their limitations, as incorrect or repetitive linguistic responses are quickly identified by users. The work outlined here explores the potential of another alternative: non-linguistic utterances (NLUs).
NLUs have been used extensively and almost exclusively by the world of animation. R2D2, Chewbacca and WALL-E provide vivid examples of this. However, there is currently no principled understanding of how such utterances can be utilized in real social robots where there is great potential in the short term.
- QUOTE: Utterances made by robots need to be congruent with the user expectations. While it is well established that natural language plays a vital role in increasing interaction quality, breakdowns in natural language interaction are uncomfortable for users. In such cases, it is worth looking at alternative communication strategies. Solutions have been to constrain interactions to scripted scenarios, narrowing the scope of user responses, thus aiding their interpretation, or to switch to what has been termed “mother in law” mode, where the robot employs a set of general purpose utterances. These approaches have their limitations, as incorrect or repetitive linguistic responses are quickly identified by users. The work outlined here explores the potential of another alternative: non-linguistic utterances (NLUs).
- ↑ "Level Up: English Language". www.allinfo.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-10-05.