Introspective discourse and the poetics of subjective experience

TY - JOUR

T1 - Introspective discourse and the poetics of subjective experience

AU - Wooffitt, Robin

AU - Holt, Nicola

PY - 2011/4

Y1 - 2011/4

N2 - This article examines poetic phenomena—rhymes, alliteration, puns—that appear in the introspective reports of people who have taken part in a psychology experiment. We argue that these phenomena are a form of discourse poetics identified in conversational data by Sacks and subsequently discussed by Jefferson, among others. We extend earlier research, first, to identify how the organization of these introspective narratives facilitates a range of poetic and rhetorical forms more commonly associated with the study of classical literary and religious texts; and second, to provide evidence that these poetic forms are not happenstance but are pragmatic achievements.

AB - This article examines poetic phenomena—rhymes, alliteration, puns—that appear in the introspective reports of people who have taken part in a psychology experiment. We argue that these phenomena are a form of discourse poetics identified in conversational data by Sacks and subsequently discussed by Jefferson, among others. We extend earlier research, first, to identify how the organization of these introspective narratives facilitates a range of poetic and rhetorical forms more commonly associated with the study of classical literary and religious texts; and second, to provide evidence that these poetic forms are not happenstance but are pragmatic achievements.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79957800808&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/08351813.2011.567097

DO - 10.1080/08351813.2011.567097

M3 - Article

SN - 0835-1813

VL - 44

SP - 135

EP - 156

JO - Research on Language and Social Interaction

JF - Research on Language and Social Interaction

IS - 2

ER -