In the picture

Creativity, Humor and Imagery in Language


PROJECT PROPOSAL NWO/FWO - Alignment and intersubjectivity in multimodal interaction

This is a representation of the recording set-up, including a static camera perspective recording the interaction in profile (left panel) and two dynamic perspectives using head-mounted cameras and eye-trackers (two panels on the right):

A video sample of the bidirectional recording technique can be downloaded here (click right mouse button and save target/link on a local hard drive)

Below is a transcript of the sample interaction:

(a) boy DIT is het vierkant dat gaat als eerste weg,
    this is the square that goes away first
    gestural alignment: flat hand, palm out to represent the disappearing square in (a) and (prior)
(b) girl ja [TOCH,
    it does, doesn't it
    gestural alignment: flat hand, palm out to represent the disappearing square in (a) and (b)
(c) boy [dan komen HIER de (.) driehoek[jes,
    then the little triangles appear here
(d) girl [ah nee bij m,
    ah no for m
(e) boy en dan WORDT het een driehoek;
    and then it becomes a triangle
(f) girl JA dat wel;
    yes that's true
    maar bij mij komen de driehoekjes aan de kant waar de driehoek nog STAAT;
    but in my case the little triangles appear on the side where the triangle still is
    gestural alignment: index finger vertical stroke to represent row of triangles in (c) and (f)
girl uses flat hand again (but now left) for new function, to represent visual surface
    lexical alignment: use of the diminutive "driehoekjes" in (c) and (f)
    focal alignment: focus on the girl's gesture by both (boy) and (girl)
    constructional alignment:
    dan                    komen     de driehoekjes     *hier                                                                    (c)
    maar bij mij     komen     de driehoekjes     aan de kant waar de driehoek nog staat     (f)

filmstrip

This example shows how the phenomenon of alignment works (i) simultaneously on different linguistic channels but also (ii) throughout longer stretches of discourse.

(i) Turn (c) and (f) show that alignment can occur on different layers at the same time. Here the interlocutors are representing a series of appearing triangles by using their index finger to indicate the triangles in a vertical row (see screen capture 2 and 3) ; they use the same lexical means to represent the appearing triangles, i.c. by saying driehoekjes;  they are both looking at the same event at the same time, i.c. the pointing gesture the girl is making (see screen capture 3); and they both use the same constructional slots to express the same event. This example demonstrates how interlocutors both physically and linguistically give form, i.e. construe, their communication with parallel means on different levels.
(ii) Turn (a) and (b) show that the flat hand is used to represent a square shape viewed on a vertical surface (see screen capture 1) and later simply the same vertical surface (screen capture 3). In both turns, and even in several turns preceding this example the interlocutors are using the exact same gestural construal mechanism to represent the disappearing square. In other words, they are aligning their non-linguistic means of representation throughout the conversation, hence facilitating communication.

 

 

ONGOING PROJECTS

      • 2007-2011: Linguistic Creativity in Discourse: Polysemy
        Supervisors: Kurt Feyaerts & Paul Sambre
        Collaborator: Elisabeth Zima
        Project funded by the KULeuven Research Fund (OT project)

  • 2009-2011: Insight Linguistics - Developing a 3-D Landscape of Language Use
    Supervisor: Geert Brône
    Collaborator: Bert Oben
    Project funded by the KULeuven Research Fund (Stimuleringsfonds)


PAST PROJECTS

  • 2007-2009: Disclosing Creative Language Use in a Student-Centred Learning Environment: Corinth
    Supervisors: Kurt Feyaerts & Dirk Speelman
    Collaborator: Bert Oben
    Project funded by the KULeuven Pedagogical Council

  • 2008: The Agile Mind: Creativity in Discourse and Art.
    Supervisor: Kurt Feyaerts
    Fellows: Tony Veale, Charles Forceville
    Visiting fellows: Andreas Langlotz, Patrick Hanks, Paul Sambre, Geert Brône
    Fellowship Cluster funded by the Flemish Academic Centre for Science and the Arts.

  • 2007-2008: Developing a Frame for Conceptualizing Sustainable Food Production. A Cognitive-Linguistic Approach Using Talkback Methodology
    Supervisors: Koen Jaspaert, Kurt Feyaerts, Dirk Geeraerts
    Collaborators: Freek Van de Velde, Geert Brône
    Interdisciplinary project funded by the King Baudouin Foundation