The accomplishment of nonserious talk in severe speech disability

Abstract

This paper investigates the production of, and responses to, nonserious talk by a person with a severe speech disorder in everyday conversation. Using the methods of Conversation Analysis (CA) a distinction between appreciability on the one hand and intelligibility and understandability on the other is examined through sequences featuring recipient laughter followed by delayed other-initiation of repair. Additional features of understandability are explored whereby a humour source turn is shown to be both appreciated and intelligible but not fully understood. The analysis reveals ways in which affiliation through humour is accomplished and maintained within an environment of significant intelligibility problems. The evidence presented in this paper indicates that nonserious talk is achievable through interaction despite the challenges of a severe speech disability.