Introspective discourse and the poetics of subjective experience

Wooffitt, Robin; Holt, Nicola

Abstract

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. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2011
• Journal: Research on Language and Social Interaction
• Print ISSN: 0835-1813
• Electronic ISSN: 1532-7973
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 44
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 135-156
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08351813.2011.567097
• Keywords: consciousnes, introspective discourse, poetics, subjective experience
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/964233
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08351813.2011.567097