Formalising backchannel relevance spaces

Abstract:

Dialogue is co-constructed -- even in monological contexts (e.g. lectures, narratives), listeners provide feedback to demonstrate whether or not they have grounded the conversation thus far, using positive (backchannels) or negative (repair) feedback. Evidence suggests that there are specific places where it is salient for these feedback responses to occur. We provide a low-level semantic model of feedback relevance spaces using Dynamic Syntax, and the computational action of completion, which compiles semantic units of information. We further show how the model can account for feedback which seemingly precedes a feedback relevance space.

Research areas:

• Dialogue
• Repair
• Dynamic Syntax
• IncReD

Year:

2017

Type of Publication:

In Proceedings

Book title:

The first Dynamic Syntax conference