The composite semiotics of interactional repair in French and Italian TV debates

Doctoral thesis (2015)

In this work, the composite semiotics of interactional repair is analysed across n=409 tokens of different repair types in French and Italian TV debates. Three methodologies are merged to understand if ... [more ▼]

In this work, the composite semiotics of interactional repair is analysed across n=409 tokens of different repair types in French and Italian TV debates. Three methodologies are merged to understand if variables correlate on the contextualisation of repair and how. Talk in interaction is transcribed and analysed following conversation analytic methods (Sacks et al., 1974). Acoustic analysis is run to detect average means, minimum and maximum pitches movements (Boersma and Weenink, 2014). Facial action units of the upper face are transcribed following the FACS methodology (Ekman and Friesen, 1983 and Ekman et al., 2002). In the datasets sampled, both French and Italian speakers produce AU 1+2 more often than other movements. The duration of facial action units is also considered. Action units (AU) below 500 ms and above 500 ms are distinguished. According to previous literature (Ekman, 1969), movements below 500 ms are involuntary. Data show that both in French and Italian, AUs are more frequently shorter than 500 ms on speech errors, cut offs, and edits and more frequently longer than 500 ms on recyclings and replacements. The movements preceding and following the AU in analysis are also analysed. When AUs at AU-1 and AU+1 differ in configuration or drastically in intensity with respect to the AU in analysis, the AU is said to be in prosodic break with respect to its surroundings thus a cue to the contextualisation of the action it accompanies usually a repair (or an increment repair). In n=409 instances of repair analysed, n=174 AUs in analysis are in prosodic break with both AU-1 and AU+1, and in half of these instances a maximal pitch accent correlates too. [less ▲]

The Biosemiotics of Facial Kinetics

Scientific Conference (2013, June)

We call ‘languaging’ ( Fell and Russell, 1994) the complex-ecological, dynamic core-interaction of multiple semiotic resources to embody (Streeck, Goodwin and LeBaron, 2011) meaning in communication. We ... [more ▼]

We call ‘languaging’ ( Fell and Russell, 1994) the complex-ecological, dynamic core-interaction of multiple semiotic resources to embody (Streeck, Goodwin and LeBaron, 2011) meaning in communication. We discuss the physiological emergence of intentionality and consciousness through bio-semiotic markers of meaning in the form of facial kinetics (Birdwhistell, 1970), with a specific focus on eyebrow movements. We adopt a discursive-interactional approach to a set of ‘semi-interactional’ data, in order to investigate semantic, syntactic and pragmatic aspects of self-organization, bio-communication and anthropogenetics. A series of thirty-six short, -quasi-monologic- interviews (1.30 minutes each on average) was run on a mixed group of multilingual speakers at University of Luxembourg. Four sets can here be distinguished: twenty participants with different L1s spoke either English or French as L2 (ten and ten respectively). Eight English L1 speakers and eight French L1 speakers spoke English as L1 and French as L1 respectively. Data analysis reveals that, regardless of whether speakers use their L1 or an L2, there is consistency and systematics across languages, as for the placement of eyebrow movements on self-repair (Schegloff, 1977), material following hesitation and discourse markers (Schiffrin, 1986). In line with biogenetic structuralism (Laughlin and d'Aquili 1974), these results suggest that, although each living organism develops own ‘cognized’ Umwelt (von Uexkull, 1973), there are universal operational structures characterizing human language (Wierzbicka, 1992), and cognition. Aspects in the sequential organization of talk (Sacks, Schegloff, Jefferson) and linguistic-kinesic interdependence (Birdwhistell, 1970) may result from complex socio-genetic evolution of interactants’ nervous systems. [less ▲]

Privacy Awareness on Facebook - Engagement on an International Privacy Policy

in Morelli, Pierre; Pignard-Cheynel, Nathalie; Baltazart, Didier (Eds.) Actes du colloque EUTIC 2012 Publics et pratiques médiatiques (2012, October)

This small-scale study aims to raise some critical insights into ‘privacy awareness’, It discusses the need to set up an International Legal Framework for a Privacy Policy, which intends to protect users ... [more ▼]

This small-scale study aims to raise some critical insights into ‘privacy awareness’, It discusses the need to set up an International Legal Framework for a Privacy Policy, which intends to protect users from disclosing personal information to the larger public, out of their control. A critical discourse analysis of Facebook ‘Data use Policy’ (2011) is targeting what FB declares as information they receive about users and the ways it is used by them and third parties. The analysis informed the drafting of a questionnaire which aimed, among other issues, to investigate the extent to which users know that i) Facebook collects data like time and place from content that users share and ii) users give Facebook permission to distribute information to third parties for developing new products and services or for advertisement by accepting the terms and conditions of ‘Facebook Data Use Policy’. The questionnaire was distributed to forty-nine Facebook users in Luxembourg. The analysis revealed that although 90% of the participants noticed the presence of user-tailored-advertisements, only 25% of them know that by accepting the terms and conditions of ‘Facebook Data Use Policy’, users give Facebook permission to distribute personal information to third parties for business purposes. While discussing some proposals and recommendations for user-based management of privacy settings, we conclude that information leakage in the form of distribution to third parties cannot be easily avoided if not by improving practices for drafting legally bounding policies. We call the attention of the scientific community for a more engaged and informed discussion concerning the setting up of an international legal framework for a privacy policy. [less ▲]