The Style and Timbre of Everyday Speech

Abstract

It may seem odd and bewildering, but everyday speech is intended neither to teach, nor to inform, neither to impress, nor to fantasize, neither to instruct, nor to educate — but, arguably, to mix and rub elbows, to keep company and hang around with friends, to charm and woo the object of affection, to boast and to conceal embarrassment, to share and exchange sudden emotion, to put it in a nutshell — to socialize by means of language. Indeed,

in normal friendly conversation, it is most important to avoid silence. If somebody volunteers a piece of information or some exciting news, or puts forward an opinion, or exclaims with surprise at something, an answer is just as necessary as when a question is asked. The answer may be purely formal and may convey little or no information, but it keeps the conversation going, and prevents the discomfort of a pause.

(Abercrombie, 1965, pp. 57–58)