Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T01:31:36.954Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

11 - Information Structure

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 May 2023

Laura Wagner
Affiliation:
Ohio State University
Cecile McKee
Affiliation:
University of Arizona
Get access

Summary

Chapter 11 opens by asking readers to imagine what different kinds of people likely know and don’t know. For example, everyone knows that things fall when you drop them. But details of social etiquette and childhood memories will vary across people. This exercise relates to the Maxim of Manner, which focuses on brevity, clarity, and orderliness for contributions to successful conversations. Information structure is central here: Learning is enhanced when learners meet given or familiar information before new or unfamiliar information. In other words, we build on what we already know. One reason that this point is critical to public engagement is that we compute meaning for words and sentences as we hear/read them. The Worked Example uses a demonstration in which we write people’s names in the International Phonetic Alphabet to compare two orders for presenting critical information. This chapter’s Closing Worksheet asks readers to write down an ideal interaction they want with the demonstrations they are developing and then to change the order of the elements around.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • Information Structure
  • Laura Wagner, Ohio State University, Cecile McKee, University of Arizona
  • Book: How to Talk Language Science with Everybody
  • Online publication: 17 May 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108894227.012
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Information Structure
  • Laura Wagner, Ohio State University, Cecile McKee, University of Arizona
  • Book: How to Talk Language Science with Everybody
  • Online publication: 17 May 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108894227.012
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Information Structure
  • Laura Wagner, Ohio State University, Cecile McKee, University of Arizona
  • Book: How to Talk Language Science with Everybody
  • Online publication: 17 May 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108894227.012
Available formats
×