Psychological research on the laugh-speak

在本研究中，我们调查了人们在三种不同的情景下使用笑语的现象：1)在采访场景中，2)在酒吧里，3)在美国电视访谈节目中。在这三个背景下的对话被记录下来，然后通过使用对话分析符号进行转录。在转录的基础上，对笑语进行了识别和分析。研究结果如下：首先，笑语的使用并不局限于日本人。美国人也经常用笑声说话。其次，当人们反复地、犹豫地或间接地表达词语时，经常可以观察到笑声。而且，人们还笑着引用了别人的话。第三，这些笑语的功能被估计为说话者所说的话的强度的改变，以及对他们所说的话的情感判断或态度的表达。这些结果表明，笑语在人际交流中起着重要的作用。笑语的功能应该超出杰斐逊(1979)和塔尼(1986)所断言的范围。然而，除了听者接受说话者的笑声并大笑的情况外，笑语的有效性尚不清楚。

In this research, we investigated the phenomenon that people phrase words laughingly i.e. laugh-speak in three different situations: 1)in the interview settings, 2)in the drinking bar, and 3)in the interview program of American TV. The conversations in these three settings were recorded, then transcribed by using conversation analysis notations. On the basis of the transcriptions, laugh-speaks were identified and analyzed. The results were as follows. Firstly, the use of laugh-speak was not limited among Japanese people. American people often used laugh-speak as well. Secondly, the laugh-speaks were often observed when people phrase words repeatedly, hesitatingly, or indirectly. And also, people cited the words of others laughingly. Thirdly, the functions of these laugh-speaks were estimated as the alteration of the degree of strength of what the speakers said, and as the expression of affective judgments on or attitude to what they said. These results showed that laugh-speak plays important roles in the interpersonal communications. The functions of laugh-speaks should be beyond the scope which Jefferson(1979) and Tani(1986) has been asserted. However, the effectiveness of laugh-speak remained unclear except the case in which the listeners accepted the laughter of speakers and laughed.