Emotion in speech

This paper explores how emotion is conveyed in spoken language based on a sample of three stories for children read aloud by a trained storyteller. It draws on both Martin & White’s appraisal framework (2005) and a systematic account of vocal features. Interpreting and profiling emotion is a challenge both for researchers interested in spoken language and for English-as-an-additional-language teachers, when working to improve students’ spoken expression of emotion. Underpinning this challenge is the absence of a unified theoretical stance and a consequent lack of shared analytical tools for describing how speakers use semiotic resources to convey emotion in their speech. A systemic functional semiotic approach can make visible the co-patterning of wordings and vocalisations that express emotion.