Silent Moves (A04)

• Subject Area: General and Comparative Linguistics, Experimental Linguistics, Typology, Non-European Languages
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 551281144

The project investigates silence as a conversational move in the so-called Table Model of dialogue: (1) When is silence a compliant move that brings the conversation forward, and when is it non-compliant (= causing a state of crisis)? (2) If compliant, what is the meaning contribution of silence? (3) Does meaning arise conventionally or by pragmatic enrichment? We focus on silence as a reaction to three initiative types: (i) assertions, (ii) questions and (iii) directives. After the experimental assessment of how speakers perceive/interpret silent moves, we aim to develop a model of silence as an interpretable move in conversations.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1760: SiNoSi: Silence, Noise and Signal in Language
• Applicant Institution: Universität Konstanz
• Project Heads: Professorin Dr. Regine Eckardt; Professorin Maribel Romero, Ph.D.