Kaasaskõne

Kaasaskõne is a term used in Estonian linguistics and media studies to describe the phenomenon of co-speech: spoken language that accompanies another modality or stream of communication. The word combines kaas- “together, alongside” and kõne “speech,” illustrating how the spoken element runs in parallel with visual, textual, or non-verbal content.

In practice, kaasaskõne appears in several contexts. In broadcasting and multimedia, it often takes the form of voice-over or narratorial commentary that accompanies video or imagery. In live performance and theatre, a narrator or guide may speak alongside the action to provide context or interpretation. In educational settings, spoken explanations can accompany diagrams, slides, or other visual aids to enhance understanding. The concept also relates to scenarios where spoken language accompanies sign language or subtitles to improve accessibility and comprehension.

The function of kaasaskõne includes adding information, guiding interpretation, regulating pace and focus, and facilitating audience engagement. It can clarify ambiguous visuals, structure discourse, and create a cohesive multimodal experience. The phenomenon is closely linked to related ideas such as paralinguistics, voice-over practices, and multimodal discourse analysis, which study how spoken language interacts with other communicative modes.

In Estonian scholarship, kaasaskõne is used to analyze how speech operates in concert with other channels to convey meaning, influence reception, and shape audience interpretation. It has cross-cultural parallels in other languages under terms like co-speech commentary or voice-over. See also paralinguistics, dubbing, voice-over, and multimodal communication.