Advanced Spoken English: Conversation Analysis

1. Advanced Spoken English:ConversationAnalysis Note: this PPT uses some slides from a session “Talk at Work” given by Prof. Dr. Jürgen Beneke on 04.11.2003

2. What is conversation I • interchange through speech of information, ideas etc. • an informal talk in which people exchange news, feelings and thoughts Related terms: • discourse serious speech or piece of writing on a particular subject  differences: more formal, less interactive • communication process of creation, transmission and receiving of messages  conversation is a part of communication

3. What is conversation II • Conversation is not a structural product in the same way that a sentence is – it is rather the outcome of two or more independent, goal-directed individuals, with often divergent interests. Stephen C Levinson

4. Characteristics of conversation • social process • verbal exchange between two or more persons • bound to a conventional system of usage • bound to a shared vocabulary • takes place constantly in social interaction • verbal and non-verbal components

5. What is conversation analysis? • talk makes things happen, and the conversation analyst has something to say about how. • CA is now a settled discipline, developed since the pioneering work in the sixties by the sociologist Harvey Sacks

6. Aims/Principles of CA • discover phenomena of conversation and its organization

7. Aims/Principles of CA • How do participants of a social action structure, order and coordinate their action, the action of others and the actual situation  formal principles and mechanism of social organization and verbal and non-verbal interaction

8. Methods • analyze naturally occurring material • inductiveway of research • audio/video recording and transcription

9. Methods • sequence analysis • no analysis of singular sentences • problem of categorization: no analysis taken out of the sequence will bring the correct result sentences are context-bound

10. Example A: Do you have a cigarette? B: Yes I do. • question as a linguistic form ≠ question as a conversational object

11. What does CA do? • opening and closing conversation • topic-organization • turn-taking • adjacency pairs • next speaker selection

12. What does CA do? Describes what people are saying as… - transmission of news - requesting - invitation - compliments - denial - complaints - arguments etc.

13. What does CA do? • Studies on structural characteristics of interaction in judicial, educational, medical and psychological institutions....

14. Turn taking • Current speaker • Next speaker

15. Next speaker selection • Current speaker may select next speaker • Next speaker may self-select himself • Current speaker may continue speaking

16. Adjacency pairs: types • Question - answer • Greeting - greeting • Offer – acceptance • Request - acceptance • Complaint – excuse • Fundamental unit to conversational organization

17. Adjacency pairs: definition • A sequence of two utterances • Adjacent • Produced by different speakers • Ordered as a first pair part (FPP) and a second pair part (SPP) • An FPP requires a SPP • Given a first, not anything goes as a second

18. Many possible responses to a question Eg. “Do you know how to get to Building 117?” • Answer • Assurance of ignorance • Suggestion for asking someone else (re-routing) • Postponement • Refusal to provide an answer

19. Functions of adjacency pairs • starting and closing a conversation • moves in conversations • First utterance has the function of selecting next speaker • Components can be used to build longer sequences

20. Insertion sequences • Adjacency pairs embedded in adjacency pairs(Insert expansions) • Clarifying • Delay of expected response

21. Example A: Can I borrow your car? question B: When? A: This afternoon. insertion B: For how long? sequences A: A couple of hours. B: Okay. answer

22. Pre- expansions • Sometimes, an adjacency pair is inserted before another (related) adjacency pair, in order to: • Set the stage • E.g. Pre-announcement • A: Did you hear the news? FPP • B: No, what? SPP • A : I’m engaged! FPP(core: announcement) • B: WOW! SPP

23. Pre-expansions • Protect the speaker • E.g. Pre- invitation • A: Are you busy tomorrow night? FPP • B: No, no plans. SPP • A: Shall we go to the movies? FPP (core: invite) • B: Sure! SPP

24. Pre-expansions • Protect the listener • E.g. Asking something delicate • A: Can I ask you something kind of personal FPP • B: Yeah, go ahead SPP • A: Exactly how do you feel about Norman? FPP (core: delicate question) • B: I like him a lot, but there’s nothing between us, if that’s what you mean. SPP

25. Post-expansions • Post-expansions are (related)APs that occur after another (core) AP. They may also be used for clarification. • E.g. • A: Who was it said you couldn’t go FPP (core) • B: Steve SPP • A: Who’s he? FPP • B: He’s in charge of registration, he said they were full up SPP

26. Sequence Closing Thirds • Sometimes, an adjacency pair will have a third part to it. • This is called the Sequence Closing Third (SC3) • E.g. • A: Could you do this for me? FPP • B: Sure! SPP • A: Great! SC3 • SC3s are a type of post-expansion.