Conversational analysis
final part
IMPLICATIONS
repairs
TURN TAKING
THE GOOD CONVERSATIONALIST
At school,
What was the focus of the English class?
Conversation involves two or more people
Conversation involves monitoring to ensure that the messages have been understood
Did you have social occasions for talk?
Distribution of talking is not random
Repair: efforts to correct trouble spots in conversation
repair in second language
Self-repairs
How can we evaluate an actual communicative act?
Speaker-initiated repairs
Conversation is recognized as an art or skill
Is a dollar all right or will I need more than that for the p... to cover the postage?
shop instead of department store
other repairs
A: I felt very.. malu.. you know?
B: you felt very shy?
A: yes, shy
Repairs carried out by the hearer
Approximation: lacking a word in the target language, choose an approximate word (synonym)
Borrowing: A word from the mother tongue is used in the target language
Mime: the speaker acts out the word
Topic Shift: A speaker that doesn't possess sufficient vocabulary or confidence to discuss the topic (in the target language) may change it
A: She married that guy from Australia.. what was his name? ... Wilson ... Williams..?
B: Don Wilson
A: yeah, Don Wilson
A: then the plane.. (mimes a plane taking off)
B: It took off
A: yes
Guidebooks for the improvement of conversation (native and non-native)
the Art of story-telling in conversation
Don't stare at your listeners
Don't look at the ceiling
Don't tell the story until you are sure of it
Don't be the first to laugh at your own story
talkers do not just provide information
RULES
Present dramas to an audience, employing means that are essentially theatrical
Dramatic devices -> irony, sarcasm, humor and suspense
Only one person speaks at a time
. . .
Rules for turn taking:
- differ according to the type of speech event
- vary from culture to culture