Unit 6 Conversational structure

ConversationalStructureIntroductiontoPragmaticsUnit6Discourseanalysis(DA)employsboththemethodologyandthekindsoftheoreticalprinciplesandprimitiveconceptstypicaloflinguistics.Conversationanalysis(CA)isanempiricalapproachwhichavoidsprematuretheoryconstruction.DAtheoristsaccuseCApractitionersofbeinginexplicitaboutthetheoriesandconceptualcategoriestheyareactuallyemployinginanalysis.CApractitionersthinkthatDAtheoristsaresobusywithprematureformalizationthattheypaylittleattentiontothenatureofthedata.ConversationAnalysiswasdevelopedinthelate1960sandearly1970sprincipallybythesociologistHarveySacksandhiscloseassociatesEmanuelSchegloffandGailJefferson.Theypublishedtheirpaper“Asimplestsystematicsfortheorganizationforturn-takingforconversation”in1974.EthnomethodologyisanethnographicapproachtosociologicalinquiryintroducedbytheAmericansociologistHaroldGarfinkel(1917–2011).“Ethno”referstomembersofasocialorculturalgroup.It’sresearchinterestisthestudyoftheeverydaymethodspeopleusefortheproductionofsocialorder.It’sgoalistodocumentthemethodsandpracticesthroughwhichsociety’smembersmakesenseoftheirworld.ThedatacollectedforConversationAnalysisisintheformofvideooraudiorecordedconversations.Thedataiscollectedwithoutresearchers'involvement,oftensimplybyaddingavideocameratotheroomwheretheconversationtakesplace.Fromtheaudioorvideorecordingtheresearchersconstructadetailedtranscription.Then,theresearchersperforminductivedata-drivenanalysisaimingtofindrecurringpatternsofinteraction.Basedontheanalysis,theresearchersdeveloparuleormodeltoexplaintheoccurrenceofthepatterns.Turn(话轮)isthechancetospeak.Floor(话语权)istherighttoownaturn.Whenthespeakerfinisheshis/herturn,thelistenerwilltakeoverthefloor,andstartanewturn.Thisisrealizedonaturn-by-turnbasis,thereforeiscalledturn-taking.Turnsarenotpre-allocated,butlocallymanaged.Turn-takingprovidesfortheorderlytransferoftalkbetweentwoormorespeakers.Sizeofturnsisvariablebutthereisatendencytowardminimalization.Turnsareconstructedoutofturnconstructionalunits(TCU).›theindividualwords,clauses,phrases,orsentencesthatconstitutethebuildingblocksofturns›Turnconstructionalunitsarealsoidentifiedthroughintonationandstress.Theendofaturnconstructionalunitisatransitionrelevanceplace(TRP),atwhichpointspeakershipmaybetransferredtoanotherspeaker.Thecharacteristicsare:›Intonation–risingtone›Pronunciation-stress›Sentence-complete›Meaning-complete›Bodylanguage–gestures,gazeProvidingthefloortothenextspeaker›Select›Gaze›Thefloorisopen.Peopleatpresentmakethedecision.Trynottopauseatthetransitionrelevantplace.Adjustthetone.Usefillers(en,em)ordiscoursemarkers(and,well,Imean,youknow).1.Foranyturn,attheinitialtransition-relevanceplaceofaninitialturnconstructionalunit:›a.Iftheturn-so-farissoconstructedastoinvolvetheuseofa‘currentspeakerselectsnext’technique,thenthepartysoselectedhastherightandisobligedtotakethenextturntospeak;noothershavesuchrightsorobligations,andtransferoccursatthatplace.›b.Iftheturn-so-farissoconstructedasnottoinvolvetheuseofa‘currentspeakerselectsnext’technique,thenself-selectionfornextspeakershipmay,butneednot,beinstituted;firststarteracquiresrightstoaturn,andtransferoccuratthatplace.›c.Iftheturn-so-farissoconstructedasnottoinvolvetheuseofa‘currentspeakerselectsnext’technique,thencurrentspeakermay,butneednotcontinue,unlessanotherself-selects.2.If,attheinitialtransition-relevanceplaceofaninitialturnconstructionalunit,neither1anor1bhasoperated,andfollowingtheprovisionof1c,currentspeakerhascontinued,thentherule-seta-creappliesatthenexttransitionrelevanceplace,andrecursivelyateachnexttransitionrelevanceplace,untiltransferiseffected.Agapbeforeasubsequentapplicationofrules1bor1c.Itisusuallymeasuredjustafewtenthsofasecond.Alapseonthenon-applicationofrules1a,1band1c.Itcanbeafewsecondsorlonger.Aselectednextspeaker’ssignificantsilenceaftertheapplicationofrule1a.Thereisanotherkindofsilencecalledpause,whichtakesplaceanywhereapartfromatthetransition-relevanceplace.Generally,onlyonespeakerspeaksatatime.Whenoverlapsdooccur,theyoccurataplacewhereatransitionrelevanceplacehasbeenmisprojectedorwronglypredicted.Locallymanagednatureofturn-takingsystemallowsthefollowing:›Lapsesmayormaynotoccur›Nolimitonturnsize›Noexclusionofparties›NumberofparticipantscanchangeSequencesoftwoutterancesthatare:›Adjacenttoeachother›Producedbydifferentspeakers›Orderedasfirstpairpart(FPP)andsecondpairpart(SPP)›Typed(sothataparticularfirstpartrequiresaparticularsecondpart)Offers--acceptance/rejectionGreetings--greetingsHavingproducedaFPPofsomepair,currentspeakermuststopspeakingandnextspeakermustproduceatthatpointasecondparttothatpair.Iftheyarenotnexttoeachother,theyarejusta‘pair’,notadjacencypair.PreferenceorganizationhelpsconstraintherangeofpotentialSPPsthatareappropriateresponsestoFPPs›Preferredresponse=unmarkedresponse›Dispreferredresponse=markedresponsePreferredresponsetoaninvitationisanacceptanceDispreferredresponseisadeclinationReplacestrictnotionofAdjacencypairwithnotionofconditionalrelevance.Twoormorepairsconsti