语用学Conversation Analysis

The way conversational techniques are used to convey meaning; Including:



Pre-sequences; Insertion sequences, ‘smileys’ and repairs; Preference
22
6.3.2.1 Pre-sequences
18
High involvement style: 1. fast speaking rate; 2. with almost no pausing between turns; 3. with some overlap or even completion of the others’ turn
12


Turn-taking mechanism --by non-floor-holders

Contribute to the ‘traffic management’;
Back-channeling; Intervene in the conversation directly.
13
25
First Part
A: A: A: A: A: Hello. How are you? 再见！ How are things? Thanks.
Second Part
B: B: B: B: B: Hi. Fine. 明天见！ The usual. You are welcome.
26
A: B: A: B:
4
6.2 From SA to conversation

1) 2) 3)
What can we use the theory of Speech Acts for when it comes to conversation? As an “eye-opener”; About speech acts About conversation
3
6.1 Conversation and context


correct) frame with two persons and twoutterance interchange. CA: open setting, but strict framework of co-text
traditional idea: the ideal (and
2
6.1 Conversation and context


Co-text: immediate context Context: the entirety of societally relevant circumstances that surround the production of language.
‘traffic rules’ and repair mechanisms
9


Floor: the right to speak Turn: having control of the floor Turn taking: in any situation where control is not fixed in advance, anyone can attempt to get control. Local management system: a set of conventions for getting turns, keeping them, or giving them away.
6
6.3 What happens in conversation?


Definition of conversation: a way of using language socially, of ‘doing things with words’ together with other persons. Two points of view: content & formal aspects
Back-channeling (反输)
In Discourse Analysis, feedback given while someone is speaking.
14
Transition Relevance Place TRP
• Any possible change-of-turn point • Within any social group, there will
Expecting an active participation in a conversation
19
High considerateness style: 1. slower rate; 2. expecting longer pauses between turns; 3. no overlap; 4. avoid interruption or completion of the other’s turn. Non-interrupting & Non-imposing


‘precursors’: e.g. ‘attention getters’ Pre-sequences:


Pre-announcements; pre-invitations; prethreats; and numerous others Most frequent: ‘inquirers’ Half-submerged, ‘under the surface’ of the conversation
20
High involvement style
Features of conversational style will often be interpreted as personality traits.
High considerateness style
21
6.3.2 How does conversation mean?
be features of talk (or absence of talk) typically associated with TRP
15
6.3.1.3 Previewing TRPs


‘Predictability’: one’s ability to foresee what’s going to happen around the next ‘turn’. Adjacency relationship:


Imply the two parts not to be separated; Require a more or less instantaneous response ‘Turn signals’
16
Conversational ‘closers’&’starters’

In telephone talk:
10
6.3.1.2 Turns and turn taking



Turn: a shift in the direction of the speaking ‘flow’ which is characteristic of normal conversation TRP: Transition Relevance Places certain well-defined junctures in conversation when turns occur Turn taking mechanisms: several rules
Chapter 6
Conversation Analysis
What is this chapter about?


Context—the environment of conversation; Relevant ideas from speech acts theory; What happens in conversation: How is conversation organized?— organization How does conversation mean?—form Content-oriented mechanisms—content
5
About Conversation




Conversation is not only a human right; it is a human duty (Ruiz Mayo 1990); Conversation is the prototypical kind of language use (Levinson 1983:284) What is important in conversation is not the ideal of “correctness”…(Nerlich and Clarke 2000 in press); Conversations may even have a well-defined aim.
11
Turn-taking mechanism
--by actual/potential floor-holders

General rules of next-speaker selection:

“current speaker selects next speaker”
“a next speaker selects himself” natural breaks & unnatural breaks

Βιβλιοθήκη Baidu
Summarizing devices: pre-closings e.g. “OK”, “Well” Changes in intonation and/or speed

In conventional, standardized environment:
e.g. “To sum this all up…”

In everyday conversations: e.g. “How are you?” (misunderstanding caused by intercultural differences)
17
Conversational Style
High involvement Style
High considerateness Style
7
6.3.1 How is conversation organized?

The beginnings of CA; Turns and turn-taking; Previewing TRPs


8
6.3.1.1 The beginnings of CA

In late 50s and early 60s: non-linguists, conversation; Ethnomethodology: studies of the rules that conversation was found to obey; ‘people rules’: not so much ‘correctness’;

Delay 1. one type of indication that not all first parts necessarily receive the kind of second parts the speaker might anticipate; 2. in response symbolically marks potential unavailability of the immediate expected answer; 3. represents distance between what is expected and what is provided; 4. is always interpreted as meaningful.
Could you mail this letter for me? Q1 Does it have a stamp on it? Q2 Insertion sequence （插入序列） Yeah. A2 Okay. A1
Insertion sequence （插入序列）
An insertion sequence is one adjacency pair within another.
23
6.3.2.2 Insertion sequences, ‘smileys’ and repairs

‘no gap, no overlap’ (Sacks, 1995)

Insertion: ‘remedial exchange’
24
Adjacency Pairs


Automatic patterns in the structure of conversation. Consist of a first part and a second part.