Conversational Structure

Conversation Analysis (CA):A Qualitative Approach to Language Use

Dr. Phalangchok Wanphet

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Conversation Analysis (CA)

Conversation Analysis

3Conversation Analysis

Why is it talk that we analyze?


It is a method that explores systematically how people talk, verbally and nonverbally.

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Discussion : Do you know …….?

1. if we move our hands slightly before or after we actually talk?

2. how to begin and end a conversation?

3. what you say immediately after greeting and immediately before saying ‘goodbye’?



4. how a speaker signals “nonverbally” and “verbally” when she wants to withdraw from the talk?

5. when the next speaker knows when is her turn to talk?

6. how to hold the floor as a current speaker?

7. how to compete for the floor to be a next speaker?


7. how a current speaker selects a next speaker?

8. what eye gaze has to do with re-start and pause in talk?

9. how you as a current speaker signal the listener that you will tell a long story or your turn will be long?


10. how you as a current speaker prepare the audience for the punch line when telling a story?

11. how a speaker chooses specific listeners to maintain eye contact with?

12. whom the word “you” refers to in multiparty talk?

13. how laughter is used to invite other people to laugh?


The above were interactional issues, among others, that CA researchers investigated. Some issues remain under investigation.


Topics to be covered today

1. Introduction to Conversation Analysis (CA)

1. Turn-Taking System

2. Sequence Organization

3. Repair

4. Turn Design

2. Applying CA in Everyday Interaction


Conversation Analysis1. Turn-Taking System

a. Gaps, Silence, Overlaps, and Interruption

b. Turn Allocation


Turn-Taking for Conversation

1. Speaker-change recurs, or at least occurs.

2. One party talks at a time.

3. Turn order is not fixed, but varies.

4. Turn size is not fixed, but varies.

5. Length of conversation is not specified in advance.


6. What parties say is not specified in advance.

7. Relative distribution of turns is not specified in advance.

8. Number of parties can vary.

9. Talk can be continuous or discontinuous.

10. Turn-allocation techniques are obviously used.


Silence and Gaps

Harry: Didjih speak tuh Mary today?

(0.2)

Harry: Did jih speak tuh Mary?

Joy: Oh, yea:h I saw her at lunch.

This is called gap.


As compared to

H: You’ll come abou:t (.) eight. Right?=

N: =Yea::h, =

H: =Okay.

(0.2)

N: Anything else to report.

This is called silence.


Overlaps and Interruption

When we talk, the ideal is “once one finishes her turn, the next person immediately starts”.

Ex.

Emma: G’morning Dottie=

Dottie: =u-hHow’r YOU:.=

Emma: =FI:NE


Overlaps

Penny: O:kay. I’ll see yuh.

Mary: A::l? right Dear,

Penny: Bye bye,

Mary: Bye bye,


It can be a problematic when

Joy: that w’z r:eally a:weful b’d in thuh end we sorta had a good t i:me

Carol: yeh= th a’ w’z like what=

Harry: i-

Carol: =happen’ tuh usx when we wen’ up the coas’ we had.


Mike: I know who’d guy is.=

Vic: = He’s ba::d.

James : [You know the gu:y?

X: Is that whi we use to do those dividers

Y: Yeah.

(0.9)

Y: And she said it took- they didn’t do- (.)

X: Well

Y: very good proof reading or anything


Turn Allocation (Next-speaker selection)

Fixed order of turn allocation

1. A current speaker has the right to choose a next speaker.

2. If that doesn’t happen, the recipients have the right to select themselves to talk next.

3. If 1 and 2 do not occur, the current speaker may or may not continue to talk.


Added to the list (Turn taking)

11. Occurrences of more than one speaker at a time are common, but brief.

12. Transitions with no gap and no overlap are common.



2. Sequence Organization

a. Adjacency Pairs

I. First Pair Part (question, greeting)

II. Second Pair Part (answer, greeting)

Can you think of any other types of adjacency pairs?

b. Insertion Sequence


Extracts

A: How did you get here this morning?

B: By bus.

S: Do you want a ride?

T: Yes, sure.

X: Hi.

Y: Hi, how are you?

X: Great.


Ex 1

A: Have you seen Jim? (Question 1)

B: Was he in today? (Question 2)

A: Yeah. (Answer 2)

B: No, I didn’t see him. (Answer 1)


Ex 2

A: Are you coming tonight? (Q1)

B: Can I bring a guest? (Q2)

A: Male or female? (Q3)

B: What difference does that make? (Q4)

A: An issue of balance. (A4)

B: Female (A3)

A: Sure. (A2)

B: I’ll be there. (A1)



3. Repair (vs. Correction)

a. How does turn-taking lead to repair?

b. Types of Repair

c. Positions of Repair


What do we want to know about repair?

1. When and where is the problem solved?

2. Who does what during the practice of repair?

3. Is the repair successful?



4. Turn Design

a. Preference Organization

I. Preferred Action (affiliative)

II. Dispreferred Action (disaffiliative)

b. Turn Shape

Examples


Conclusion

- The importance of talk- How do we talk?- How is mutual

understanding is established and reestablished?

- Other things we do when we talk


Conclusion

2. Turn-Taking in talk is a manner of politeness and polite manner. Ideally, we wait for the completion of whatever a current speaker is saying before offering our own contribution. Turn-taking a characteristic of polite conversation.

CA as a Research Method1. Nature of Conversation Analysis

2. Conversation Analytic (CA) Method

2.1 Data

2.2 Collecting Data

2.3 Transcribing Data

3 Methodological Concerns

3.1 Advantages of Ordinary Talk

3.2 Exclusion of Contexts

3.3 Emphasis on Qualification

3.4 Strengthening CA Findings and Claims

1: Nature of CA• Qualitative• Emic perspective• Naturalism

CA Method

• It employs basic observational techniques.

2. Conversation Analytic (CA) Method

2.1 Data

2.1.1 What kind of data used in CA studies?

2.1.2 Importance of mundane talk?

2.1.3 Ordinary talk vs. Experimentation

2.2 Collecting data

2.2.1 Recording devices

2.2.2 Tips and considerations

2.3 Transcribing data

2.1 Data

2.1.1 What kind of data is used in CA studies?

–Talk between peers or acquaintances

–Family talk–Casual gatherings

2.1 Data• CA researchers focuses on describing the

organizational structure of mundane, ordinary conversation.

2.1.2 Importance of everyday conversational interaction

Why casual talk?

• It is the fundamental domain of interaction.

• It leads to non-conversational domains.

• It is the predominant form of human interaction in the real world.

• It is the primary medium to which a child is exposed.

2.1.3 Ordinary talk vs. invented or imagined talk

• The former is richer.• The latter is demanding.• The latter is not as valid as events in the real world.• Invented data not apt resource for CA inquiry

includes experimental situations and role-plays.

2.2 Collecting data

Recording devices• Tape recorders• Video recorders

You can use this device, too.

2.2.2 Tips and considerations

• Make it as much natural as possible• Degree of researcher involvement in the talk should

be very minimal.• How is a recording device is set-up?• NO questionnaires or interviews needed• Think about characteristics of everyday talk

2.3 Transcribing Data

• Features of everyday interaction: verbal and nonverbal codes, and their properties.

• Useful conventions in transcribing conversational interaction:

Conventions

1. Turn and intonational units: intonation contour

S: That is interesting,

I mean,

th- that you should pair the word aesthetics,

… with advertising.

J: Yeah.

2. Truncated word

R: He doesn’t have any --

… He doesn’t know what’s going on here.

3. Pseudonym or Capital Letters

JEFF: That’s all it does.

It doesn’t [even] reach a conclusion

SARAH: [mhm],

JEFF: The conclusion is up to you.

4. Speech overlap

B: Nobody wants [to leave].

A: [They don’t] move [[out]]

S: [[Berkeley]] jst keeps [3bigger]3 and [4bigger4].

B: [3Yeah3],

[4Yeah4]

5. Question mark (yes/no question)

J: …Should we waste him?

or should we stop him,

and … then waste him.

6. Fall (\),Raise (/), and Level (_)

D: You know, _

call them on the phone, /

and uh, _

… take a lunch, /

7. Word lengthening

K: …^Gregg’s never had a a ^co=ld,

or the ^flu=,

8. Pause

1. Long (0.7 seconds of longer)

(…) followed by the length of pause.

E: …This.. is a type of person,

…(0.9) that… (0.7) is like …(1.0) a hermit

2. Medium (0.3-0.6 seconds)

(only three dots … with no length)

9. Short (0.2 second or less)

Only two dots (..) with no length.

10. Audible Inhalation (H) and Exhalation (Hx)

B: …(4.3) (Hx) …Kids in the city miss so much.

11. Laughter

Use @ to represent each syllable of laughter, or just write (LAUGH).

If it is too long, indicate the length, e.g.,

ALL: @ (12.7)

12. Laughter and talk

N: and they stepped out in the road,

and not only did they have uniforms on,

but they <@ also had guns @>

13. Comment

N: and they’re,

…you know,

… ((DOG BARKS EXCITEDLY))

14. Uncertain hearing

G: …Well,

I [don’t] normally sound like Lucille Ball.

K: [<X That’s X>]

(what is put in the parenthesis represents the transcriber’s best guess)

If you are not sure, use X if you hear one syllable, (XX for two syllables).

15. Duration

A: …(1.0)(H)(0.9)A=nd

R: u=m(0.7),

16. Code switching

A: So we don’t really know if it was the <L2car L2>

Or

C: That thing <L2TH car L2TH> was so fast

3 Methodological Concerns

3.1 Exclusion of contexts (ethnographic and cultural accounts of participants)

3.2 Emphasis on Qualification

3.3 Strengthening CA Findings and Claims

Conversational Structure

Education

Transcript of Conversational Structure