Chapter Eight Conversation Analysis Contents • I. Definition and purpose • II. Conversational structure • III. Turn-taking organization • IV. Pragmatic function of conversational structure 2 I. Definition and purpose • Conversation analysis studies the structure and organization of human interaction. • Its main purpose is to study the sequential of natural conversation, find out the underlying principles of organization and explain the coherence of conversation. 3 II. Conversational structure • Floor: the central basis on which we explicitly or implicitly organize our conversation; the right to speak
• Turn: the opportunity to have the floor at some point during a conversation
• Turn-taking: the constant change of speaker in conversation 4 Overlaps in conversation: two or more participants try to seize the floor at the same time • A: I am going to Beijing //next week. . • B: //how long will you stay there? • A: Well, I am not sure, maybe for a week. 5 • Adjacency pairs: a pair of turns occurring sequentially to perform two closely related acts; automatic patterns in the structure of conversation; consist of a first part and a second part, produced by different speakers. 6 • Greetings A: Good morning. First part B: Morning. Second part • Requires and invitations A: Could you help me open the window? B: a. okay. (Preferred second part ) b. well ,er. it’s a little cold outside. does it have to be opened? (dispreferred second part) 7 Characteristics of the adjacency pair • A. adjacent • B. produced by two different
