Marina Luna

 Two interviews were analysed: - James Callaghan, then Prime Minister, was inteviewed by Llew Gardner for the “TV Eye” program. - Margaret Thatcher, then leader of the Opposition, was interviewd for the same TV program, but by Denis Tuohy.  The interviews lasted 25 minutes each and were recorded in different locations ( Callaghan- in 10 Downing Street; Thatcher- in a television studio);  It is based on data drawn from videotapes of two televised interviews broadcast in April 1979;

 The time of each speaker- switch was noted and the accompanying speech was transcribed in considerable detail;  Notes were also made on the transcripts of relevant nonverbal behavior;  Speech and articulation rates were calculated;  (“Speech rate is defined as the number of words per minute of the whole utterance”)/ “Articulation rate consists in the number of words per minute of the time spent in vocal activity”. Goldman- Eisler, 1968: 24)  Switching pauses were analysed.

 In the sentences below will be discussed what Turn- taking is:  “(...) for some limited period one person alone holds the floor and acts primarily as speaker and the other person acts primarily as listener, contributing only briefly to provide support, encouragement, and feedback”. ( Beattie).  “Is a central and apparently universal feature of conversation that is made necessary by the cognitive limitations of human beings”. ( Miller, 1963).

 Turn- taking skills develop early in the very earliest interactions between mother and children and simultaneous vocalization predominates. ( Anderson,1977).  The shy individuals have longer pauses between turns and speak less frequently and during a short period of time;  Schizophrenics show marked disruption in turn- taking skills. ( Chapple and Lindemann, 1942).  Depressed people also show disruption in turn taking. ( Libet and Lewinsohn, 1973).

 In real – life situations aspects of conversational style affect interpersonal judgement, such as success or failure. That is why is also important to take in consideration the following nonverbal aspects: ( Forbes and Jackson, 1980) - Eye contact; - Smiling; - Head movements

 Interpersonal perception;  Televised political interviews as the chief vehicle for getting a political message;  Political interviews are broadcast to millions of viewers who witness at close quarters the speech and nonverbal sltyle of the politician;  Any differences in turn – taking style may critically influence the viewers’s perceptions of the politicians and may indeed lead to strong beliefs about the characters and personalities of the politicians concerned.

 They are influenced by social and personality variables.  Rim (1977), found that in three- person discussions group:  The less inteligent subjects were interrupted more than the more intelligent subjects;  Fieldstein et al (1974) found that: “ women who are relaxed, complacent, secure and not overly dependent on the approval of others tend to initiate more simultaneous speech than women who are generally apprehensive, self- reproaching, tense and frustrated”.

Natale et al (1979) found that:  frequency of interruption is inversely related to social anxiety and to speech anxiety, but positively related to confidence as a speaker;  The more confident the partner felt about speaking, the higher the proportion of successful interruptions by the other subject.

Zimmerman and West (1975) affirms that:  In male- female conversation men interrupt much more frequently than woman.  Their results were interpreted in terms of male dominance and the power relatioships between man and women.

 (...) a social phenomenon affected by many variables, including the personality characteristics of subjects of their fellow interactants. It has also now been suggested that interruption may be indicative os social relationships other than those purely of dominance”.

 Smooth speaker – switch: exchange of turns, no simultaneous speech present, first utterance appears complete;  Simple interruption: exchange of turns, simultaneous speech present, first speaker’s turn appears incomplete;  Overlap: exchange of turns, simultaneous speech present, first speaker’s turn reaches completition;  Buttin – in interruption: no exchange of turns, simultaneous speech present

 She held the floor 26 times and Tuohy 26 as well;  He held the floor 38 times and Gardner 39;  There were 51 exchanges of turn: the average length of turn was longer in this interview than in Callaghan’s, because both interviews lasted 25 minutes each;  There were 11 butting - in interruptions in this interview and 62 smooth speaker- switches and interruptions in all in the interview.

 Tuohy interrupts her almost twice as often as she interrupts him -(52.8% of the time);  Thatcher is interrupted more than Callaghan in his interview;  Callaghan interrupts his interviewer more than Gardner interrupts him- ( 54.8% of the time);  Both politicians did not differ significantly in the frequency with which they interrupted their interviewers Thatcher:38.5% and Callaghan: 54.8%.

 Overlaps were the most frequent form of interruption and silent interruptions the less frequent;  Only Margaret used silent interruptions, (once);  In her interview were 11 cases of butting – in interruptions when she held the floor but none when Tuohy held the floor;  In the other interview: Callaghan and Garder produced the same number of butting- in interruptions.

 Callaghan’s speech rate and articulation rate decline steadily throughout the course of the interview. However, Thatcher’s speech rate and articulation rate reach their maximum in the middle of the interview;  But,Thatcher did not excced Callaghan’s lowest limits.

 Fiiled pauses: Thatcher- used 04 / Tuohy- used 10 Callaghan- used 22/ Gardner- used 20 Callaghan’s filled pause rate is much closer to the norm than Thatcher’s; Four filled pauses in a 25 – minute interview is “ remarkably few”.

 Most of the interruptions in Thatcher’s interview occured in the end of the clauses;  She only uses gestures, such as hand gesture, only after the interruption has begun;  Margaret Thatcher is domineering interviews, whereas Callaghan is vied as relaxed and affable;  When the speaker is engaged in gestures, the incidence of listener turn – taking attempts feel virtually zero( Beattie,1977);  Beattie also shows that filled pauses reduced the probability of a speaker – switch, at least for a short period after their occurence;