CONVERSATION and PREFERENCE STRUCTURE 8.1 Conversation Analysis 8.2 Pauses, Overlaps, and Backchannels 8.3 Conversational Style 8.4 Adjacency Pairs 8.5 Preference Structure

Conversation is a kind of language usage, the form in which we are all first exposed to language All major organization are connected to : : encoding of temporal, spatial, social, discourse parameters organized around 2. : knowledge and assumptions about the world 3. :deriving from specific assumptions about conversational context 4. : building a conversational matrix

For example A: I have a 14-year-old son B: Well, that’s alright A: I also have a dog B: Oh, I’m sorry What does the conversation about? discussion with no general rules for the sequencing of conversation structure, but particular phenomena can be described the term could apply to a large number of different social encounters typical : I speak - you speak - I speak - you speak ...

Terminology : - the right to speak - turn: having control of the right to speak - turn-taking: take control of the right to speak - local management system : set of conventions for getting, keeping and giving away turns - : possible change-of-turn point speakers having a conversation = taking turns to hold the floor, speaker may: - and share the floor equally - for keeping the floor, preventing others from getting it of conversational interaction vary greatly between social/cultural groups

Conversations: consists of two or more participants one participant speaking at any time. smooth transitions are valued: - transitions with between turns transition with (both speakers speaking at the same time) awkward Situation: Student and his girlfriend's father during their first meeting Mr. Strait : What's your major, Dave? Dave : English - well I haven't really decided yet. (3 seconds silence)

Mr. Strait : So - you want to be a teacher? Dave : No - not really - well not if I can help it. (2 seconds silence) Mr. Strait : Wha-//Where do you-- //go ahead Dave : I mean it's a--oh sorry //I em- - : short pauses, hesitations //: beginning of overlap (both speakers attempt to initiate talk) silences are not to either speaker because each has completed a turn no rhythm to transitions (no ) conveys sense of distance, absence of familiarity/ease

If one speaker explicitly turns over the floor to another and the other does not speak, then the silence is to the second speaker and becomes significant Jan : Dave, I'm going to the store. (2 seconds) Jan: Dave? Jan : Dave - is something wrong? Dave : What? What's wrong? Jan : Nevermind. (apart from initial type): for many (younger): expression of solidarity or closeness in expressing similar opinions

Example: Deb : Did you see him in the video? Wendy: Yeah - the part on the beach Deb : Oh my God // he was so sexy Wendy: // he was just being so cool Deb : And all the waves // crashing around him! Wendy: // yeah that was really wild! - overlap can also communicate Example: Joe : When they were in // power las-- wait CAN I FINISH? Jerry : // that's my point I said -- speaker are competing for the floor

The point of is treated as an interruption and the first speaker actually has to make a comment about procedure each potential speaker is expected to wait until the current speaker reaches a TRP markers of : - end of a structural unit (phrase/clause) - pause A speaker who wants to keep holding the floor will providing TRPs, Example: I wasn't talking about - um his first book that was - uh really just like a start and so - uh isn't - doesn't count really.

Another floor is to indicate that there is a larger structure to your turn a. There are three points I'd like to make -- first ... b. There's more than one way to do this -- one example would be ... c. Didn't you know about Melvin? - Oh, it was last October ... d. Did you hear about Cindy's new car? - She got it in ... a/b technical information about coming structure c/d preludes to storytelling suspend regular exchange of , speaker allowed to have extended turn

speakers expect their conversational partners to indicate that they are listening - nodding, smiling, other facial expressions, gestures - vocal indications are called Example: Caller : If you use your long distance service a lot then you'll … Mary : // uh-huh Caller : be interested in the discount I'm talking about because … Mary : // yeah Caller : it can only save you money to switch to a cheaper service Mary : // mmm

The signals provide: feedback to speaker that the message is being received, indicate that the listener is following and not objecting the is interpreted as significant (in telephone conversations). interpreted as a way of withholding agreement. ( in face-to-face conversations)

There are individual and cultural differences in conversational style/turn taking: 1. participation in a conversation is very active speaking rate will be relatively fast, with almost no pausing between turns, and with some overlap or competition between turns 2. slower rate, expect longer pauses between turns, do not overlap, and avoid interruption or completion of other's turn

style lead a conversation to be one-sided - the faster speaker may think the slower one doesn't have much to say, is shy, boring or stupid the slower speaker may view the faster one as noisy, pushy, domineering, selfish and tiresome features of conversational style are often interpreted as

Almost automatic patterns in the structure of conversation, e. g Almost automatic patterns in the structure of conversation, e.g., in greetings and good-byes Anna: Hello! Bill: Hi! Anna: How are you? Bill: Fine. Anna: See ya! Bill: Bye! These automatic sequences are called They always consist of a and produced by different speakers. The utterance of the first part immediately creates an expectation of the utterance of a second part of the pair.

Failure to produce the second part will be treated as a significant and hence meaningful. A lot of internal variation is possible: Example: opening sequences of a conversation First Part Second Part A: What's up? B: Nothin' much A: How's it goin'? B: Jus' hangin' in there A: How are things? B: The usual A: How ya doin' B: Can't complain Example: question - answer sequence A: What time is it? B: About eight-thirty Example: thanking - response sequence A: Thanks. B: You're welcome Example: request - accept sequence A: Could you help me with this? B: Sure

Insertion sequences can intervene between adjacency pairs Form Q1 - Q2 - A2 - A1 (one adjacency pair within another) Mix of different sequences possible also with temporary interactional exit

Opening Sections (Summons-Answer Sequences) First utterance is a summons, the second utterance an answer to the summons, establishing an open channel for talk (three part structure). In telephone conversations the ringing of the telephone acts as the summons. Additional potential problems are identification/recognition

Speakers tend to use a signatured prosody/voice quality in identity turns After the opening sequence the caller announces the reason for the call (first topic slot) Closing Sections The closure of any topic after the first one makes the introduction of a closing section imminent (some phone calls have an expectable overall organization that admits just one topic (‘monotopical’)) - closings placed in such a way that no party is forced to exit while still having compelling things to say - hasty or slow terminations carry unwelcome inferences about the relationships between the speakers

Often closings reference back to aspects of the opening section, include summaries, or ask about the recipient’s state of health

adjacency pairs represent social actions, and not all social actions are equal when they occur as second parts of some pairs, e.g., a first part request expects an acceptance acceptance is structurally more likely than refusal Structural likelihood is called preference Preference structure divides second parts into preferred and dispreferred social acts

Silence is also always a dispreferred response, often leading to a revision of the first part. (Non-response communicates that the speaker is not in a position to provide the preferred response) Silence is risky as it may give the impression of non-participation in the conversational structure Speakers often signal that they are producing the marked, dispreferred structure

assessment invitation

How to do a dispreferred second part. dispreferreds take more time/language/effort • more language creates more distance between first and second part • preferred represents closeness and quick connection • participants try to avoid creating contexts for dispreferreds e.g., by using pre-sequences