 Henry: Y’want a piece of candy?  Irene: No [I don’t  Zelda: She’s on a [diet.  Debby: [Who’s not on [a diet.  Irene: I’m on a diet and my mother [buys  Zelda: [You’re not!  Irene: my [mother buys these mints.  Debby: [Oh yes I amhhh!

 Zelda has created a subtopic or a topic shift that is picked up by the other women participants: -Debby makes a comment about all people being on a diet, -Zelda’s response: “You’re not!” is meant to remedy the negative self-assessment implied by Debbey’s statement. -Irene shifts from her utterance “I don’t-” to repeat Zelda’s statement that she is on a diet and starts to tell a story of her mother buying candy, etc.

 Have you noticed what Henry was doing?  Right, he simply did not participate in the topic shift.

 Women display their gender identities through the structuring of participation framework: -they pursue topics of talk more interactively than men: cooperative topic building. -they attend more to maintaining solidarity during interaction than men (by avoiding conflict and minimizing threats). (Schiffrin, p. 117)

 Debby: Well, Irene, is there anybody around here that you would call a best friend?  Irene: Now?  Debby: Yeh.  Henry: In front of us?  Zelda: No, we’re not her [best friends, we’re her=  Henry: [No! She’s got a best friend.  Zelda: =neighbors!  Irene: No, I [don’t think any one person I could say.  Henry: [But she’s [more of a friend to a person,  Zelda: [She’s not-  Henry: =than a person to her. [Let’s put it this way.=  Irene: Yeh, [T’be honest.  Henry: =And it- [it [Am I right or wrong?  Irene: [I think [I’ve- I’ve been getting [hurt, too much lately.  Zelda: [Are you, Irene?!  Debby: [Yeh  Henry: No but am I right or wrong Irene? I could see [some damage! Yeh.  Irene: [Yeh I feel I’m hurt.=  Henry: =[see?]

 Note how Henry redirects the topic: - A question posed by the researcher to Irene - Both Henry and Zelda alter the format of the interview by commenting on the question and thus not allowing Irene to answer. - Henry answers for her: She’s got a best friend - He then makes a generalization: But she’s a friend to a person more than a person is to her. - Irene shows reluctance in talking about this, but agrees with Henry

 -In spite of Irene’s reluctance, Henry insists on pursuing the topic.  Zelda’s immediate display of sympathy upon Irene’s revelation: Are you Irene?  Interestingly, Henry uses Irene’s revelation of getting hurt as a basis for the validity of his statement: No but am I right or wrong Irene? I could see some damage!

 Debby: How ‘bout you Irene?  Irene: What?  Debby; Who would you =  Zelda: Who would you [discuss it with?  Debby; =if you had a hard day, who would you complain to?  Zelda: Jay  Irene: Uh:: I don’t know. Depending on what the problem really was. I might [talk] to a friend easier=  Debby: Yeh. Yeh.  Irene: =than to a- what- I’m not that family oriented.=  Debby: Uhhuh.  Irene: Like they are  Henry: [She should be. She’s got a nice family.

ZELDAHENRY  -Her realignment was more supportive and integrative: -allowed others to maintain their participant roles.  His stance is more judgmental and divisive: -it shifts participant alignment and forces others to fit their utterances into that framework: talking about Irene as though she was not present, thus dividing the audience into an addressed recipient (Debby) and an unaddressed recipient (Irene). -He thus excludes Irene from the interaction -He, thereby, indirectly challenges her to defend herself.