Closings

Closing conversations Closing a conversation poses an interactional problem: Participants need to disengage from talk in a way which does not make the relationship between participants vulnerable Participants need to ensure that everything which needed to be dealt has been. Participants need to disengage from the turn-taking system.

Terminal sequences An exchange of farewell tokens (good-bye) is a terminal sequence for conversation. Farewell tokens are an adjacency pair: the FPP proposes the end of the conversation and the SPP accepts this.

Terminal sequences Terminal sequences cannot be used at any point in talk to close a conversation. It is important when closing a conversation to determine if all potential mentionables have been mentioned. Terminal sequences can only be used after this has been done.

Pre-closing sequences Terminal sequences are regularly preceded in conversation by talk which is designed to verify if all relevant mentionables have been mentioned. This talk involves a short turn such as okay, alright or right with falling intonation.

Pre-closing sequences meet the requirements of the turn taking system – speaker change occurs do not advance topical talk and pass up an opportunity to do further talk or to introduce some new matter provide for the possibility that closing could now be done.

Pre-closing sequences Pre-closings provide do not always lead to closing. The SPP may be a pre-closing component or a new topic. A pre-closing SPP passes up an opportunity to introduce new talk and leads to closing Introducing new mentionables blocks closing 1. pre-closing FPP 2. pre-closing FPP pre-closing SPP topic talk SPP   terminal sequence continued conversation

Closing implicative environments Pre-closings are placed at the analysable end of a topic: closing down a topic provides for the possibility that there is nothing further to be said. Some conversational actions appear regularly as last topics in a conversation and lead to closing as a relevant future activity. These actions can be considered closing implicative environments. Closing implicative environment refers to sets of actions after which closing may be a relevant next activity but it do not imply that closure will necessarily happen.

Closing implicative environments Common closing implicative environments include: Announcing closure

Closing implicative environments Common closing implicative environments include: Arrangements

Closing implicative environments Common closing implicative environments include: Formulating summaries

Closing implicative environments Common closing implicative environments include: Appreciations

Closing implicative environment Common closing implicative environments include: Sequence-closing sequences

Closing implicative environment Common closing implicative environments include: Back references

Moving out of closing Not all closings succeed in bringing a conversation to completion. Closings have to be negotiated between participants. Where one participant proposes closure but another proceeds to further talk, they move out of closing.

Moving out of closing In moving out of closing a turn is found in a slot which could normally be occupied by a closing-related component: this cancels the trajectory of the closing. When participants move out of a closing, they cancel the relevance of the closing which had previously been proposed Anew closing sequence must be initiated to close the conversation after moving out.

Moving out of closing Moving out of closing may take two forms Minimal: where a participant moves out to a closing implicative action and closing can be quickly re-established Drastic: where participants move out to talk that is not closing implicative and closing cannot be quickly re-established

Locations for moving out of closing Conversation may move out of closing at any point in the closing: After the first pre-closing component

Locations for moving out of closing Conversation may move out of closing at any point in the closing: After the second pre-closing component

Locations for moving out of closing Conversation may move out of closing at any point in the closing: After the first terminal component

Locations for moving out of closing Conversation may move out of closing at any point in the closing: After the second terminal component

Typical sequences found in moving out Arrangements (minimal moving out)

Typical sequences found in moving out Back references (minimal or drastic depending on the reference)

Typical sequences found in moving out Topic initial elicitors (minimal or drastic depending on the response).

Typical sequences found in moving out In conversation objects (may be drastic)

Typical sequences found in moving out Solicitudes (usually minimal)

Typical sequences found in moving out Appreciations (minimal)