Conversation Analysis

Conversation Analysis[Tapez le sous-titre du document]

Presented by: Supervised by:TOUNSI Raouia Mrs.HADJRISSAYOU SihemAGOUN Mouna SAADI Sherifa

Master01 Group02

Introduction Since most of the interaction we have with others is conducted through speech, attention came to be focused on conversation, especially ordinary everyday conversation. The pioneers in this work were Harvey Sacks and Emmanuel Schegloff, joined a little later by Gail Jefferson. Besides, conversation analysis was first developed within sociology in the late of 1960s and the early of 1970s by Harvey Sacks and his collaborators. Definition Conversation analysis(commonly abbreviated asCA), is an approach to the study of social interaction, embracing (covering) both verbal and non-verbal conduct, in situations of everyday life. As its name implies, CA began with a focus on casualconversation, but its methods were subsequently adapted to embrace more task- and institution-centered interactions, such as those occurring in doctors' offices, courts, educational setting...etc. "Conversation analysis is a set ofmethodsfor working with audio and video recordings of talk and social interaction" (Jack Sidnell, 2010). Aim Conversation analysis aims to describe, analyze and understand the naturally occurring talk-in-interaction. It studies speech produced in ordinary human interactions to understand communications in society .So that to understand how individuals fulfill their goals and maintain a sense of order. It aims to discover how participants understand and respond to one another in their turns at talk, with a central focus on how sequences of action are generated. Thus, it attempts to characterize the patterns and the structures of interactions.Method of Analysis As in all research, CA begins by setting up a research problem. The data collected for CA is in the form of video or audio recorded conversations. The data can be collected without the researchers' involvement, often simply by adding a video camera to the room where the conversation takes place (e.g. medical doctors consultation with a patient). From the audio or video recording the researchers construct a detailed transcription. After transcription, the researchers perform inductive data-driven analysis aiming to find recurring patterns of interaction. Based on the analysis, the researchers develop a rule or model to explain the occurrence of the patterns.

Conversation Analysis offers technical specifications of six key structural features of talk-in- interaction: 1/ Turn taking: Is a cyclical process, it begins with one person speaking, and continues as the speaker gives up control to the next person. The second speaker now has the conversational floor. When the speaker is finished, they give control back to another speaker (in this case, the beginning speaker), thus creating a cycle.1.1/Turn taking cues: According to DUNCAN, in conversation we use turn-yielding cues, back-channel cues, and turn-maintaining cues. 1.1. 1/Turn-yielding cues: are used by speakers to let the listener know that they have finished what they want to say and that someone else may speak. DUNCAN (1972) identified some turn-yielding cues in conversation. Some of it are verbal or paralinguistic and transmitted via the auditory channel. These include: Intonation, Drawl on the final syllable, Pitch /loudness .The other turn-yielding cue involves gesticulation. Varieties of gesticulation and body movements, gazing behaviors, head nodding, hand and arm gestures, smiles and laugh1.1. 2/Turn-maintaining cues, in which speaking-turn are used by speakers to keep their speaking turn. Hand gestures may constitute the most the important no behavior for this purpose, changes in volume and the rate of speech (pauses).Differences in turn-taking:3.1. Sex differences: Environmental influences train women to be more aware of visual cues than men. Women are usually taught to give special attention to dress, color, spatial arrangements, and so on. It has also been observed that males increase eye contact while talking, therefore, they are seen to be more active than females with the same amount of eye contact. DUNCAN / FISKE (1977) found out that the mean length of the males speaking turns was distinctly longer than the length of the females turns. Also, females smiled longer and more often than the males.-Concerning interruptions in conversation: BEATTIE (1983) stated that in male-female conversation men interrupt much more frequently than women.3.2. Personal differences: BEATTIE (1982) stated that shy individuals have longer pauses between turns and speak less frequently and for a shorter percentage of the time. He also claimed that even turn-taking and interruption are effected by personality variables. For example; extroverts interrupt, and speak simultaneously, more often than introvert.2/Overlaps Occurs when two speakers try to speak at the same time. Overlaps are conventionally marked by double dashes (//).There are different types of overlaps that are interpreted differently, they can communicate closeness, competition and can be a part of a first difficult conversation with an unfamiliar person. For many speakers (often Youngers) overlapped talk appears to express solidarity or closeness in expressing similar opinions or values.For example:A: Do you see him in the video?B: Yeah___the part on the beach.A: He was just being so cool.B: and all the waves//crashing around himA: Yeah that was really wild. These two overlapped talk communicates closeness and creates a feeling of harmony, as if the two voices are collaborated as one.However in the second example:A: When they were in //power las___ Wait CAN I FINISHB: Thats mu point I said___ The two speakers appear to have a discussion but they are in fact competing for the floor. The point at which overlap occurs is treated as an interruption.3/Adjacency pairs adjacency pair is a sequence of two related utterances by two different speakers.The utterance is always a response to the first. This is an example of greeting and good byes.Anna: Hello Bill: HiAnna: How are you Bill: Fine Anna: See you Bill: Bay These automatic sequence are called adjacency pair which consists of the first part and the second part produced by two different speakers. The utterance of the first part immediately creates an expectation of the second part of the same pair.An example found in the opening sequence of conversation :A: what s up? B: Nothing much.A: How are things? b: The usual.Another type of adjacency pairs is a question answer sequence A: what time is it? B; about eighty-thirty Another type of adjacency pair is a thanking response. A: Thanks b: You are welcome. Another type of adjacency pair is a request accept responseA: Could you help me with this b: Sure.Not all the first parts receive their second part, however. It often happen that a question- answer sequence intervenes and then it take the form of Q1-Q2-A2-A1 the middle pair( Q2-A2)is called an assertion sequence Example:Agent: Do you want the early flight? (Q1)Client: What time does it arrive? (Q2)Agent: Nine forty-five (A1)Client: yeah that s great (A2)An assertion sequence is one adjacency pair within another. Other form of social action where there is a pair which consists of a request accepting response (Q1- A1), with an assertion sequence of a question answer pair (Q2-A2)which function as a condition on the acceptance sequence(A1) Being provided.A: Could you mail this letter for me?( Q1=Request)B: Does it have a stamp no it?(Q2) A: yeah (A2) B:Okay (A1=acceptance)4/Back channels Back channel is a noise, gesture, expression, or a word used by a listener to indicate that he/she is paying attention to the speaker . According to H.M Rosenfield (1978) the most common back channel signals are head movements, brief vocalizations, glances, and facial expressions often in combination .As an example:Karen Pelly : Brent might learn a little lesson if his security camera got stolen.Hank Yarbo: yeah.Karen: by someone.Hank: hmmKaren: someone he trusts .Hank: yeah, I suppose Karen: someone he would never suspect Hank: yeah.5/Pauses A pause is a break in speaking or a moment of silence . In phonetic analysis a double vertical bar (II) is used to represent a distinct pause .In direct speech, it is indicated by ellipsis () or a dash (-)6/Preference structure The term used to indicate a socially determined structural pattern and does not refer to any individuals mental or emotional desires.Preference structure devides second parts into prefend and disprefend social acts.The prefend is the structurally expected next act and the disprefend is the structurally unexpected next act .The general patterns are presented in this table:First part Second part

Assessment Institution Offer Proposal Request Prefend Disprefend

AgreeacceptagreeAccept Disagreerefusedeclinedisagreerefuse

In considering request or offer as the first part , acceptance is the prefened and refusal is the disprefened in the second part .Example: First part: Second part:a/ can you help me ? (request)sure .b/ want some coffee? (offer)Yes, please .c/ isnt that really great? (assessment)Yes ,it is .d/ maybe we could go farewell? (Proposal)Thatd be great. In these examples the responses in each second part all present prefened . Thus acceptance or agreement is the prefened part response to a request (a) an offer (b) an assessment (c) or a proposal (d).8- major dimentions of conversation analysis: There are three dimensions: i. They focus on action: conversation analysts studies state that any conversation topic have actions including: opening and closing of conversation , story telling, press conferences , news interviews and different institutional environment .ii. Structure: how action is structred and organized for example outline the rules of turn taking in a conversation .iii. Intersubjectivity: examine the participants intention , their state of knowledge , their relation , and the same understanding towards the talk about objects is created , maintained and negotiated .9- transcription talk:

In order to conduct any study , the conversation analysts need to observe talk , however humen ears and brains are not particually efficient whene it comes to remembring all that goes on in the fast flow of speech. If you do not belive this . Without warning ask some one to repeat what you jest said they may paraphrase or even give the accutate repitition of words you used , however they are much less to be able to recreat your pauses and intonation .So, conversation analysts in order to avoid relying on their memories, they enlist the aid of audio and audio visual recordings of the interactions ther are interested in and also choose to work from a written record of who is on the tape . it is called transcription of the interaction .10- some transcription symbols:

SymblosIts indicationExample

(laughs) or uh huhThe speaker laughsRealy.[laughs] or realy .uh huh

umm/ hmmA positive response to a question or statement.A: did you like the interview?B: umm/ hmm

Ah hah Represents exclamation.A: are you divorced?B: ah hah , divorced!

Double hyphen(__ )period and 2 spacesSpeaker changes his words or switches the direction.When i was __. I was about six years old.

Ellipses ( )Somthing is missed.I was working in ()my boss was

[end of tape] [beging of the tape ]Used to represent tape location[end tape 1 of1 , side a copy 2 ]

Full name.colon and then 2 spacesTo mention a name of a person or place for the first time.Bob lewis: would you start by saying

two initials .colon and then two spacesTo mention a name for a second time .Bl: did you say tha ?

Latching (=)Silence that some how longer what is normal wheb taking the turn .Mun: ah dont think theyd like each other =Lisa: = theyd try and kill each other =

Underlying a word with capital lettersSpeaker raises his voice.A:WHAT, PATTERNS?

yesTalk is quit or soft.A: yes, i agree.

yesIndicates whispering

Speaker is smiling while speaking. it was so.