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Conversation Analysis of Two Conversation Extracts
Learning a new language entails careful analysis of how conversations transpire
between two communicators. Usually, this is the application of the things the learner
gained as skills and knowledge from a second language learning class. Sometimes,
conversations initiated by second language learners may be awkward and
inappropriate, that is why they need to learn the proper ways of how to communicate
effectively. Most of the time, non-native English speakers become anxious to apply their
newly-found skills, however, conversation analysis of some excerpts of everyday
conversations can strengthen those skills and keep the learner aware of some rules to
follow in conducting conversations.
Sacks, Schegloff & Jefferson (1974) developed a model in the 1960’s of
analyzing conversations to study spoken interactions. They identified three basic facts
about conversations. First, people take turns speaking and listening. Second, mostly
only one person speaks at a time, because more than one person talking would be
difficult to understand. Third, turns are taken with few gaps or overlaps. Initially, they
were only interested in the organization of interactions, but later on, their work attracted
sociologists, linguists, and other scholars who study languages, especially Applied
Linguistics (Koester in Hunston & Oakley, 2010). Conversational Analysis is the process
of investigating the collaboration or lack of coherence in how speakers converse. It
observes excerpts of conversations to analyse its elements such as how it opens and
closes, how the conversing parties take turns in the conversation and the general mood
and direction of the conversation (Koester in Hunston & Oakley, 2010).
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Conversation analysis looks into how conversations open and close. Opening
sequences may come in many forms, depending on the intention of the person who
initiated the conversation. It may be to summon an answer, to ask for identification, to
greet somebody or to have initial inquiries before he or she plunges to the first topic.
Closing sequences usually go through three stages – closing the topic being discussed,
pre-closing of the conversation and terminal exchanges or the final ‘goodbyes’ (Koester
in Hunston & Oakley, 2010). CA also checks out the turn-taking mechanisms of the
people in the conversation specifically the turn allocation and distribution and how the
turn was constructed (Schegloff, 1979). The sequences of turns may be geared
towards invitations, requests, announcements, or other directions (Levinson, 1983).
Pomeranz (1984) delineated some pairs found in conversation sequences as
having preference organization. Termed as ‘adjacency pairs’, these are sequences of
two turns in conversations wherein the first turn is called the ‘first pair part’ and the
responding turn is the ‘second pair part’ which gives out the expected response of the
first turn. These adjacency pairs have specific preference organizations. Once a first
pair part initiates a turn, the second pair part may be a ‘preferred’ response or a
‘dispreferred’ response (Pomeranz, 1984). For example the first pair part offers or
invites the other party to an event, the second pair part may accept (preferred) or refuse
(dispreferred). Preferred responses coincide with the first part pair’s expected offer,
invitation, suggestion, request, expressed opinion or blame. To these, the preferred
responses are to accept, comply, agree and deny blame (to keep the status quo)
accordingly. Dispreferred responses may be associated with a negative response to the
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first party, although it is not necessarily offensive. These are to refuse, disagree or
admit blame (Pomeranz, 1984).
Two naturally-occurring conversations recorded in offices shall be analyzed in
this paper. The first one is between Jim a senior member of the teaching staff, and Liz,
a secretary in the department. The second one involves three co-workers, Susan and
Liz, both secretaries in the department and Vicky, a lecturer in the English department.
They were engaged in small talk about a motorway accident that happened the day
before.
The opening sequences of the two extract are very different. In the first one, Jim
comes into the office and directly summons Liz for an answer with a pre-request in his
pre-sequence. He asks Liz if they can sit down for a meeting on a specified date and
time (Thursday at eleven o’clock in the morning) to discuss a particular journal. This
was the first part in the adjacency pair of the opening sequence. Liz agrees, and
complies with his request, responding with a preferred second part in the adjacent pair.
The jump into something significant and the skipping of greetings may be because
before this first adjacency pair in the CA, Jim and Liz have already been talking
previously about a trip that Jim has been on and the initial greetings may have
transpired in that unseen conversation.
The second extract’s opening sequence involved greetings and exchange of
pleasantries to break the ice because Vicky was recorded to have just come into the
office to begin the conversation with Susan and Liz who were already in the office. The
opening adjacent pair showed good morning greetings between Vicky and Liz with
Susan chiming in to add an initial enquiry asking Vicky how she was. To that, Vicky
answered she was fine and in turn asked Liz how her son was.
Turn-taking in both conversations was smooth even if there were instances of
overlaps. Between Jim and Liz, it seemed they were talking about something private
that both of them had previous knowledge about even if such topic was not explicitly
discussed. Liz initiated the topic being on her mind and was even dreaming about it, to
emphasize how interested she was in it that it is on her mind so much. Jim’s response
to Liz’ sharing of information was of agreement that the topic they both know about was
likewise in his mind that is why the both need to get on with discussing it in their
proposed meeting on Thursday. The realization that they both thought about the topic
which they only knew about so much produced some awkward moments in the
