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Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies

Works Count: 65072

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This cluster of papers focuses on conversation analysis, interactional linguistic analysis, and discourse study, examining topics such as turn-taking, social interaction, identity construction, pragmatics, narrative analysis, politeness theory, and multimodal communication.

Keywords

Conversation Analysis; Interactional Linguistics; Discourse Study; Turn-Taking; Social Interaction; Identity Construction; Pragmatics; Narrative Analysis; Politeness Theory; Multimodal Communication

Structures of Social Action

1985-04-04

J. Maxwell Atkinson

Bringing together thirteen original papers by leading American and British researchers, this volume reflects fresh developments in the increasingly influential field of conversation analysis. It begins by outlining the theoretical … Bringing together thirteen original papers by leading American and British researchers, this volume reflects fresh developments in the increasingly influential field of conversation analysis. It begins by outlining the theoretical and methodological foundations of the field and goes on to develop some of the main themes that have emerged from topical empirical research. These include the organisation of preference, topic, non-vocal activities, and apparently spontaneous responses such as laughter and applause. The collection represents the most comprehensive statement yet to be published on this type of research.

You just don't understand : women and men in conversation

1992-01-01

Deborah Tannen

Women and men live in different worlds...made of different words.Spending nearly four years on the New York Times bestseller list, including eight months at number one, You Just Don't Understand … Women and men live in different worlds...made of different words.Spending nearly four years on the New York Times bestseller list, including eight months at number one, You Just Don't Understand is a true cultural and intellectual phenomenon. This is the book that brought gender differences in ways of speaking to the forefront of public awareness. With a rare combination of scientific insight and delightful, humorous writing, Tannen shows why women and men can walk away from the same conversation with completely different impressions of what was said.Studded with lively and entertaining examples of real conversations, this book gives you the tools to understand what went wrong -- and to find a common language in which to strengthen relationships at work and at home. A classic in the field of interpersonal relations, this book will change forever the way you approach conversations.

Pragmatics and Linguistics: an analysis of Sentence Topics

1981-01-02

Tanya Reinhart

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Discourse Theory and Practice: A Reader

2001-01-01

Margaret Wetherell , Stephanie Taylor , Simeon Yates

much more than a collection of key classic articles and papers in the field of discourse analysis. The aim of the book is to introduce students to the major figures … much more than a collection of key classic articles and papers in the field of discourse analysis. The aim of the book is to introduce students to the major figures in the field, and to some of their writings which, combined with the interspersed editorial commentaries, should allow students to understand the key epistemological and methodological issues of discourse theory and practice. The Reader is organized into four coherent parts, namely: Foundations and Building Blocks; Social Interaction; Minds, Selves and Sense-Making; and Culture and Social Relations. Key readings include works by Stuart Hall, Jonathan Potter, David Silverman, Erving Goffman, Teun van Dijk, Derek Edwards and Michael Billig. Chapters introduce the student to each individual and their reading, contextualizing each in terms of their contribution to the field, theoretical standpoint and individual method of doing discourse analysis. The many didactic elements of the book make it ideal as an introduction to the study of discourse for all students of psychology, sociology, linguistics or cultural studies.

Extreme case formulations: A way of legitimizing claims

1986-01-01

Anita Pomerantz

Cross-Cultural Pragmatic Failure

1983-02-01

J. THOMAS

Journal Article Cross-Cultural Pragmatic Failure Get access JENNY THOMAS JENNY THOMAS University of Lancaster Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Applied Linguistics, Volume 4, … Journal Article Cross-Cultural Pragmatic Failure Get access JENNY THOMAS JENNY THOMAS University of Lancaster Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Applied Linguistics, Volume 4, Issue 2, Summer 1983, Pages 91–112, https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/4.2.91 Published: 01 July 1983 Article history Received: 01 May 1982 Published: 01 July 1983

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Repair After Next Turn: The Last Structurally Provided Defense of Intersubjectivity in Conversation

1992-03-01

Emanuel A. Schegloff

Organizational features of ordinary conversation and other talk-in-interaction provide for the routine display of participants' understanding of one anothers' conduct and of the field of action, thereby building in a … Organizational features of ordinary conversation and other talk-in-interaction provide for the routine display of participants' understanding of one anothers' conduct and of the field of action, thereby building in a routine grounding for intersubjectivity. This same organization provides interactants the resources for recognizing breakdowns of intersubjectivity and for repairing them. This article sets the concern with intersubjectivity in theoretical context, sketches the organization by which it is grounded and defended in ordinary interaction, describes the practices by which trouble in understanding is dealt with, and illustrates what happens when this organization fails to function. Some consequences for contemporary theory and inquiry are suggested.

Action and embodiment within situated human interaction

2000-09-01

Charles Goodwin

The preference for self-correction in the organization of repair in conversation

1977-06-01

Emanuel A. Schegloff , Gail Jefferson , Harvey Sacks

THE PREFERENCE FOR SELF-CORRECTION IN THE ORGANIZATION OF REPAIR IN CONVERSATION Emanuel A. SchegloffGail JeffersonHarvey Sacks University of California,Los AngelesUniversity of California, Los AngelesIrvine An Organization of repair' operates in … THE PREFERENCE FOR SELF-CORRECTION IN THE ORGANIZATION OF REPAIR IN CONVERSATION Emanuel A. SchegloffGail JeffersonHarvey Sacks University of California,Los AngelesUniversity of California, Los AngelesIrvine An Organization of repair' operates in conversation, addressed to recurrent problems in speaking, hearing, and understanding. Several features of that organization are introduced to explicate the mechanism which produces a strong empirical skewing in which self-repair predominates over other-repair, and to show the operation of a preference for self-repair in the organization of repair. Several consequences of the preference for self-repair for conversational interaction are sketched.* 1. Self- and other-correction. Among linguists and others who have at all concerned themselves with the phenomenon of 'correction' (or, as we shall refer to it, 'repair'; cf. below, §2.1), a distinction is commonly drawn between 'selfcorrection ' and 'other-correction', i.e. correction by the speaker ofthat which is being corrected vs. correction by some 'other'.1 Sociologists take an interest in such a distinction; its terms—'self' and 'other'—have long been understood as central to the study ofsocial organization and social interaction.2 For our concerns in this paper, 'self' and 'other' are two classes of participants in interactive social * We wish to acknowledge the help, through discussion and/or through bringing relevant data to our attention, of Jo Ann Goldberg, Anita Pomerantz, and Alene Terasaki at the University of California, Irvine, and of Françoise Brun-Cottan, Irene Daden, and Louise Kerr at the University of California, Los Angeles. Harvey Sacks was killed in an automobile accident while this paper was undergoing final revision. 1 Bolinger ([1953] 1965:248) writes: 'What speakers avoid doing is as important as what they do. Self-correction of speech and writing, and the correction of others in conversation ("I can't understand what you say"), in classrooms, and over editorial desks is an unending business, one that determines the outlines of our speech just as acceptances determine its mass. Correction, the border beyond which we say "no" to an expression, is to language what a seacoast is to a map. Up to now, linguistic scientists have ignored it because they could see in it nothing more than the hankerings of pedants after a standard that is arbitrary, prejudiced and personal. But it goes deeper. Its motive is intelligibility, and in spite of the occasional aberrations that have distracted investigators from the central facts, it is systematic enough to be scientifically described.' Not much has been made of the distinction—in part, perhaps, because the disciplines have used it to divide up their work, self-correction being occasionally discussed by linguists (since it regularly occurs within the sentence?), e.g. Hockett 1967 and DuBois 1974, and other-correction by psychologists, e.g. Garvey, ms. They have rarely both been in the attention of the same investigator , who might then address himself to the relation between them. a Under various guises—self/other, individual/society, ego/alter—and through various understandings of the relationship between them—opposition, complementarity etc.—this pair of notions goes back to the origins of American sociology (G. H. Mead, Cooley etc.), to the classical figures of European sociology (Marx, Weber, Durkheim), and beyond the origins of sociology as an academically specialized discipline to the origins of social and political philosophy . For one account of the development of the theme that 'external control,' i.e. control by others, will not adequately account for, or guarantee, social order, cf. Parsons 1937. 361 362LANGUAGE, VOLUME 53, NUMBER 2 (1977) organizations—in particular those which characterize the sequential organization of conversation, specifically its turn-taking system.3 Thought of in terms of the social organization of conversational interaction, self-correction and othercorrection are not to be treated as independent types of possibilities or events, nor as structurally equivalent, equipotential, or equally 'valued'. Rather (and this is a central theme of our paper), self-correction and other-correction are related organizationally , with self-correction preferred to other-correction.4 One sort of gross, prima-facie evidence bears both on the relevance of the distinction and on the preference relationship ofits components. Even casualinspection of talk in interaction finds self-correction vastly more common than other...

On Discourse, Communication, and (Some) Fundamental Concepts in SLA Research

1997-09-01

Alan Firth , Johannes Wagner

This article argues for a reconceptualization of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research that would enlarge the ontological and empirical parameters of the field. We claim that methodologies, theories, and foci … This article argues for a reconceptualization of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research that would enlarge the ontological and empirical parameters of the field. We claim that methodologies, theories, and foci within SLA reflect an imbalance between cognitive and mentalistic orientations, and social and contextual orientations to language, the former orientation being unquestionably in the ascendancy. This has resulted in a skewed perspective on discourse and communication, which conceives of the foreign language speaker as a deficient communicator struggling to overcome an underdeveloped L2 competence, striving to reach the “target” competence of an idealized native speaker (NS). We contend that SLA research requires a significantly enhanced awareness of the contextual and interactional dimensions of language use, an increased “emic” (i.e., participant‐relevant) sensitivity towards fundamental concepts, and the broadening of the traditional SLA data base. With such changes in place, the field of SLA has the capacity to become a theoretically and methodologically richer, more robust enterprise, better able to explicate the processes of second or foreign language (S/FL) acquisition, and better situated to engage with and contribute to research commonly perceived to reside outside its boundaries.

Situations and Attitudes

1981-11-01

Jon Barwise , John Perry

In this provocative book, Barwise and Perry tackle the slippery subject of meaning, a subject that has long vexed linguists, language philosophers, and logicians. In this provocative book, Barwise and Perry tackle the slippery subject of meaning, a subject that has long vexed linguists, language philosophers, and logicians.

Towards an anatomy of impoliteness

1996-03-01

Jonathan Culpeper

Interaction Analysis: Foundations and Practice

1995-01-01

Brigitte Jordan , Austin Henderson

(1995). Interaction Analysis: Foundations and Practice. Journal of the Learning Sciences: Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 39-103. (1995). Interaction Analysis: Foundations and Practice. Journal of the Learning Sciences: Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 39-103.

Conducting Interaction: Patterns of Behavior in Focused Encounters.

1992-03-01

Judee K. Burgoon , Adam Kendon

Preface 1. Introduction 2. Some context for Context Analysis: a view of the origins of structural studies of face-to-face interaction 3. Some functions of gaze direction in two-person conversation 4. … Preface 1. Introduction 2. Some context for Context Analysis: a view of the origins of structural studies of face-to-face interaction 3. Some functions of gaze direction in two-person conversation 4. Movement co-ordination in social interaction 5. Some functions of the face in a kissing round 6. A description of some human greetings 7. Spatial organisation in social encounters: the F-formation system 8. Behavioural foundations for the process of frame-attunement in face-to-face interaction List of films cited References Index.

Explorations in the Ethnography of Speaking

1989-10-19

Richard Bauman , Joël Sherzer

First published in 1974, this collection of classic case studies in the ethnography of speaking had a formative influence on the field. No other volume has so successfully provided a … First published in 1974, this collection of classic case studies in the ethnography of speaking had a formative influence on the field. No other volume has so successfully provided a broad, cross-cultural survey of the use, role and function of language and speech in social life. The essays deal with traditional societies in Native North, Middle, and South America, Africa, and Oceania, as well as English, French, and Yiddish speaking communities in Europe and North America and Afro-American communities in North America and the Caribbean. Now reissued, the collection includes a key introduction by the editors that traces the subsequent development of the ethnography of speaking and indicates directions for future research. The theoretical and methodological concepts and perspectives that illuminated the first edition are recognized anon and valued by many disciplines beyond that of linguistic anthropology. Scholars and students whose backgrounds may be in literature, speech communication, performance studies or ethnomusicology will equally welcome this edition.

Opening up Closings

1973-01-01

Emanuel A. Schegloff , Harvey Sacks

Abstract : The paper presents some of the ways that have been developed for dealing with closings in conversation. Earlier work on conversation formulations of several problems that have been … Abstract : The paper presents some of the ways that have been developed for dealing with closings in conversation. Earlier work on conversation formulations of several problems that have been employed to cut into aspects of the data. One may derive an initial problem from a consideration of the most basic features of conversation that are now known of. A partial solution is developed. Problematic aspects of that solution lead to the derivation of another problem which permits the further illumination of the data about closings. After relating the two problems, the paper closes with an attempt to specify the domain for which the closing problems, as they have been posed seem apposite. (Author)

Talk at Work: Interaction in Institutional Settings.

1994-07-01

Robert Hopper , Paul Drew , John Heritage

Part I. Theoretical orientations: Part II. The activities of questioners: Part III. The activities of answerers: Part IV. The interplay between questioning and answering. Part I. Theoretical orientations: Part II. The activities of questioners: Part III. The activities of answerers: Part IV. The interplay between questioning and answering.

A classification of illocutionary acts

1976-04-01

John R. Searle

ABSTRACT There are at least a dozen linguistically significant dimensions of differences between illocutionary acts. Of these, the most important are illocutionary point, direction of fit, and expressed psychological state. … ABSTRACT There are at least a dozen linguistically significant dimensions of differences between illocutionary acts. Of these, the most important are illocutionary point, direction of fit, and expressed psychological state. These three form the basis of a taxonomy of the fundamental classes of illocutionary acts. The five basic kinds of illocutionary acts are: representatives (or assertives), directives, commissives, expressives, and declarations. Each of these notions is defined. An earlier attempt at constructing a taxonomy by Austin is defective for several reasons, especially in its lack of clear criteria for distinguishing one kind of illocutionary force from another. Paradigm performative verbs in each of the five categories exhibit different syntactical properties. These are explained. (Speech acts, Austin's taxonomy, functions of speech, implications for ethnography and ethnology; English.)

The Terms of Agreement: Indexing Epistemic Authority and Subordination in Talk-in-Interaction

2005-03-01

John Heritage , Geoffrey Raymond

Within the general framework of agreement on a state of affairs, the matter of the terms of agreement can remain: determining whose view is the more significant or more authoritative … Within the general framework of agreement on a state of affairs, the matter of the terms of agreement can remain: determining whose view is the more significant or more authoritative with respect to the matter at hand. In this paper we focus on this issue as it is played out in assessment sequences. We examine four practices through which a second speaker can index the independence of an agreeing assessment from that of a first speaker, and in this way can qualify the agreement. We argue that these practices reduce the responsiveness of the second assessment to the first; in this way they resist any claim to epistemic authority that may be indexed by the first speaker in “going first” in assessing some state of affairs.

Identity and interaction: a sociocultural linguistic approach

2005-10-01

Mary Bucholtz , Kira Hall

The article proposes a framework for the analysis of identity as produced in linguistic interaction, based on the following principles: (1) identity is the product rather than the source of … The article proposes a framework for the analysis of identity as produced in linguistic interaction, based on the following principles: (1) identity is the product rather than the source of linguistic and other semiotic practices and therefore is a social and cultural rather than primarily internal psychological phenomenon; (2) identities encompass macro-level demographic categories, temporary and interactionally specific stances and participant roles, and local, ethnographically emergent cultural positions; (3) identities may be linguistically indexed through labels, implicatures, stances, styles, or linguistic structures and systems; (4) identities are relationally constructed through several, often overlapping, aspects of the relationship between self and other, including similarity/difference, genuineness/artifice and authority/ delegitimacy; and (5) identity may be in part intentional, in part habitual and less than fully conscious, in part an outcome of interactional negotiation, in part a construct of others’ perceptions and representations, and in part an outcome of larger ideological processes and structures. The principles are illustrated through examination of a variety of linguistic interactions.

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Language style as audience design

1984-06-01

Allan Bell

ABSTRACT The style dimension of language variation has not been adequately explained in sociolinguistic theory. Stylistic or intraspeaker variation derives from and mirrors interspeaker variation. Style is essentially speakers' response … ABSTRACT The style dimension of language variation has not been adequately explained in sociolinguistic theory. Stylistic or intraspeaker variation derives from and mirrors interspeaker variation. Style is essentially speakers' response to their audience. In audience design, speakers accommodate primarily to their addressee. Third persons – auditors and overhearers – affect style to a lesser but regular degree. Audience design also accounts for bilingual or bidialectal code choices. Nonaudience factors like topic and setting derive their effect by association with addressee types. These style shifts are mainly responsive – caused by a situational change. Speakers can also use style as initiative, to redefine the existing situation. Initiative style is primarily referee design: divergence from the addressee and towards an absent reference group. Referee design is especially prevalent in mass communication. (Sociolinguistic variation, code-switching. bilingualism, accommodation theory, ethnography of communication, mass communication)

Positioning and Interpretative Repertoires: Conversation Analysis and Post-Structuralism in Dialogue

1998-07-01

Margaret Wetherell

This article focuses on Schegloff's (1997) comments on critical discourse analysis and evaluates their force in relation to the analysis of a segment of a group discussion with three young … This article focuses on Schegloff's (1997) comments on critical discourse analysis and evaluates their force in relation to the analysis of a segment of a group discussion with three young white middle-class men concerning an episode in one of the participant's recent sexual history. The post-structuralist-influenced writings of Laclau and Mouffe (1985, 1987) are presented as an alternative analytic frame for the same data. The analysis examines the contextualization of the event which is the topic of the conversation and the positioning taken up and offered to the young man involved, drawing on the analytic concepts of interpretative repertoire and ideological dilemma. A critique of the post-structuralist concept of subject positions is developed and also of the methodological prescriptions Schegloff proposes for critical discourse analysis. The implications for critical discursive research in social psychology are discussed.

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A Simplest Systematics for the Organization of Turn-Taking for Conversation

1974-12-01

Harvey Sacks , Emanuel A. Schegloff , Gail Jefferson

The organization of taking turns to talk is fundament as to other speech-exchange systems.A model for the t conversation is proposed, and is examined for its compati observable facts about … The organization of taking turns to talk is fundament as to other speech-exchange systems.A model for the t conversation is proposed, and is examined for its compati observable facts about conversation.The results of the at least, a model for turn-taking in conversation will be c aged, party-administered, interactionally controlled, and Several general consequences of the model are explicated with turn-taking organizations for other speech-exchange 1. INTRODUCTION.Turn-taking is used for the orde allocating political office, for regulating traffic at inte at business establishments, and for talking in intervi monies, conversations etc.-these last being membe refer to as 'speech exchange systems'.It is obvious organization, one whose instances are implicated in a For socially organized activities, the presence of with turns for something being valued-and with mea affect their relative distribution, as in economies.An sociology of a turn-organized activity will want to de the turn-taking organization device, and how it affec for the activities on which it operates.For the investigator of turn-taking systems per se, i taking systems can be workably built in various organize sorts of activities that are quite different fro ular interest to see how operating turn-taking s adapting to properties of the sorts of activities in investigator interested in some sort of activity that system will want to determine how the sort of activit constrained by, the particular form of turn-taking sThe subject of this report is the turn-taking syst foregoing are among the questions to which it will b that the organization of taking turns at talk is one t in conversation, and have located a range of interesti sort of organization.1But no account of the syste

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Monitoring and self-repair in speech

1983-07-01

Willem J. M. Levelt

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Discourse and Social Psychology: Beyond Attitudes and Behaviour

1988-06-01

Jeffrey S. Bowers

You just don't understand: Women and men in conversation

1992-11-01

Stephen O. Murray

The Handbook of Conversation Analysis

2012-08-28

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The Handbook of Conversation Analysis

2013-06-01

Michael B. Buchholz

Reviewing Conversation Analysis (CA) “at the Century’s Turn”, Emanuel A. Schegloff predicted the “further development of our understanding of the organization of talk and other conduct in interaction itself” and … Reviewing Conversation Analysis (CA) “at the Century’s Turn”, Emanuel A. Schegloff predicted the “further development of our understanding of the organization of talk and other conduct in interaction itself” and to “register the particularities of its realization” (Schegloff 1999, p. 142). John Heritage (1999), additionally, foresaw a future where qualitative and quantitative approaches will “shift from basic CA to ‘applied’ analysis and back again” (p. 73).

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The ethnographic interview

2019-08-30

Anna De Fina

This chapter describes the use of interviews as a method for data collection in linguistic ethnography. It provides an account of the history of interviews, locating their origin as a … This chapter describes the use of interviews as a method for data collection in linguistic ethnography. It provides an account of the history of interviews, locating their origin as a tool in sociology and survey research, while qualitative and ethnographic interviews were developed particularly in anthropology and in Chicago School sociology. The chapter argues that the interpretive turn in the 1980s and 1990s led to expansion in the use of qualitative interviews in social sciences in general. It goes on to describe some of the debates around the use of interviews in linguistics and anthropology, including challenges around the role of the interviewer, the relationship between interviewer and informants, and the legitimacy of interview as a tool for understanding human behaviour. These debates are located in relation to broader historical developments of research paradigms, away from predominantly positivist frameworks. Recent ethnographic work in sociocultural linguistics which has drawn in part on interview data is described. The chapter underlines the importance of interviews as a form of triangulation in ethnographic research, while at the same time emphasising their co-constructed nature and highlighting the importance of interviewer reflexivity.

One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis?

2020-08-12

Virginia Braun , Victoria Clarke

Developing a universal quality standard for thematic analysis (TA) is complicated by the existence of numerous iterations of TA that differ paradigmatically, philosophically and procedurally. This plurality in TA is … Developing a universal quality standard for thematic analysis (TA) is complicated by the existence of numerous iterations of TA that differ paradigmatically, philosophically and procedurally. This plurality in TA is often not recognised by editors, reviewers or authors, who promote 'coding reliability measures' as universal requirements of quality TA. Focusing particularly on our reflexive TA approach, we discuss quality in TA with reference to ten common problems we have identified in published TA research that cites or claims to follow our guidance. Many of the common problems are underpinned by an assumption of homogeneity in TA. We end by outlining guidelines for reviewers and editors – in the form of twenty critical questions – to support them in promoting high(er) standards in TA research, and more deliberative and reflexive engagement with TA as method and practice.

Principles of Pragmatics

2016-02-17

Geoffrey Leech

A simplest systematics for the organization of turn-taking for conversation

1974-12-01

Harvey Sacks , Emanuel A. Schegloff , Gail Jefferson

A SIMPLEST SYSTEMATICS FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF TURN-TAKING FOR CONVERSATION Harvey SacksEmanuel A. SchegloffGail Jefferson University of California, University of California, University ofPennsylvania IrvineLos Angeles The organization of taking turns … A SIMPLEST SYSTEMATICS FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF TURN-TAKING FOR CONVERSATION Harvey SacksEmanuel A. SchegloffGail Jefferson University of California, University of California, University ofPennsylvania IrvineLos Angeles The organization of taking turns to talk is fundamental to conversation, as well as to other speech-exchange systems. A model for the turn-taking organization for conversation is proposed, and is examined for its compatibility with a list of grossly observable facts about conversation. The results of the examination suggest that, at least, a model for turn-taking in conversation will be characterized as locally managed , party-administered, interactionally controlled, and sensitive to recipient design. Several general consequences of the model are explicated, and contrasts are sketched with turn-taking organizations for other speech-exchange systems.* 1. Introduction. Turn-taking is used for the ordering of moves in games, for allocating political office, for regulating traffic at intersections, for serving customers at business establishments, and for talking in interviews, meetings, debates, ceremonies , conversations etc.—these last being members of the set which we shall refer to as 'speech exchange systems'. It is obviously a prominent type of social organization, one whose instances are implicated in a wide range of other activities. For socially organized activities, the presence of 'turns' suggests an economy, with turns for something being valued—and with means for allocating them, which affect their relative distribution, as in economies. An investigator interested in the sociology of a turn-organized activity will want to determine, at least, the shape of the turn-taking organization device, and how it affects the distribution of turns for the activities on which it operates. For the investigator of turn-taking systems per se, it is not surprising that turntaking systems can be workably built in various ways. Since they are used to organize sorts of activities that are quite different from one another, it is of particular interest to see how operating turn-taking systems are characterizable as adapting to properties of the sorts of activities in which they operate. Again, an investigator interested in some sort of activity that is organized by a turn-taking system will want to determine how the sort of activity investigated is adapted to, or constrained by, the particular form of turn-taking system which operates on it. The subject of this report is the turn-taking system for conversation, and the foregoing are among the questions to which it will be addressed. Others have noted that the organization of taking turns at talk is one type of organization operative in conversation, and have located a range of interesting features and details of that sort of organization.1 But no account of the systematics of the organization of * An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Conference on the Sociology of Language and Theory of Speech Acts, Bielefeld, Germany, April 1973. 1 For example, Goffman 1955, 1964, 1971 ; Albert 1964; Kendon 1967; Yngve 1970; Duncan 1972a,b, 1973. Thus Goffman (1964:135-6): Card games, ball-room couplings, surgical teams in operation, and fist fights provide examples of encounters ; all illustrate the social organization of shared current orientation, and all involve an organized interplay of acts of some kind. I want to suggest that when 696 SYSTEMATICS FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF TURN-TAKING697 turn-taking for conversation is yet available. Here, on the basis of research using audio recordings of naturally occurring conversations, we attempt to characterize, in its simplest systematic form, the organization of turn-taking for conversation, and to extract some of the interest Of that organization. Aspects of the organization we call turn-taking have forced themselves on investigators of ' small-group' behavior—who, in dealing with problems concerning the distribution of talk among participants in small groups,2 or the kinds of 'acts' which form sequences in small-group sessions,3 have encountered problems conditioned in central ways by the turn-taking system, though for the most part they have not addressed them in this light. Again, students of 'interview' behavior, and such two-party conversation as approximates it in form,4 have concerned themselves with the distribution of talk among the parties, the distribution of silences, the sequences in which the talk...

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Theorizing about intercultural communication

2005-01-01

William B. Gudykunst

Preface - William B. Gudykunst Part I: Introduction Chapter 1: Theorizing about Intercultural Communication: An Introduction - William B. Gudykunst, Carmen M. Lee, Tsukasa Nishida, and Naoto Ogawa Part II: … Preface - William B. Gudykunst Part I: Introduction Chapter 1: Theorizing about Intercultural Communication: An Introduction - William B. Gudykunst, Carmen M. Lee, Tsukasa Nishida, and Naoto Ogawa Part II: Theories of Communication Incorporating Culture Chapter 2: The Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) - W. Barnett Pearce Chapter 3: Speech Codes Theory: Restatement, Revisions, and Response to Criticisms - Gerry Philipsen, Lisa Coutu, and Patricia Covarrubias Part III: Theories Focusing on Cross-Cultural Variability in Communication Chapter 4: The Matrix of Face: An Updated Face-Negotiation Theory - Stella Ting-Toomey Chapter 5: Culture-Based Conversational Constraints Theory: Individual- and Culture-Level Analyses - Min-Sun Kim Part IV: Theories Focusing on Adaptations in Interactions Chapter 6: Communication Accomodation Theory: A Look Back and a Look Ahead - Cindy Gallois, Tanya Ogay, and Howard Giles Chapter 7: Cross-Cultural and Intercultural Applications of Expectations Violations Theory and Interaction Adaptation Theory - Judee K. Burgoon and Amy Ebesu Hubbard Chapter 8: From the Margins to the Center: Utilizing Co-Cultural Theory in Diverse Contexts - Mark P. Orbe and Regina E. Spellers Part V: Theories Focusing on Identity Chapter 9: Identity Management Theory: Facework in Intercultural Relationships - Tadasu Todd Imahori and William R. Cupach Chapter 10: Identity Negotiation Perspective: A Theoretical Framework - Stella Ting-Toomey Chapter 11: Theorizing Cultural Identifications: Critical Updates and Continuing Evolution - Mary Jane Collier Chapter 12: A Communication Theory of Identity: Development, Theoretical Perspective, and Future Directions - Michael L. Hecht, Jennifer R. Warren, Eura Jung, and Janice L. Krieger Part VI: Theories Focusing on Effective Communication & Decisions Chapter 13: An Anxiety/Uncertainty Management (AUM) Theory of Effective Communication - William B. Gudykunst Chapter 14: Association and Dissociation: A Contextual Theory of Interethnic Communication - Young Yun Kim Chapter 15: Effective Intercultural Work Group Communication Theory - John Oetzel Part VII: Theories Focusing on Adjustment and Acculturation Chapter 16: Adapting to a New Culture: An Integrative Communication Theory - Young Yun Kim Chapter 17: Cultural Schema Theory - Hiroko Nishida Chapter 18: An Anxiety/Uncertainty Management (AUM) Theory of Sojourner Adjustment - William B. Gudykunst

Evolutionary Pragmatics

2025-06-26

| Oxford University Press eBooks

Abstract Humans are uniquely social creatures who engage in uniquely complex social interactions. These are typically enabled by natural languages such as English, Dutch, or Swahili. These natural languages evolve … Abstract Humans are uniquely social creatures who engage in uniquely complex social interactions. These are typically enabled by natural languages such as English, Dutch, or Swahili. These natural languages evolve culturally over time. They were also enabled by a series of biological adaptations in the hominin lineage, which endowed us with capacities for language that other species seemingly lack. The possession of abilities for language, along with the mastery of natural languages, has played a constitutive role in the development of our species. Without language homo sapiens wouldn’t exist. The biological evolution of linguistic capacities, and the cultural evolution of natural languages, were driven by the communicative interactions of our ancestors. Since communicative interaction and the uses of natural language are the province of pragmatics, evolutionary pragmatics is the cornerstone of the study language evolution. This new field encompasses research on the evolution of abilities needed for pragmatics, and the role of pragmatics in the evolution of language. This volume brings together essays on a variety of topics that are central to the field of pragmatics, but are approached here from an evolutionary perspective. Topics covered include reference, ambiguity, common ground, communicative intentions, and language conventions. Numerous topics related to evolutionary pragmatics are introduced and discussed, ranging from baboon vocalizations and gestural communication in chimpanzees to formal models of the evolution of signalling systems and the co-evolution of pragmatics and grammar. Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the field, the volume includes contributors from diverse disciplines including linguistics, philosophy, psychology, and primatology.

Claudia Claridge, Ewa Jonsson <b>and</b> Merja Kytö, Intensifiers in Late Modern English: A sociopragmatic approach to courtroom discourse (Studies in English Language). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024. Pp. xxiv + 330. ISBN 9781108428668.

2025-06-25

James M. Stratton | English Language and Linguistics

Divided opinion: The interactional accomplishment of ideological antagonism

2025-06-25

Daniel Balinhas , Cristian Tileagă | Journal of Social and Political Psychology

This paper analyzes the public expression of ideological antagonism as an interactional accomplishment with reference to one of Spain’s most polarized contemporary issues: Catalan independence. Using Discursive Psychology, we analyze … This paper analyzes the public expression of ideological antagonism as an interactional accomplishment with reference to one of Spain’s most polarized contemporary issues: Catalan independence. Using Discursive Psychology, we analyze seven focus groups ( N = 49) with lay citizens holding different political stances on Catalan self-determination. Our analysis investigates how participants collaboratively assign blame for polarization and manage highly critical views of outgroups within a rhetorical stance of reasonableness. Through the mobilization of competing notions of national citizenship and democracy, participants argue for the (i)legitimacy of distinct national projects. We also examine how some participants, within this highly conflictual atmosphere, collectively legitimize and defend illiberal measures against ideological antagonists as a rational and reasonable course of action. Issues of nationhood and citizenship are negotiated through varied interpretative repertoires, enabling participants to contrast commonsense rationality with perceived biases of political antagonists. This study contributes to the literature on citizenship and political polarization by emphasizing the interactional construction of polarized views, shifting focus from cognitive processes to the rhetorical enactment of ideological antagonism in everyday argumentation.

Obituary: Jeff Coulter, 1947-2025

2025-06-25

Michael Lynch | Human Studies

The interactional consequences of asking for opinions about literature in Dutch oral exams

2025-06-25

Eline Wagelaar , Wyke Stommel , Jeroen Dera | Linguistics and Education

Language vis-à-vis cultural discourse: an ethno-pragmatic examination of igiHa personal names

2025-06-25

Saul S. Bichwa | Cogent Arts and Humanities

Perceptions of inter-turn silence after requests in standard and colloquial Singapore English

2025-06-24

Shoba Bandi-Rao , Rebecca Lurie Starr , Gregory Ang +2 more | Asian Englishes

A Study of the Level of Endangerment of !Kung as Spoken in Namibia

2025-06-24

Haileleul Zeleke Woldemariam | Aisthesis Verlag eBooks

<i>Going forward</i> as an adverb

2025-06-24

Olli O. Silvennoinen | English Language and Linguistics

Abstract This article presents an exploratory study of an innovative future adverb construction, going forward , typically meaning ‘in the future, from now on’ (e.g. What does this mean going … Abstract This article presents an exploratory study of an innovative future adverb construction, going forward , typically meaning ‘in the future, from now on’ (e.g. What does this mean going forward? ). Going forward probably originated in the domain of business in or around the 1970s. In this study, the spread of going forward is examined on the basis of over 1,500 examples from six genres of the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), covering the years 1990–2019. The data is analysed in terms of four morphosyntactic variables, and the developments in the frequency of going forward are analysed using variability-based neighbour clustering. The results show that, in the 1990s, going forward had a modest rate of occurrence mainly in texts having to do with business and finance, but its frequency rose sharply in the 2000s and the 2010s. At the same time, the discourse contexts in which it appeared broadened from business and finance to other domains. The syntactic contexts of going forward show that it has become an adverb. The results highlight the need to incorporate social meanings such as domain preferences in the description of grammatical constructions. They also illustrate the need to consider constructional innovations at the lexical end of the grammar–lexicon continuum, in addition to highly grammaticalised constructions.

How students get help: Institutional identities as a resource for recruitment

2025-06-23

Rosario Neyra , Kobin H. Kendrick , Merran Toerien | Journal of Pragmatics

Exploring the interplay of local language(s) and transformation to facilitate communication and change in (South) Africa

2025-06-23

Mogomme Alpheus Masoga , Allucia Lulu Shokane | South African Journal of African Languages

Ostensible invitations in Chinese – A pragmatic perspective

2025-06-23

Dániel Z. Kádár , Zhao Jihong , Juliane House +1 more | Language Sciences

Societal pragmatics

2025-06-23

Etsuko Oishi | Pragmatics and Society

Abstract The present paper describes the language- and culture-specific communicative practices in Japanese facilitated by the grammaticalized honorific system in the study of societal pragmatics ( Mey 2001 ). The … Abstract The present paper describes the language- and culture-specific communicative practices in Japanese facilitated by the grammaticalized honorific system in the study of societal pragmatics ( Mey 2001 ). The description develops existing descriptions by showing how the use of an honorific or a plain form functions in interaction as a societal action which situates the interaction within the societal norms of seniority, acquaintance/affiliation and (in)formality. The analysis in the framework of Austin’s ([1962]1975) effect-based speech act theory is illustrated using several examples which show that there is an interplay between performing an illocutionary-act type and performing a societal action: illocutionary and perlocutionary effects are reinforced when the illocutionary-act type and the societal action are compatible; but mitigated illocutionary and perlocutionary effects result when they are incompatible.

The relation between head movement and periphrasis

2025-06-23

Karlos Arregi , Asia Pietraszko | Journal of Linguistics

Abstract In this paper, we investigate the relation between head movement and the synthesis-periphrasis distinction in the verbal domain. We use the term synthesis to refer to verbal expressions in … Abstract In this paper, we investigate the relation between head movement and the synthesis-periphrasis distinction in the verbal domain. We use the term synthesis to refer to verbal expressions in which the lexical verb bears all the verbal inflection in a clause (e.g. rode in English). In contrast, a periphrastic verbal expression additionally contains an auxiliary verb (specifically, be or have ), and verbal inflection is distributed between the lexical verb and the auxiliary (e.g. had ridden ). We argue for two crosslinguistic generalizations: AfTonomy and *V-Aux. According to AfTonomy, affixal Ts vary as to whether they are in a head movement relation with a verb. *V-Aux states that in periphrasis, the lexical verb and the auxiliary cannot be related by head movement. Existing analyses of periphrasis can account for one or the other generalization, but not for both. We further argue that this tension between the two generalizations is resolved if we adopt the hypothesis that both head movement and periphrasis are tied to selection. More specifically, we propose that head movement is parasitic on a selectional relation (following Svenonius 1994, Julien 2002, Matushansky 2006, Pietraszko 2017, Preminger 2019) and that auxiliaries are merged as specifiers selected by functional heads such as T (Pietraszko 2017, 2023).

Interpretive constructs: The case of incitement to violence and terror

2025-06-22

Roni Danziger | Journal of Pragmatics

Psychotherapy in South African indigenous languages: Positioning isiXhosa as a language of symbolisation

2025-06-22

Ntokozo Gqweta | South African Journal of African Languages

Initiating physical examination in traditional-Chinese-medicine encounters: A multimodal conversation-analytic approach

2025-06-21

Zi Yang , Weizhong Wu | Discourse Studies

Based on video-recordings of 62 traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) encounters, this paper examines the initiation of an essential type of physical examination in TCM using multimodal conversation analysis. Focusing on … Based on video-recordings of 62 traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) encounters, this paper examines the initiation of an essential type of physical examination in TCM using multimodal conversation analysis. Focusing on the interactional patterns for initiating the pulse-taking activity, we observe a sequence made purely of embodied actions, unfolding linearly with a tripartite structure – ‘request for pulse-taking preparation, preparation enactment, and pulse palpation’. Instead of signaling a transition between medical activities as in Western medicine, the initiation of pulse-taking is often made amidst verbal interaction oriented to another medical task, featuring divergent orientations in parallel activities – a distinctive multiactivity type in TCM interaction. Meanwhile, the concurrence of verbal and embodied actions to initiate the pulse-taking activity is found only in three major interactional contingencies, indicating a selective and limited employment of coordinated verbal and nonverbal cues to initiate pulse taking. This study enriches our understanding of both under-researched multimodal interactions in medical contexts and differences in the initiation of physical examination across medical practices. It also has practical implications for improving consultation efficiency.

The Use of Discourse Markers in Non-Native Speaker Speech: A Case from Vietnam

2025-06-21

Du Thanh Tran , Ly Thien Binh , Đặng Thị Bảo Dung +1 more | Arab World English Journal

Using discourse markers brings various benefits for speakers in communication. The current study investigated the use of discourse markers by Vietnamese EFL students at an English center. The study aims … Using discourse markers brings various benefits for speakers in communication. The current study investigated the use of discourse markers by Vietnamese EFL students at an English center. The study aims to explore the use of DMs by Vietnamese EFL learners and investigates their perceptions of DMs in conversations. This study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods, utilizing audio recordings, questionnaires, and interviews to collect data. It involved one hundred twenty-five Vietnamese EFL students and five teachers as participants. The findings reveal that students use some discourse markers more frequently than others. The referential discourse markers prevail in participants’ responses, while using structural discourse markers is almost negligible. The results also indicate that students are practically aware of the importance and functions of discourse markers; however, they are not quite familiar with the different types of these devices. The teachers also recognized the importance of discourse markers for students’ language competence development, but considered their use less effective. This study makes a significant contribution to English teaching and learning in EFL contexts in Vietnam. The research suggests that teachers should raise students’ awareness of the benefits of discourse markers in oral communication. This study also recommends various strategies for teachers to improve students’ fluency and develop their pragmatic competence through using discourse markers in communication.

Speech Acts in Minangkabau Language during Commercial Transactions in Mentawai’s Traditional Market: A Case Study in Pasar Raya Muara Siberut

2025-06-20

Anne Pratiwi , Ike Revita , Wulan Fauzanna +2 more | Andalas International Journal of Socio-Humanities

This descriptive-qualitative research aims to analyze the forms of speech acts that use the Minangkabau language for commercial transactions in Mentawai’s traditional market. The data were extracted from natural communication … This descriptive-qualitative research aims to analyze the forms of speech acts that use the Minangkabau language for commercial transactions in Mentawai’s traditional market. The data were extracted from natural communication in Pasar Raya Muara Siberut, Mentawai Islands. This research focuses on identifying the five types of illocutionary acts: assertive, directive, commissive, expressive, and declarations. The result shows that assertive and commissive are the most dominant types, reflecting the transactional nature of the interactions. The other forms, expressive, are used to maintain harmony, while directives appear less frequently but serve specific purposes in agreement and decision-making. In addition, the declaration speech acts were not found during the transaction. This study highlights how cultural values and local norms shape the pragmatic use of language in the traditional market, especially in using the Minangkabau language.

ETHNOGRAPHY OF COMMUNICATION: THE WAY OF SPEAKING IN BANJAR COMMUNITY OF SOUTH KALIMANTAN

2025-06-20

Putri Ayu Hadayatur Rafiqoh | Jurnal Common

The concept of ethnography of communication examines the communication patterns of the Banjar community, including the use of language, speech norms, and the social context that surrounds it. This study … The concept of ethnography of communication examines the communication patterns of the Banjar community, including the use of language, speech norms, and the social context that surrounds it. This study comprehensively describes how the Banjar community interprets and practices communication in everyday life, as well as cultural actions in the form of events expressed by the community through language. The relevance between language and ethnography is seen in the cultural expression explained through language events. This paper explains the ethnography of the Banjar language based on Hymes' theory. Based on the results of the study, it was found that their speech manners show high respect for the values of politeness, customs, and Islamic teachings as the main guide in communicating. The geographical conditions of the Banjar ethnic group, which is located in a river environment, is also a factor in the large number of special vocabularies related to river life that are only owned and interpreted by the community. The Banjar language has variations in the level of refinement used according to social status, age, or closeness of the relationship between the speaker and the listener, reflecting an attitude of mutual respect in social interaction. In addition, deliberation is the main means of decision-making, while conflict resolution is carried out by prioritizing family dialogue, customary law, and religious values. Keywords: ethnography of communication, Banjar community, speaking

Markedness as figure-ground manipulation: a hypothesis

2025-06-19

Rong Chen | Cognitive Linguistics

Abstract Markedness in language has been a perpetual fascination for linguists of all persuasions, but a unified account of it has proven elusive. In this paper, I propose a figure-ground … Abstract Markedness in language has been a perpetual fascination for linguists of all persuasions, but a unified account of it has proven elusive. In this paper, I propose a figure-ground gestalt (FGG) hypothesis, arguing that markedness is a mechanism for speakers to manipulate figure-ground arrangement in cases where the unmarked figure-ground organization is found wanting. There are three parts to this hypothesis. The first is the physio-anatomical basis of FGG, i.e., FGG is a biological reality rooted in the anatomy of the human eye and the neurology of attentional limitation. The second part of the hypothesis is the assumption that FGG has a heavy and prevalent bearing on the major architecture of language (the “unmarked” version of language). Thirdly – which is the essence of the hypothesis – when the default FGG organization in language cannot fulfill specific needs arising from context, the speaker rearranges FGG presentation. The result of this FGG manipulation is linguistic markedness. Four key marked constructions – subject auxiliary inversion, passive voice, it -cleft, and anticipatory it – are analyzed to support the proposed hypothesis.

A Clinician-Research Collaboration: The Road to Ms. M.

2025-06-19

Charles M. Jaffe | Journal of Psycholinguistic Research

Perspective-taking in referential discourse among Mandarin-speaking children during three-party conversations

2025-06-19

Xiaobei Zheng , Yi‐Ying Li | Lingua

Editorial

2025-06-19

Robert Butler | Multimodality & Society

The focus of this special issue is on the multimodal representations of authority in society. Authority transcends all areas of human interaction, where interaction includes not only language but also … The focus of this special issue is on the multimodal representations of authority in society. Authority transcends all areas of human interaction, where interaction includes not only language but also audial, visual and other modes of multimodal communication. Even where it may not appear to be prevalent, the very structure of knowledge, interactions, transactions, relationships, societies, cultures and polities is based on some kind of existing, derived, normative or contested form of authority. This means the forms of authority are diverse, sometimes obfuscatory, but also open to the potential for challenges to existing authority. Authority may be held by an individual or a collective, and may or may not be subject to questioning. The acceptance or not of knowledge, rules and decisions depends on the extent to which they are reputed to emanate from a source of authority. By going beyond the spoken word, a multimodal approach enables researchers to identify the signifiers of authority in specific contexts and how those said to hold power are able to maintain their positions of authority over others, or, conversely, why they are at risk of losing their control over a situation or a people. The present collection of articles explores these challenges in a variety of social contexts, media formats and cultures.

A System of Practices

2025-06-19

Giovanni Rossi | Oxford University Press eBooks

Abstract This final chapter draws together the themes articulated in the previous chapters to offer an account of how the request practices used by Italian speakers in everyday informal interaction … Abstract This final chapter draws together the themes articulated in the previous chapters to offer an account of how the request practices used by Italian speakers in everyday informal interaction are organized in a system. The chapter begins with a discussion of the notion of social and linguistic systems from a cross-disciplinary perspective. It continues by examining the constitutive features of a system of practices of social action, including the system’s closure, cohesion, functional organization, and the synergy between composition and opposition. The chapter concludes with a discussion of what the study of request design reveals about social relations in everyday cooperation.

Social Action and Language

2025-06-19

Giovanni Rossi | Oxford University Press eBooks

Abstract This chapter introduces the theme of social action in interaction and the case of requesting as a particular species of social action. Using examples of everyday requests expressed in … Abstract This chapter introduces the theme of social action in interaction and the case of requesting as a particular species of social action. Using examples of everyday requests expressed in different linguistic forms, a conceptual link is drawn between the study of language structure and the study of language use for social action. This provides a preview of the main argument of the book by outlining a “systems approach” to social action through the lens of requesting. The chapter continues with a discussion of certain theoretical and methodological underpinnings of the study of social action, followed by a review of the literature on social influence, requests, and their linguistic design. The chapter concludes with a statement of the aim and scope of the book, a description of the data and methods, and an overview of the subsequent chapters.

At the Edges of Requests

2025-06-19

Giovanni Rossi | Oxford University Press eBooks

Abstract This chapter leaves the territory of telling and asking others to do things to consider practices of stating that something needs to be done. Empirically, the chapter focuses on … Abstract This chapter leaves the territory of telling and asking others to do things to consider practices of stating that something needs to be done. Empirically, the chapter focuses on the use of impersonal deontic declaratives, e.g., “Bisogna prendere un piatto,” It is necessary to get a plate—constructions that express an obligation or need to do something without tying it to an individual. Impersonal deontic declaratives can be used to manage various kinds of interactional circumstances, not all of which have the outcome of a request. The analysis of this practice requires thinking beyond action design and addressing the question of action ascription—that is, how a communicative practice is understood as performing a certain action.

Bilateral and Unilateral Requests

2025-06-19

Giovanni Rossi | Oxford University Press eBooks

Abstract This chapter examines the two most common verbal request practices in Italian: imperatives, e.g., “Passami il piatto,” Pass me the plate, and simple interrogatives, e.g., “Mi passi il piatto?” … Abstract This chapter examines the two most common verbal request practices in Italian: imperatives, e.g., “Passami il piatto,” Pass me the plate, and simple interrogatives, e.g., “Mi passi il piatto?” {Will} you pass me the plate? The chapter shows that the use of these practices is sensitive to the way that the action being requested fits sequentially and functionally into what participants are doing at the time the request is made. This leads to a distinction between bilateral and unilateral requests. Imperatively designed bilateral requests are requests that contribute to an already established joint project, in which the action requested is sequentially related and beneficial to what the requester and requestee are doing together. Interrogatively designed unilateral requests, by contrast, are unrelated to what the requestee is currently doing and are in the interest of the requester as an individual.

Pre-Requests

2025-06-19

Giovanni Rossi | Oxford University Press eBooks

Abstract Having examined how Italian requesters manage actual or potential unwillingness on the part of the requestee in the previous chapter, this chapter explores a different problem that may jeopardize … Abstract Having examined how Italian requesters manage actual or potential unwillingness on the part of the requestee in the previous chapter, this chapter explores a different problem that may jeopardize a request, especially when the request involves object exchange. If the availability of an object is uncertain, making a request for that object runs the risk of failing. Unlike the requestee’s unwillingness to do something, the unavailability of an object is not a problem that can be overcome by persuasion. This motivates using a different strategy: checking the prerequisite for a request before making it—in other words, making a pre-request. The empirical focus of the chapter is on a particular interrogative practice asking whether the requestee is in possession of an object: “Hai X?” (Do you have X?), e.g., “Hai un piatto?” Do you have a plate? The use of this practice, however, represents a more generic sequential mechanism that requesters can set in motion to prepare the ground for requests.

Delicate Requests

2025-06-19

Giovanni Rossi | Oxford University Press eBooks

Abstract Requests designed nonverbally, imperatively, or with a simple interrogative are generally straightforward and unproblematic to comply with. There are times, however, when a requester has reason to anticipate resistance … Abstract Requests designed nonverbally, imperatively, or with a simple interrogative are generally straightforward and unproblematic to comply with. There are times, however, when a requester has reason to anticipate resistance or unwillingness on the part of the requestee. These delicate requests are the topic of this chapter. In Italian, delicate requests are typically designed with “Puoi X?” (Can you X?) interrogatives (e.g., “Puoi passarmi il piatto?” Can you pass me the plate?). The analysis of this practice invites deeper thought about the expressive alternatives afforded by language, going beyond the basic distinction between telling and asking to consider different ways of asking. Examining the function of different interrogative request practices in Italian also helps shed light on a fundamental feature of systems of social action: the synergy between composition and opposition.

Nonverbal Requests

2025-06-19

Giovanni Rossi | Oxford University Press eBooks

Abstract This chapter begins the investigation of request practices in Italian informal interaction with an examination of nonverbal requests, or requests without language. Nonverbal requests appear in situations in which … Abstract This chapter begins the investigation of request practices in Italian informal interaction with an examination of nonverbal requests, or requests without language. Nonverbal requests appear in situations in which the requestee is in a position to easily understand the request and to readily comply with it, and the request thus involves minimum interactional effort. Starting the investigation at this point allows for an exploration of the social organization of request design from the ground up and subsequently to progress through environments of increasing socio-interactional complexity. This will facilitate an incremental understanding of request practices over the course of the book.

Selting, Margret, and Dagmar Barth-Weingarten, eds. New Perspectives in Interactional Linguistic Research. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2024. 428 pp. (ISBN: 978-90-2724-691-2)

2025-06-19

Fan Yang , Zi Yang | Rilce Revista de Filología Hispánica

Book Review Book Review

Directive speech acts in Jordanian hotel Encounters: A pragmatic analysis of politeness Strategies for cross-cultural service excellence

2025-06-18

Mohammad Bani Bakkar , Hariharan N Krishnasamy , Nur Rasyidah Mohd Nordin | International Journal of Innovative Research and Scientific Studies

This paper explores the directive speech acts employed by hotel service counter staff in Jordan, specifically examining the politeness strategies utilized when addressing foreign guests. Despite extensive research on politeness … This paper explores the directive speech acts employed by hotel service counter staff in Jordan, specifically examining the politeness strategies utilized when addressing foreign guests. Despite extensive research on politeness strategies in Western and Asian contexts, few studies examine directive speech acts in Arab hospitality settings using naturalistic data. This study fills this gap by analyzing 95 audio-recorded interactions in Jordanian hotels, revealing that staff frequently employ direct imperatives (63.5% of directives), which may conflict with tourists’ expectations of indirect politeness. The findings highlight the need for culturally adaptive training programs to mitigate pragmalinguistic breakdowns in global hospitality. The research is based on audio recordings of interactions between non-native English-speaking staff, seven Jordanian receptionists holding bachelor's degrees in either English language or hotel management, some of whom hold higher diplomas after their bachelor's degrees, and their guests. The findings indicate that the directives issued by the staff are often quite direct, which may come across as blunt or discourteous, potentially threatening the social face of the participants. This directness suggests that staff do not provide guests with the option to decline requests and overlook the imposition their directives may entail. The study concludes that this prevalent use of direct speech acts can be attributed to the nature of institutional interactions, where staff possess greater authority due to their expertise in providing necessary services and information. Additionally, the staff's preference for direct communication may stem from a need for clarity and efficiency when issuing directives. The research underscores the importance for hotel managers and training supervisors to equip new employees with effective communication techniques outlined in guest manuals. This training would aid staff in striking an appropriate balance of directness in their interactions with foreign guests, thereby minimizing potential social misunderstandings and avoiding pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic breakdowns.

‘Ōlē bābālē!!!’ – Exploring emotions and digital language practices in family language policy among Bengali transnational families: A multimodal approach

2025-06-17

Priyanka Bose , Sue Starfield , Nirukshi Perera | International Journal of Bilingualism

Aims and objectives: This study explores the role of emotions in heritage language (HL) practice within the context of networked family language policy (nFLP) among multilingual, transnational families through digital … Aims and objectives: This study explores the role of emotions in heritage language (HL) practice within the context of networked family language policy (nFLP) among multilingual, transnational families through digital communication using multimodal (inter)action analysis (MIA). Methodology: The study employs a case study methodological approach involving Sigrid Norris’s MIA tools to understand how emotions are expressed and shared within multimodal digital interactions and how these interactions shape HL practice in transnational families. Data and analysis: The following data were collected from three Bengali immigrant families in Australia employing (1) participant-led video recordings of online conversations between the child and the grandparent, (2) screenshots of online chats, and (3) semi-structured interview data to support the video and screenshot data. Findings/conclusions: The results show that emotional factors, such as emotional contagion and digitally mediated affective communication, drive modally rich HL practice. Family bonding with transnational grandparents, shaped by these emotional factors, was found to be the primary goal of digital HL communication practice, while HL maintenance was secondary. Originality: This research provides a nuanced and fine-grained analysis of emotional factors in HL practice with transnational grandparents through digital media using a unique toolset (MIA). Significance/implications: This research promotes the significant role of emotional factors in HL practice when it comes to using digital communication among immigrant transnational families.

Dispreferred Responses in Arabic Political TV Programmes

2025-06-17

Hakim Rosly , Abdulrahman Alfahad | Ijaz Arabi Journal of Arabic Learning

Previous studies in Conversation Analysis (CA) have argued that the duration and structure of preferred responses differ from that of dispreferred responding actions, as the former is delivered more rapidly. … Previous studies in Conversation Analysis (CA) have argued that the duration and structure of preferred responses differ from that of dispreferred responding actions, as the former is delivered more rapidly. Agreement responses, for instance, occur relatively quickly and take a simple form. In contrast, disagreement responses are characteristically delayed through audible breathing, silence, prefaced hesitations, appreciations, apologies, or justifications. Nevertheless, the paper focuses on a specific interactional environment where dispreferred responses are expressed directly and rapidly. It selects from a wealth of data, consisting of 12 recorded and transcribed Arabic TV programs drawn from 4 different Arabic broadcast channels. Our result shows that disagreement responses tend to be expressed explicitly and aggravatedly without alleviation or delay. The overall difference in time is insignificant and is therefore unaligned with the fundamental insight of preference organization in CA. The results can also be extended to understanding Arabic interactions, where agreement or disagreement may occur, such as in Arabic language classes, where students are expected to interact in Arabic.

Applying linguistic theories to design effective public health messages: Implications for HPV vaccination promotion among Chinese-English bilinguals in Hong Kong

2025-06-17

Mian Jia | Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics

Language is a fundamental means of human communication. However, the values of linguistic theories in designing effective public health messages are often overlooked. To address this gap, this commentary essay … Language is a fundamental means of human communication. However, the values of linguistic theories in designing effective public health messages are often overlooked. To address this gap, this commentary essay illustrates the applications of two linguistic theories in persuasive vaccination communications. The first theory is linguistic agency assignment, which refers to the ascription of action or change to different entities in a sentence. Studies have shown that strategic assignments of linguistic agency can effectively improve people's risk perceptions of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and intentions to get vaccinated among native speakers of Chinese and English. The second theory is the foreign language effect, which refers to the varying perceptions of bilingual speakers when processing the same information in their first or second language. Studies have shown that a strategic choice of language varieties can improve bilingual speakers' self-control, trust in the COVID-19 vaccine, and intentions to receive the vaccine. These studies point to the utilities of applying linguistic theories to improve people's perceived risk of HPV and perceived effectiveness of the HPV vaccine. Public health researchers and practitioners in Hong Kong should consider integrating these linguistics theories in their health messaging designs and further testing them in experimental studies.

The Use of I Think as Different Types of Markers in English Conversations

2025-06-17

Zhaoyi Pan | Languages

This research investigated the use of I think as different types of markers by Thai learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) to determine whether the use of I … This research investigated the use of I think as different types of markers by Thai learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) to determine whether the use of I think by Thai intermediate- and advanced-level EFL participants showed any significant differences. The types of markers and the functions of I think used by the Thai EFL participants were identified, as were their inappropriate uses of I think. In total, 72 Thai EFL participants were involved in this research, and dyadic English conversations were conducted for data collection. The statistical results illustrated that the Thai intermediate-level EFL participants used I think significantly more often than the Thai advanced-level EFL participants, particularly as a stance marker (SM). By contrast, the Thai advanced-level EFL participants used I think significantly more often as a pragmatic marker (PM) and as a politeness marker (PoM) than the Thai intermediate-level EFL participants. The Thai intermediate-level EFL participants mainly used the SM I think to express a subjective evaluative stance, while the Thai advanced-level EFL participants used I think across a broader range of markers and functions. Their inappropriate uses of I think are also discussed.

The power of silence: How perception shifts in sound, music and therapy

2025-06-17

Akmaral Baikuatova , Barbara Zanchi , Raushan Nurtaza | Journal of Applied Arts and Health

This article explores the multifaceted role of silence in music and therapeutic applications in clinical settings. Drawing on philosophical, acoustic and therapeutic perspectives, it examines silence as an active component … This article explores the multifaceted role of silence in music and therapeutic applications in clinical settings. Drawing on philosophical, acoustic and therapeutic perspectives, it examines silence as an active component in musical structures and therapeutic practices. Philosophers like Valeriya Novikova and composers such as John Cage are referenced to highlight communicative and psychological dimensions of silence. Derived from a study at the paediatric department of Policlinico S. Orsola in Bologna, Italy, involving patients aged from 3 to 11, the article reports a case study of a 6-year-old non-verbal child with a physical disability and heightened sensory sensitivity, illustrating the therapeutic potential of silence. Key applications include encouraging sensory exploration, facilitating non-verbal communication, regulating sensory input and structuring engagement through strategic pauses. The exploratory article underscores the profound impact of silence in music therapy, demonstrating the capacity to facilitate engagement, regulate sensory experiences and support emotional expression as a dynamic tool for therapeutic healing.

A Pragmatic Analysis of Impoliteness Strategies in Selected English Political Caricatures

2025-06-15

Muhammed A. Hassan , Kavi Shakir Mohammed | Zanco Journal of Humanity Sciences

The study investigates the pragmatic use of Culpeper’s (1996) impoliteness strategies in the selected English political caricatures. Although caricatures deliver political messages, the expressions of impoliteness can differ between cultures. … The study investigates the pragmatic use of Culpeper’s (1996) impoliteness strategies in the selected English political caricatures. Although caricatures deliver political messages, the expressions of impoliteness can differ between cultures. Therefore, a single caricature may employ more than one impoliteness strategy. A mixed approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative methods, is utilized in the study. The data is collected from the caricatures of famous English caricaturists, whose work has been published on the X platform. The findings show that four impoliteness strategies are observed in the selected political caricatures. The analysis of the selected data shows that among the impoliteness strategies, bald on record impoliteness is the most frequently used, and negative impoliteness is the second most used. Positive impoliteness and mock politeness together rank third, while there is no occurrence of withholding politeness in the selected English political caricatures.

Politeness Strategies and Discourse Features of ESL Grade 7 Students’ Emails

2025-06-15

Monique Bernardino , Hanna Aven Guarin , Patrick Bryan Ablaza | European Journal of English Language Studies

The lack of pragmatic knowledge of email structure and little awareness of politeness strategies in email conventions that affects one’s presentation of self through language use usually make students perceived … The lack of pragmatic knowledge of email structure and little awareness of politeness strategies in email conventions that affects one’s presentation of self through language use usually make students perceived negatively when they communicate with their teachers. In this mixed methods study, 96 Grade 7 male students from convenience sampling produced 327 emails after receiving a brief module about pragmatic implications and formal structure in emails and the teacher’s instruction and demonstration in email conventions. The Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Project (CCSARP) and Politeness and Face Theories were applied to examine the structure, language features, and politeness strategies of these emails and to explore how the students’ pragmatic competence and identities were reflected through their communicative language use. Results showed that despite the simplified (a)synchronous sessions and joint construction, there were variations in how students wrote apologies, requests, invitations, and excuse letters. Most emails contained downtowners, and the politeness marker “po” was mostly used to soften impositions while “God bless” was utilized as a salutation. Although pragmalinguistic competence was observed, institutional power, rank, and distance were not much considered, which led to a vague sociopragmatic competence. This implies the need for explicit instructions about email politeness and the integration of pragmatics-based pedagogical interventions in teaching certain written content and formats.

A field study on cultural differences in South African eyewitness reports

2025-06-14

Laura Weiss , Werner Nell , Thembelihle Lobi +2 more | Journal of Criminal Psychology

Purpose Eyewitness testimony is crucial for police investigations. One important factor affecting testimony is culture, which is known to play a role in memory and reporting. Yet there are few … Purpose Eyewitness testimony is crucial for police investigations. One important factor affecting testimony is culture, which is known to play a role in memory and reporting. Yet there are few studies on cultural differences in eyewitness testimony, especially in ecologically valid settings. Therefore, this study aims to examine cultural differences in real eyewitness interviews in the multicultural context of South Africa. Design/methodology/approach This study qualitatively analysed 103 video-recorded eyewitness interviews conducted by the South African police. Witnesses first described the crime and then gave a description of the perpetrator for facial composite construction. Eyewitnesses and police officers were drawn from three cultural groups, and interviewees often belonged to a different cultural group than their interviewer. This study used thematic analysis to explore cultural differences in eyewitness reports. Findings This study identified six main cultural differences, centering on: (1) details and specificity of the reports, (2) confidence in one’s memory, (3) (sub)culturally specific terms and euphemisms, (4) assertiveness during the interview, (5) justifying one’s victimhood and (6) description of perpetrators. The findings are explained in light of cultural dimensions such as collectivism and power distance, communication styles and trust in the police. Recommendations for future research are provided. Originality/value Both research using field data and research in African contexts is scarce. This study represents both, involving an in-depth analysis of a large sample of real police interviews from the multicultural context of South Africa. As such, it provides unique qualitative insights into cultural differences in actual eyewitness testimony.

Dimensions of periphery

2025-06-13

Cornelia F. Bock | Pragmatics & beyond. New series

Abstract This chapter is based on a study of multilingual, intercultural, and interactional data in the religious domain (cf. Bock 2023 ), a field of research that has mostly been … Abstract This chapter is based on a study of multilingual, intercultural, and interactional data in the religious domain (cf. Bock 2023 ), a field of research that has mostly been neglected by pragmatics and sociolinguistics and makes a case for the inclusion of religious contexts in linguistic analyses. The research site in this study is a rare phenomenon and thus itself peripheral to the German religious landscape: A joint and regular church service of a German church and an African migrant church. Focusing on the identity features of ethnicity, religion, and language and their relation to the concept of periphery/core , it analyses the joint church service in two regards: First, it takes a broader view of the service and its congregation and discusses whether and why those identity features might lead to the perception of a person’s or group’s (more) central or (more) peripheral social position. Second, it looks at interactional data from the service’s dialogic sermons and analyzes whether and how some of those features are used in the pastors’ identity work. The analyses show that the joint service tries to create a space for everyone to feel equally acknowledged and central to it by blending elements from both religious traditions. The service’s structural, content-related, and linguistic design entails a treatment of the possibly exclusionary identity features that facilitates intercultural exchange and the creation of a sense of community.

Making distinctions between “us” and “them” in a meta-frame of interaction

2025-06-13

Makiko Takekuro | Pragmatics & beyond. New series

Abstract Based on an analysis of social interaction between native islanders and migrants to Ishigaki Island in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture, this chapter focuses on a “we” versus “they” distinction that … Abstract Based on an analysis of social interaction between native islanders and migrants to Ishigaki Island in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture, this chapter focuses on a “we” versus “they” distinction that is prominent in their interaction. The study uncovers multiple layers of meaning that people living on the nation’s periphery attach to the distinction. The chapter demonstrates that making these distinctions serves as a meta-frame of interaction and fulfill some roles, such as characterizing identities, avoiding conflicts among people, and reminding migrants of their background, as well as social positioning in the community. While making distinctions reinforces cultural stereotypes, people try to overcome these limitations and look for constructive meanings, helping them maintain balanced relationships in this insular community.

Trapped by Language/Psychology-Speak

2025-06-13

Lois Holzman | Routledge eBooks