Conversation Analysis I - Summary
Sidnell Chapters 3-8 + seminar/lecture notes
,Chapter 3
Turn-constructional units -> TCU’s.
- Turns are constructed out of a set of possible units -> single words, phrases, clauses,
and sentences.
- A single turn-talk can consist of multiple TCU’s.
Transition relevance place -> TRP.
- When there is a point where the unit is possibly complete, there is a place for
possible speaker transition.
After each TCU there is a TRP. There are three features of a TCU that recipients use to orient towards
a TRP. Syntactic, pragmatic, and prosodic. Hearers monitor these features in order to find out if a
turn is about to begin, now beginning, continuing, now coming to completion.
- Syntactic= how the text is structured -> grammar related
- Pragmatic= what they actually talk ab.
- Prosodic= how it sounds/phrased. What you do with your voice/how you pronounce things,
help you recognize when a term is complete.
Speaker transition rules:
C = current speaker
N = next speaker
- If C selects N in current turn -> C stops speaking, and N needs to start speaking.
- If C doesn’t select N -> then anyone can self-select.
- If C doesn’t select N, but no one self-selects -> C can continue.
- Speaker selects next.
- Self-selection
- Speaker continues talking.
Pitch peak
- A noticeably higher pitch and greater volume than the surrounding syllables.
- Pitch peaks signal to a recipient that the turn is going to end at the next point of
possible completion.
Underlined sounds are louder.
CAPITALS are even louder.
Rise of pitch is arrow up.
Fall of pitch is arrow down.
: colon means that the sound is stretched.
, Talking through a possible completion
- Withhold the completion of the next TCU and move directly into the next component
of the turn.
- For example: just great. Everybody is still here. -> the speaker doesn’t release air
after ‘great’ and just moves on to ‘everybody’. This way the speaker talks through a
possible completion.
Overlap
Not necessarily a violation/not listening to the other.
Types of overlap:
Turn terminal = a speaker assumes the other speaker has or is about to finish their turn and
begins to speak. The current speaker has almost finished the turn but is just interrupted at
the end by the next speaker starting their turn.
Turn initial = Person A is talking, but nowhere near the end, person B starts talking. The
biggest difference between turn initial and turn terminal overlap, is the fact that terminal is
near the end of the turn and turn initial is just starting when overlap happens.
A: I wanted to talk to you about-
B: so there seems to be a change in the budget
As you can see, turn A was just starting, when B started speaking.
Recognitional = the current speaker’s turn is interrupted because the next speaker already
knows what the current speaker meant without them having to finish.
Example: where did you play [basketball?
[At the gym
As you can see the next speaker already knew where the current speaker was going with the
question.
[Overlap begins.
[Overlap of the other person in other line
Overlap stops] -> not every transcriber uses this.
*Repetition is a sort of repair mechanism for when overlap happens.
*Speakers monitor each other’s talk even when overlap happens.
(.) is noticeable pause.
(.3) or (2.6) are examples of timed pauses.
Sidnell Chapters 3-8 + seminar/lecture notes
,Chapter 3
Turn-constructional units -> TCU’s.
- Turns are constructed out of a set of possible units -> single words, phrases, clauses,
and sentences.
- A single turn-talk can consist of multiple TCU’s.
Transition relevance place -> TRP.
- When there is a point where the unit is possibly complete, there is a place for
possible speaker transition.
After each TCU there is a TRP. There are three features of a TCU that recipients use to orient towards
a TRP. Syntactic, pragmatic, and prosodic. Hearers monitor these features in order to find out if a
turn is about to begin, now beginning, continuing, now coming to completion.
- Syntactic= how the text is structured -> grammar related
- Pragmatic= what they actually talk ab.
- Prosodic= how it sounds/phrased. What you do with your voice/how you pronounce things,
help you recognize when a term is complete.
Speaker transition rules:
C = current speaker
N = next speaker
- If C selects N in current turn -> C stops speaking, and N needs to start speaking.
- If C doesn’t select N -> then anyone can self-select.
- If C doesn’t select N, but no one self-selects -> C can continue.
- Speaker selects next.
- Self-selection
- Speaker continues talking.
Pitch peak
- A noticeably higher pitch and greater volume than the surrounding syllables.
- Pitch peaks signal to a recipient that the turn is going to end at the next point of
possible completion.
Underlined sounds are louder.
CAPITALS are even louder.
Rise of pitch is arrow up.
Fall of pitch is arrow down.
: colon means that the sound is stretched.
, Talking through a possible completion
- Withhold the completion of the next TCU and move directly into the next component
of the turn.
- For example: just great. Everybody is still here. -> the speaker doesn’t release air
after ‘great’ and just moves on to ‘everybody’. This way the speaker talks through a
possible completion.
Overlap
Not necessarily a violation/not listening to the other.
Types of overlap:
Turn terminal = a speaker assumes the other speaker has or is about to finish their turn and
begins to speak. The current speaker has almost finished the turn but is just interrupted at
the end by the next speaker starting their turn.
Turn initial = Person A is talking, but nowhere near the end, person B starts talking. The
biggest difference between turn initial and turn terminal overlap, is the fact that terminal is
near the end of the turn and turn initial is just starting when overlap happens.
A: I wanted to talk to you about-
B: so there seems to be a change in the budget
As you can see, turn A was just starting, when B started speaking.
Recognitional = the current speaker’s turn is interrupted because the next speaker already
knows what the current speaker meant without them having to finish.
Example: where did you play [basketball?
[At the gym
As you can see the next speaker already knew where the current speaker was going with the
question.
[Overlap begins.
[Overlap of the other person in other line
Overlap stops] -> not every transcriber uses this.
*Repetition is a sort of repair mechanism for when overlap happens.
*Speakers monitor each other’s talk even when overlap happens.
(.) is noticeable pause.
(.3) or (2.6) are examples of timed pauses.
