Sequence organization in interaction: A primer in conversation analysis, vol. 1 (review)

Language ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 249-252
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Couper-Kuhlen
Keyword(s):  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Sequence Organization

Conversation Analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 764-779
Author(s):  
Maren Rüsch
Keyword(s):  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Natural Speech ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Sequence Organization ◽  
Basic Concepts ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Linguistic Approaches ◽  
Insight Into

Conversation analysis, which began to evolve in the 1960s, studies the structure of talk, and how speakers organize a mostly fluent talk without many gaps or overlaps in order to guarantee maximal mutual understanding. It is based on the analysis of natural speech in a culturally natural environment. In this chapter, basic concepts of conversation analysis as well as the methods used by scholars are explained. A collection of examples from several African languages illustrates terminologies such as turn-taking strategies, sequence organization, and repair of trouble-sources in talk and provides an insight into new linguistic approaches to conversation analysis, especially in African settings.

scholarly journals On the role of gaze in the organization of turn-taking and sequence organization in interpreter-mediated dialogue

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 439-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Vranjes ◽  
Geert Brône ◽  
Kurt Feyaerts
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Multimodal Approach ◽  
Sequence Organization ◽  
Multimodal Analysis ◽  
Turn Taking ◽  
Speaker Selection ◽  
Mobile Eye Tracking

Abstract This paper contributes to the growing line of research that takes a multimodal approach in the study of interpreter-mediated dialogues. Drawing on insights from Conversation Analysis and multimodal analysis, we investigate how extended multi-unit turns unfold with interventions of an interpreter and, more specifically, what is the role of gaze in this process. The analysis is based on videos of interpreter-mediated dialogues (Dutch-Russian) recorded with mobile eye-tracking glasses. We argue that the interpreter’s gaze direction contributes both to the local management of turn-taking (next-speaker selection) and to sequence organization. More specifically, we show how interpreter’s gaze orientation bears on the negotiation of possible transition relevance places and how it contributes to the smooth continuation of the projected extended multi-unit turn.

Sequence organization of autistic children’s play with caregivers: Rethinking follow-in directives

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132110467
Author(s):  
Kristen Bottema-Beutel ◽  
Shannon Crowley ◽  
So Yoon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Social Action ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Video Data ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Sequence Organization ◽  
Course Of Action ◽  
Play Interactions ◽  
Turn Taking

This study is a qualitative investigation of caregiver–child interactions, involving 15 autistic children who are in the early stages of language learning. Data consisted of 15-min videos of free-play interactions recorded in a University clinic. We use conversation analysis to examine the sequence organization of proposal episodes, where the caregiver proposes some course of action regarding the child’s play activity. Prior work has used a speech act theoretical framework to identify follow-in directives, which are similar to proposals, but identified at the utterance level rather than at the level of social action. According to conversation analysis, social actions are implemented over multiple interactional turns and produced in collaboration between interaction partners. Our analysis showed that caregivers design their talk in ways that enable autistic children’s participation in interactional turn-taking by forecasting the upcoming proposal. They also socialize children into expectations around turn-taking, by providing an “interaction envelope” around children’s conduct so that it can be construed as completing interactional sequences. Finally, we show how autistic children can display an orientation to turn-taking by timing their interactive moves to occur at transitional moments in the interaction in ways similar to adult conversational turn-taking. Lay abstract In this article we use a qualitative method, conversation analysis, to examine videos of caregivers interacting with their young autistic children who are in the early phases of language learning. Conversation analysis involves preparation of detailed transcripts of video data, which are then analyzed together to understand how interactional moves (e.g. talk, gestures, and physical conduct) are linked with prior and subsequent interactional moves. We analyzed data from 15 participants, and focused on instances when caregivers made a proposal about something the child was playing with. In previous research, similar instances have been referred to as “follow-in directives.” We found that these proposals were embedded in sequences that had a similar structure, and were prefaced with a ‘pre-proposal’; where the caregiver established the child’s interest in a joint activity and signaled the upcoming proposal. The caregiver’s talk was also provided in such a way that there was a clear “slot” for the child’s turn, which made it easy for the child’s actions to become part of an interactional sequence. In addition, proposal sequences were very negotiable—the caregivers do not usually insist that the child follow through on the proposal, only that they produce an action that could be taken as a response. Finally, there were some instances where the child’s turn was very precisely timed to occur right at the end of a caregiver’s proposal; this precise timing could signal the child’s understanding of how interactional turn-taking works. We suggest that this method of examining caregiver–child interactions provides new insights into how interactions proceed, which could be useful for future intervention research.

Grammatical conformity in question-answer sequences: The case of meiyou in Mandarin conversation

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 610-631
Author(s):  
Wei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Analysis Approach ◽  
Sequence Organization ◽  
Linguistic Research ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Mandarin Conversation ◽  
Negative Form

This article probes into grammatical conformity in Mandarin by examining meiyou, a multifunctional negative form, in question-answer sequences. Using a conversation analysis approach, it discovers that, as a conforming answer to polar questions, meiyou acquiesces to all the terms and constraints of the question and maximizes the progressivity of the sequence. As a non-conforming response to polar questions, it mitigates the disagreement by avoiding a pointed syntactic negation. Meiyou can also respond to Q-word questions, problematizing the inference incorporated in the question. This study not only contributes to the cross-linguistic research on negative particles in talk-in-interaction but also reveals that grammatical conformity is a crucial dimension in Mandarin response design, providing further confirmation of the link between grammar, action, and sequence organization.

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