To analyse
conversation, ultimately, means to analyse how people interact. In this seminar
we will explore how speakers manage the (apparently) simple task of social
interaction in everyday life. We will examine the micro-structures of human
conversation, as discovered by the founders of the discipline - Harvey Sacks,
Emanuel Schegloff and Gail Jefferson – in the late 1960s. We will learn about
the empirical methodology used to analyse real language data from multifarious
scenarios, ranging from casual phone calls to institutional talk. Students will
acquire the technical skills needed to compile and analyse their own data and
conduct their own analyses of the linguistic mechanisms used to establish,
organise and maintain social relationships. Preparatory
readings/Coursebook Sacks, Harvey, Emanuel A. Schegloff
and Gail Jefferson. 1974. “A simplest systematics for the organization of turn taking
for conversation.” Language 50:
696–735. Liddicoat, Anthony. 2011. An
Introduction to Conversation Analysis. London: Continuum. TIP: purchase the book in paper back or Kindle format; individual chapters will be accessible temporarily in this course room
- Lehrende(r): Nuria Hernandez y Siebold