Conversation Analysis 101

Transcription conventions Different analysts highlight different features of talk as being important to their research purposes. Consequently, there are several published sets of transcription conventions available. Having said this, I have found the following conventions to be particularly useful: they can almost certainly be profitably…

Extract 1. Conversation between Tom and Jim. 01 Tom:  it’s nice though ’cause I mean I’ve I’ve 02       been various places in Spain (.) for two weeks 03 Jim:  mm…

Exercises and activities Exercise 1 List three characteristics of conversation. Exercise 2 Identify the turn-constructional units [TCU] and transition relevance places [TRP] in the following extract from a conversation between two people, A and B:…

Suggested answers Exercise 1 Any three of: no predetermined cognitive map collaboratively achieved managed on a turn-by-turn basis one-at-a-time talk highly coordinated Exercise 2 1 A  [TCU he shows his fist to you does he?] [TRP]…

Supplementary articles The following articles, some of which derive from empirical research, employ a number of conversation analysis (CA) techniques and procedures that have been outlined in CONVERSATION ANALYSIS 101. As such, they provide further examples of CA in action for the interested reader.

Where have all the tokens gone? “Well, well….” “Right….yeah.” “Oh, really?….I see.” “Uh huh….uh huh.” “Mm hm….mm.” Vocalizations such as uh huh, mm and oh pervade conversational interaction. They are everywhere. There can hardly be…

Are you interested? (Talking in an ATC) Kernan and Sabsay (1989) have shown that non-disabled persons recognize someone as having a learning disability primarily because of the way that person talks. Such persons are perceived to be socially unskilled and linguistically incompetent. Frequently they are perceived…

Two leading procedures for analyzing conversation Currently, there are two leading procedures for the analysis of conversation. The first derives from linguistics and is designated as discourse analysis (DA). The second derives from the techniques of ethnomethodology and is identified as conversation analysis (CA). The dominant…