Analysis of conversation - Assignment Example

Analysis of a conversation is the study of trying to describe the structure and order that a conversation takes place in. every dialogue or interaction that takes place between people has a particular way of functioning attached to it. Presented forth are two conversation analyses that have taken place in two different instances and situations. Both conversations are fairly informal in nature, with the second conversation having a hint of formality between the speakers. Conversation Analysis 1 Speech Acts and Moves: In the first conversation, speaker A is very hesitant and is holding himself from completely speaking what he wants to, perhaps due to certain inconsistencies in his character.

The use of a directive speech act has been made by A in lines 1 and 3 in the form of a request. He asks questions in lines 6, 10 and 13 whereas B asks a question in line 4. Future actions or Commissives have also been used in lines 15A and 14B. He does not wish to come across as someone who is not able to afford the paint, and thus messes up his sentences in trying to clarify their costs with the shop keeper. He takes a number of pauses in his speech and conveys a lot of uncertainty in his dialogue whereas B is very sure of himself and promptly replies to everything he is asked.

Illocutionary acts involve making conversation very concisely, in a manner that helps to put forth clearly the message that one wishes to speak. However, as compared to Conversation 1, conversation 2 is much clearer in conveying what the speakers want to ask each other. Moves are also present in the discourse at lines 3 and 4 as the conversation moves gradually from one speaker to another. Turn taking and Pauses: Taking turns to speak is a very fundamental aspect of any conversation. Turns are taken between speakers participating in a conversation when one wants to compare the conversation to a certain norm or make a comparison between two dialogues.

B helps A speak by giving him chances to voice his opinions and takes his own turns with great patience to speak except for when B interrupted A at 4 with his line 5. Also, in line 10, B began his dialogue beforehand, as an appended term tag, already predicting the answer to A’s dialogue in line 11. There are many pauses in the conversation, for example in lines 5, 15 and 16, all by A as he was very unsure of his speech. Adjacency Pairs: This is an aspect of conversation analysis where the conversation tends to take place in responsive pairs.

In the first conversation, an adjacency pair is noticeable as the conversation is taking place between A and B side by side with both parties trying their best to carry on the conversation and help the other speak the next sentence. The answer to A’s question in line 6 has been answered by B in line 9. Much the same way, 9 has been replied to in line 10 and finally 16 and 17 are another adjacency pair as B apologizes in the final line. Cooperative Principle: Cooperative principles help to define how people react and speak with one another.

A person who makes use of this principle always helps to add more to the conversation and take it further to another level. This involves cooperating with the sentences and dialogues spoken by the other parties engaging in the same conversation in a manner that helps to take the conversation ahead. All these actions indicate uneasiness and hesitance which further tell us that he is not interested in carrying on the conversati