“What’s your name?”

Abstract

This study investigates the role of identification and frame mismatch in Korean telephone call openings using conversation analysis on a series of problematic telephone calls made to the emergency center from a Korean governor (Moon-Soo, Kim) in 2011. Close examination of the problematic interaction indicates how delivering emergency care as a public service may evolve into a dispute in the Korean cultural context of kwandungsengmyeng (“identifying oneself by official status”). A mismatch between frames (Tracy, 1997) can be identified when the governor asks for the name of the answerer instead of presenting the reason for the call. Comparable examples from Korean conversational telephone calls are noted in which the answerer provides their name in the opening moments of the interaction, thereby depicting a strong expectation for identification and recognition in Korean openings. This paper argues that the governor’s actions can be explained by a mismatch between the public and private frames in relation to identification practices. The study findings may highlight the important role that identification and recognition plays in Korean culture and suggest methods through which future problematic emergency calls can be prevented.