On the Nature of Talk-in-Interaction: A Pragmatic Study of Informal Conversations

Abstract

This study attempts to uncover what the recurring patterns of interaction in informal conversations are. It is also interested in finding out which recurring patterns of interaction dominate in informal conversations and how these recurring patterns of interaction play out in informal conversations. Data used in the study includes only recordings of naturally occurring conversations of close friends in informal settings. The researcher meticulously transcribed the data using the conventions proposed in the Jefferson Notation System. In Conversation Analysis (CA), transcription is part of data analysis. The transcription/analysis reveals that four main recurring patterns characterize informal conversations among friends: Adjacency Pairs, Topic Change, Figurative Language and Dysfluency. The study further reveals the fact that Adjacency pairs is a very dominant recurring pattern in friendly informal conversations. As a form of turn-taking, Adjacency pairs largely characterized the conversations compared to the other three recurring patterns. Finally, the study underscores the fact that friendly informal conversations stay focused on selected topics with very little or no change of topic. Mid-way between the little or no topic change and the dominance of Adjacency pairs are dysfluencies and rhetorical questions. Keywords: conversation analysis, recurring patterns, informal conversations, Jefferson notation system