A Conversation Analysis

A Conversation Analysis

ENGLISH IN CONTEXT



ANALYSIS OF SPEECH



People spend a significant part of their lives listening and talking, that is the main reason why conversation is regarded to be the most generalised form of talk that concerns both speakers and listeners and it is contemplated to be the essential ingredient in co–operative undertaking (Wardhaugh, 1985). Conversation is informal talk involving two or more people and interviews are a particular type of conversation. Interviews are regarded as meetings at which a journalist asks questions in order to find out the interviewee's opinion. This is an assignment that analyses a telephone interview, so there is an absence of eye contact, body language or facial expressions that are attributes of a 'live' ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...Two examples that portray this representative type are: the suppositional statement made by the journalist at the beginning of the interview that reads 'Are we losing the overall picture here, anybody in West Yorkshire who's getting a bit sore that Tetley's getting the elbow?' (journalist, first page); and, the supposition concerning the name's change for Royal Mail to Consignia that 'it was like a flop, wasn't it?' (journalist, second page). Furthermore, certain speech acts in this conversation are examples of direct speech because the question that reads as 'I think of stories like Consignia, you remember?' (speaker, first page) is associated directly with its relevant answer in its literate sense that reads as 'yeah' (journalist, first page).



In cases that there is a hidden difference of opinion, a suggestion of politeness is formulated in positive face polite statements and relates to the desire to be liked and express approval (Brown and Levinson, 1987 cited in Maybin & Mercer, 1996). The intention of satisfying the face needs of others while protecting our own is evidenced in this interview's utterances such as, 'well, if I see it from that point of view may well be' (speaker, third page) that indicate a certain kind of polite tone through mediating of opinion. The expression of personal opinions in a 'down to earth' interview, that overall 'touches' the topic and 'captures' the listener's ear, is re–enforced

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