Lesson 4: Conversation

Analysis: PART 2:

Transcription system:
It was originally developed by Gail
Jefferson, one of the founders of C.A, in
the 1960s.
Purpose:
It aims to represent on paper what had
been captured (what is said and how it is
said including visible behaviors) in audio
recordings in ways that would be detailed
enough to preserve and bring to light the
relevant elements (and all the elements)
of the recorded talk.
Transcription codes and
conventions:
Conversation analysts work on data
(recorded talk/conversation), by firstly
doing data transcription {coding} while
listening to the recording or while it is
directly produced.
Analysts then trace the recurrence of
features (pitch, pause, stress, pace,
intonation..) and assign specific
codes/signs ( [, <>, (()), (.) ), and seeing
how speakers react to them. Transcription
often involves additional information about
non verbal communication and the way in
which people say things.

The Jefferson Transcription System (JTS,

2004):
Jefferson developed a system of
transcription with Harvey Sacks.
Definition: A code used by discourse and
conversation analysts explaining the data
and looking at speech patterns.
The transcripts provide a detailed version
of the complex nature of everyday.
Side note: the transcripts are written in
monospace font to ease the alignment of
overlap symbols.
Asymmetry in conversation
(conversational asymmetry):
Asymmetry = imbalance in the {power}
relationships between the speaker and
hearer as result of social and
institutional(example: doctor-patient
{problem: doctors neglect some
patient's knowledge about their own
bodies because they are not know
much about medicine}) factors. We can
see them through interruption of higher
status/power over lower status/power, or
through the multiple questions asked by
the lower status/power to the higher
status/power.
Where does this asymmetry come
from?
Social or professional status:
unequaleness of social relations.
Example: father-son, shopkeeper-
customer, or speaker-hearer.
Asymmetry of knowledge and
participation, example: expert-non
expert/amateur.
ANNEX:
TCU {Turn Construction Unit} unit/piece
of conversation which may comprise an
entire turn and completes a
communicative act. Projectability is an
essential feature of TCU as it allows the
others to calculate the possible ending of
this latter in order to not interfere mid
conversation or not getting a
chance/opportunity to talk (a word in
edgewise).
The end of a TCU is called a TRP
{Transition Relevance Place}, which
makes the point where the turn may go to
another speaker or the same speaker has
smth new to say.
There are four types of TCUs:
1. Lexical: word = "yes","there".
2. Phrasal: phrase = "in the room","the
tall guy".
3. Clausal: clause = "Because he was
sick","When I get married".
4. Sentential: sentence = "I was
watching a movie.","He played games
all night."
•An utterance (word, phrase, clause) is
grammatically complete if it can be
interpreted as grammatically correct in the
discourse. It is pragmatically complete
when it can be heard as a complete action
within the context. Example: That guy is
really cool! He really is {this shows that
the utterance is Pragmatically
complete}. Functions as an agreement
to the previous comment.
Intonation completion: signals the
possible end of the utterance (falling
intonation).