Conversational Routine in Transactional Talk…..

Posted by Tess Egerton in Linguistics      1 comment

Aug
25

Conversational Routine in Transactional Talk within Intergenerational 
Interaction: A Case Study

Excerpt: (Introduction only on this site)

Intergenerational discourse is, to date, a subject which has been neglected 

somewhat. This is particularly the case within the realms of interactional 

analysis. Most people within Westerncivilisation are aware of a certain 

respect assumed for the elderly, yet empirical evidence of what facilitates 

this respect within actual conversation has not yet been fully investigated. 

Coupland, Coupland and Giles (1991:78) introduced the concept of elderly 

talk analysis with reference to the use of ‘Painful Self Disclosure’ (PSD) 

and troubles-telling in interaction- particularly between elderly 

participants and much younger interlocutors.

In order to investigate this theory my study observes an interaction taking 

place in the semi medical setting of a chiropody clinic. The chiropodist 

will be known as Mrs Sally Williams ( SW when referred to in the analysis of 

discourse). The elderly patient being treated is a seventy year old female 

who has attended the clinic for some time. She will be known as Mrs Doris 

Berry (DB).

Throughout my study I analyse the conversational routine of the patient and 

how she responds to reciprocation of troubles –telling from the chiropodist 

during treatment. Importantly, within this I shall be considering the 

negotiation of transactional talk against relational talk between the two 

interlocutors and how this is affected by their age differences ( the 

chiropodist being a lady in her early 30’s).

Interesting points within the study include the patients’ attempt to 

maintain her standing in the lead of ‘floor’ throughout the conversation and 

subsequently, the chiropodists elicitations for more information which 

exhibits an interest in DW’s subject matter. However, another focus of this 

study concentrates on the chiropodist’s negotiation of subject matter during 

the conversation. There is particular interest to be seen in how she 

discreetly attempts to engineer the conversation ( or at least negotiation 

of a more evenly distributed exchange of issues between the two of them).

The question of phatic communion is also observed, not only as a concept of 

opening and closing encounters, but included as a possible strategy employed 

throughout phases of the interaction (particularly where an apparent 

breakdown of the conversation has occurred). In accordance with this , I 

apply Coulmas’ (1981) study on Conversational Routine which encompasses the 

use of familiar phrases and sequences in given interactions. This data is 

particularly relevant to my own study as there are several instances during 

the interaction between chiropodist and patient where familiar sequences of 

set patterns are employed but cannot be easily placed under the labels of 

phaticity or conversational routine as such.

These include reactions to disclosures which could be considered as 

predictable to the point of routinization but according to the context of 

the conversation would not necessarily be categorised specifically as a 

recognisable, fixed sequence used every day.