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 The ethnography ofspeaking and structure of

conversation

Ana Maria Garcia Rodriguez

Sociolinguistics

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What does the ethnography ofspeaking refer to?

•  The ethnography of speaking is a way ofdealing with the description of speech eventsthat calls for an analysis of every relevant

factor, all of which are closely interrelated inforing the structure of the whole event!

•  The factors are realized and related inappropriate ways for each genre #$kind of

speech event%, such as a seron, acheistry lecture or a &argaining session,etc!

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•  The speech event  #$act of huan counication%is in the focus of sociolinguists' attention!

• The study of language ust deal with the (real' te)tsthat for huan counication and the socialsituations they are used in!

•  The speech event is constituted &y seven distinctfactors, each associated with a di*erent function+

#Roan ako&son and -ell .yes%• speaker / writer

• hearer / reader

• essage

• speech code• topic #e)pressed &y the essage for%

• channel #visual or aural%

• setting #where the speech event is located%!

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Speaker priest

Hearer participant

Message the actual words, sounds and sentences

Topic religious context

Channel direct voice by loudspeaker 

Setting church

Code the language may understood

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What is eant for conversationalinterchange?

• 0inguists generally ignored the study ofspoken language!

• 1thnographers, sociologists and

sociolinguists &egan to e)plore itsstructure!

While linguistic analysis was &ased on thewritten language, the conversationalinterchange is the &asic unit of the spokenlanguage #where two or ore speakers taketurns to speak%!

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•  There is a foral structure ofconversation deterined 2 &y social

rules and

• 2 &y the nature of the event!

•  The structure of conversation was 3rststudied in telephone conversationsdeonstrating the e)istence of sociallystructured rules for conversational

interchanges!

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•  There have &een studies of di*erentaspects of conversation+

• the rules for turn-taking #$the4uestion of who speaks% andinterruption!

• the organization of invitations!• the noral patterns of social intercourse

in casual conversations!

• the nature of service encounters #$occasions in which one person /client,custoer, patient/ seeks help fro

another /seller, clerk/%!

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1)plain the ter 5turn2taking6

• Turn-taking #$rules for deterining who speaks when inconversational interchange% $ physical constraint+

• 7n various formal situations, e!g! in a classroo, in aparliaent or in trials $ clear rules on the order of

speaking!• 7n informal conversations and meetings $ who speaks

depends on power and status! Who has the oor  #$theright to talk at any given oent% varies according torules of the social group!

• Silence $ leaves the 8oor open9• Turn-holders $ways of signalling that the speaker

intends to continue after a &reak, and wants to keep the8oor!

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What do politeness and politenessforula refer to?

:oliteness consists of this recognitionof the listener and his or her rights inthe situation!

Re4uests are itigated &y &eing adeindirectly, as stateent or &y addingforulas!

1)aple+

;! <ould you possi&le pass e thesalt?

=! 7 think that is the salt &eside your

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 The ost kind of politeness forulasare involved with greetings!

1ach social groups has its own set ofrules a&out who should &e greeted,

who should greet 3rst, and what is anappropriate for of greeting!

.i

.ello

.ow are you?

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What e)pressions do we use as5ters of address6 here in @olivia?

 The choice of second person pronoun andrelated phenoenon of ters of address inWestern 1urope languages shows theforulization of politeness and status in alanguage!

 7n rench

  Tu B singular pronoun9 Vous B plural pronoun

C for was used to address soeone of higherstatus, who would return to T for!

  1)+ Servant 2 aster

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 Tu Cos Dsted

-oEa SeEora Mada SeEorita

-r! F3cial 0ic! General