The concept of turn-taking covers a wide range: it is not just a theoretical construction in the linguistic field of discourse analysis, but an omnipresent pattern in communicative events, governing speech-acts and defining social roles as it establishes and maintains social relationships. Turn-taking is considered to play an essential role in structuring people’s social interactions in terms of control and regulation of conversation. Therefore the system of turn-taking has become object of analyses both for linguists and for sociologists. The starting point of the analysis was to show regularities of conversational structure by describing the ways in which participants take turns in speaking. The first important approach to turn-taking was made by Duncan in 1972. From then on turn-taking has been accepted as one of the standard tasks “which must
be managed if interaction is to occur”1. The most influential work in the area of turn-taking is the study by Sacks, Schegloff and Jefferson ( SS&J ) from 1974. They embody the so called ‘American approach of conversation analysis’. Their theoretical approach has to be seen as standard work for further discussions, although there have been several objections against it. SS&J regarded informal conversational settings and analysed the conventions which regulate turn-taking in there. They found out that there is an existence of
rules the participants are aware of. SS&J say that the central principle in conversation is that speakers follow in “taking turns to avoid gaps and overlaps in conversation” 2 If gaps occur they are short. SS&J propose a simplest system for the organisation of turn-taking in conversation. The model consists of two components: the turn-construction and the turn-taking component. [...] 1 Leeds-Hurwitz, Wendy. Communication in Everyday Life – A Social Interpretation. Norwood: Ablex Publ., 1989. 112.
2 Jaworski, Adam / Coupland, Nikolas (ed.) . The Discourse Reader. London: Routledge, 1999. 20.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1. Introduction
- 2. The Turn-Taking Mechanism
- 2.1. Speaker and hearer roles
- 2.2 Turn-taking: Ways of speaker change
- 2.3 Defining a “turn”
- 2.4 Social functions of the Turn-taking system
- 3. Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
The goal of this work is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the turn-taking mechanism in discourse. The analysis aims to elucidate the functions of this system in communication and the interplay between speaker and hearer roles in turn exchange.
- The functions of the turn-taking system in structuring social interactions.
- The roles of speaker and hearer in turn exchange and the dynamics of communication.
- Defining "turn" in conversational interactions.
- Linguistic components that accompany turn-taking in conversation.
- The different approaches to turn-taking analysis, particularly the "American" and "British" perspectives.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction lays out the significance of turn-taking in discourse analysis, highlighting its role in social interactions, control, and the regulation of conversation. It also introduces key figures in the field and their research on turn-taking.
Chapter 2 delves into the turn-taking mechanism itself, examining the roles of speaker and hearer in communicative events. It focuses on how these roles are defined based on their actions and the signals they provide during interaction. The chapter also explores the function of back-channels and hearer signals in maintaining conversation.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Turn-taking, discourse analysis, conversation analysis, speaker roles, hearer roles, turn exchange, back-channels, hearer signals, transition-relevance places, social interaction, communicative events.
- Quote paper
- Bernd Evers (Author), 2001, The Turntaking-System, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/20803