Conversation Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Conversation Analysis - Essay Example However, illocutionary act is largely said to occur when the meaning of the speech is to promise, order or bequeath (Austin 1962). In the case of the conversation 1, the speech act happens is illocutionary as the speech is intended at ordering the other person to get something – the price of the paint. For example, â€Å"A: Uhm .. what's the price now eh with VAT Do you know eh† uses the imperative type of clause to ask the question. While the participant A, starts the conversation with a simple statement (A I ordered some paint from you uh a couple of weeks ago some vermilion), what he wanted to know was : 1. If the vermillion paint was still available with the shop 2. If the price with VAT would be affordable for him to buy Turn-Taking and Pauses Pauses are considered as speech irregularities or breaks in otherwise smooth conversation. Pauses occur because of different reasons like to act as fillers when the speaker is unsure of what to say or how to shape his speech; when the speaker is slow in thinking the best words to use; when the speaker wants to use the pause to mean something like give a cue to the listener to start the conversation or decide about his answer; or when the speaker is not sure if its his turn to start talking. Most of the literature on conversation analysis seggregates pauses into pauses related to turn taking – as in the case of giving both the speakers cues to take up the speech; or in the form of fillers. In the case of conversation 1, there are several pauses used by A: 5 A [An- 6 A Uhm .. what's the price now eh with VAT Do you know eh The pause in speech of A shows that the customer wants to place a request – to check with the price inclusive of the VAT and thinks that his request will require the other person to make some effort. 8 A Thanks (10 second pause) This pause is simply a turn pause as the speaker A waits for the speaker B to give an answer to his query. 12 A Eh (1.0) yes u:hm (dental click) j us - justa think That's what three nineteen The pause shown in the above sentense is indicative of the fact that the speaker is hesitating and making mental calculation or processing the information given my B. 15 A Er, hh I'll tell you what I'll just eh eh ring you back I have to work out how many 16 I' 11 need Sorry I did - wasn't sure of the price you see In the above example again, the speaker is showing uncertainty and some shyness as he feels that B may think bad of him when he reveals that he will actually not buy the paint because of price. 7 B Er I'll just work that out for you This pause is used by B as a filler, to tide over the fact that he wants the other person to wait a bit while he checks the required information. It also conveys tha meaning that B has accepted to do what A has asked him to. Adjacency Pairs Adjacency pair is a way of continuing the conversation through turn taking. It is an essential part of dialogue and it takes place when two people speak one after the other. The adjency pair is guided by the Grice's conversational maxim of manner (1991), which requires that the second speaker has to make an utterance that has a relevance to the theme of the speech used by the first. The first speaker sets the pace of the conversation and gives cue to what the other person is needed to say in return. The example of