Prosodic features of bad news and good news in conversation

1998 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Freese ◽  
Douglas W. Maynard
Keyword(s):  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Bad News ◽  
Good News ◽  
Prosodic Features ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Sequential Organization ◽  
Ordinary Conversation

ABSTRACTRecent work suggests the importance of integrating prosodic research with research on the sequential organization of ordinary conversation. This paper examines how interactants use prosody as a resource in the joint accomplishment of delivered news as good or bad. Analysis of approximately 100 naturally occurring conversational news deliveries reveals that both good and bad news are presented and received with characteristic prosodic features that are consistent with expression of joy and sorrow, respectively, as described in the existing literature on prosody. These prosodic features are systematically deployed in each of the four turns of the prototypical news delivery sequence. Proposals and ratifications of the valence of a delivery are often made prosodically in the initial turns of the prototypical four-turn news delivery, while lexical assessments of news are often made later. When prosody is used to propose the valence of an item of news, subsequent lexical assessments tend to be alignments with these earlier ascriptions of valence, rather than independent appraisals of the news. (Bad news, good news, conversation analysis, prosody, sequencing).

L1-L2 speaker interaction in a study abroad setting

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail McMeekin
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Host Family ◽  
Linguistic Resources ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Sequential Organization ◽  
Construct Meaning

Abstract Analyzing approximately nine hours of video-recorded naturally-occurring conversations over eight weeks of study abroad between three L2 speakers of Japanese and their L1 speaker host family members, the present study uses conversation analysis to explore how the participants manage intersubjectivity using communication strategies in word searches. Specifically the study explores the following: (a) how participants deploy, manipulate, and respond to communication strategies as interactional resources used to co-construct meaning and progressively disambiguate the referent sought; (b) how strategies are used within the sequential organization of word searches to guide the trajectory of the search on a turn-by-turn basis; (c) how linguistic and non-linguistic resources such as intonation and eye gaze are used in conjunction with strategies to organize participant structure and relevant action in the unfolding talk; and (d) how a microanalytic, interactional approach can redefine our understanding of how strategic mechanisms are used and labeled in interaction.

Participation of a Conversation Partner in the Word Searches of a Person With Aphasia

1999 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary L. Oelschlaeger
Keyword(s):  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
The Self ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Online Analysis ◽  
Direct Gaze ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Sequential Organization ◽  
Conversation Partner ◽  
Conversational Sequences

Conversation analysis was applied to answer the question of when and how a conversation partner participates in the word searches of a person with aphasia. Thirty-eight videotaped conversational sequences from eight naturally occurring conversations of a single couple were analyzed. Sequences were characterized by the spouse’s participation in the self-initiated word searches of her partner, who had aphasia. Sequences were analyzed on a turn-by-turn basis to reveal their sequential organization. Results showed that participation was determined by interactional techniques and interactional resources. Interactional techniques included direct and indirect invitations to participate. Direct invitation was constructed via direct gaze or a wh- question. Indirect invitation was constructed with verbal and nonverbal signals, including specific metalanguage and downward gaze. Interactional resources were information states derived from both life experience and online analysis. Research and clinical implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Directives and Assessments in Japanese Native and Nonnative Conversation

2005 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri Hosoda
Keyword(s):  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Nonnative Speakers ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Multiple Resources ◽  
The Past ◽  
Institutional Settings ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Surrounding Environment ◽  
Sequential Organization

Various kinds of data and methodologies have been used to investigate nonnative speakers’ (NNSs’) pragmatic competence. In the past decade, attempts have been made to describe NNSs’ pragmatic abilities in naturally occurring interaction using the Conversation Analysis (CA) methodology. To date, there are an increasing number of CA studies that describe NNSs’ pragmatic competence in institutional settings, but only a few in noninstitutional settings. Using the framework of CA, this study examines NNSs’ pragmatic competence displayed in sequences of directives and assessments in casual native speaker (NS)-NNS conversation in Japanese. The analysis reveals that the pragmatic competence of the NNSs and NSs is constructed out of the detail of talk and other conduct in which the participants juxtapose multiple resources such as sequential organization, speech, body, and the surrounding environment to jointly shape the sequences of directives and assessments and establish mutual understanding in ongoing interaction. 今日まで非母語話者の語用的能力を検証するのに様々な研究法が試されてきた。過去10年の間に会話分析の手法を使って自然発生的な相互行為における非母語話者の語用的能力を描写する研究が見られるようになった。しかしながら、現在まで社会的組織の中での自然発生的な相互行為における非母語話者の語用的運用能力を描写する研究は多く見られるが、日常会話における非母語話者の語用的運用能力を描写する研究はあまり見られない。本研究では、会話分析の手法を用いて母語話者と非母語話者の日常会話を分析し、その中に見られる指示（directive）と評価（assessment）のシークエンスを検証した。分析の結果、会話参与者の語用的能力は、会話参与者が言語だけでなくシークエンスの文脈、ジェスチャー、周囲にある物など様々な資源を使って指示と評価のシークエンスを共に築き上げ相互理解を示す過程において顕著に見られることがわかった

scholarly journals Characterizing the Nature of Scan Results Discussions: Insights Into Why Patients Misunderstand Their Prognosis

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. e231-e239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarguni Singh ◽  
Dagoberto Cortez ◽  
Douglas Maynard ◽  
James F. Cleary ◽  
Lori DuBenske ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Bad News ◽  
Good News ◽  
Prognostic Information ◽  
Incurable Cancer ◽  
Visit Duration ◽  
Prognostic Implications

Introduction: Patients with incurable cancer have poor prognostic awareness. We present a detailed analysis of the dialogue between oncologists and patients in conversations with prognostic implications. Methods: A total of 128 audio-recorded encounters from a large multisite trial were obtained, and 64 involved scan results. We used conversation analysis, a qualitative method for studying human interaction, to analyze typical patterns and conversational devices. Results: Four components consistently occurred in sequential order: symptom-talk, scan-talk, treatment-talk, and logistic-talk. Six of the encounters (19%) were identified as good news, 15 (45%) as stable news, and 12 (36%) as bad news. The visit duration varied by the type of news: good, 15 minutes (07:00-29:00); stable, 17 minutes (07:00-41:00); and bad, 20 minutes (07:00-28:00). Conversational devices were common, appearing in half of recordings. Treatment-talk occupied 50% of bad-news encounters, 31% of good-news encounters, and 19% of stable-news encounters. Scan-talk occupied less than 10% of all conversations. There were only four instances of frank prognosis discussion. Conclusion: Oncologists and patients are complicit in constructing the typical encounter. Oncologists spend little time discussing scan results and the prognostic implications in favor of treatment-related talk. Conversational devices routinely help transition from scan-talk to detailed discussions about treatment options. We observed an opportunity to create prognosis-talk after scan-talk with a new conversational device, the question “Would you like to talk about what this means?” as the oncologist seeks permission to disclose prognostic information while ceding control to the patient.

scholarly journals The Patterns of Sequential Organization of a Person with Asperger Syndrome: A Conversation Analysis

BELTA Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-29
Author(s):  
Mohammad Budrudzaman ◽  
Mahmud Hasan Khan
Keyword(s):  
Asperger Syndrome ◽  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Analytical Methods ◽  
Asperger's Syndrome ◽  
Word Finding ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Sequential Organization ◽  
Language Data ◽  
Approaches To Study ◽  
Interactional Patterns

This study documents the patterns of conversational sequential organization, i.e., turn construction unit (TCU), of a person (pseudonym Samy, age 27) with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS). The language data was audio recorded from two naturally occurring conversations (30 and 40 minutes long two different encounters) between the participant and the first author of this paper. Later, the data was transcribed and analyzed by using the tools of conversation analysis (CA). The results revealed the occurrences of unusual prosody, unusual pauses, invalid turns and word-finding difficulties, in the participant’s TCUs. The findings of this research contribute to our knowledge on the interactional patterns of people with AS. It also draws attention to the efficacy of the CA method in investigating conversational structures of atypical people. The findings eventually prepare a dialogue for incorporating conversation analytical methods into clinical approaches to study the persons with AS.

Do you want the good news or the bad news first?

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Legg ◽  
Kate Sweeny
Keyword(s):  
Bad News ◽  
Good News
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