Discourse Analysis
A conversation is a talk that is less formal and is either a two party or a multi – party enterprise in which one person speaks, then another speaks and so on (Cook, 1989). Some examples of conversations are telephone calls, interviews, class discussions and service encounters. A group of people would maintain a conversation on any crucial topic by being cooperative and polite in all their contributions. This can be achieved by the use of the following requirements.
To begin with, people would maintain a conversation by following the co-operative principle. According to Cook (ibid), this principle requires interlocutors to speak sincerely, relevantly and clearly while providing sufficient information. This is well applied by the use of four maxims – maxim of quality, maxim of quantity, maxim of relevance and maxim of manner (ibid). Using the co-operative principle, each of the people involved in a conversation would contribute to its maintenance by being true in whatever they say and being brief in their contributions. Not only this, interlocutors would also maintain a conversation by saying what is related to the subject under discussion. It should also be pointed out that interlocutors would maintain a conversation by making their contributions prominent (McCarthy, 1991). According to McCarthy, this is the maxim of manner. It requires that interlocutors speak briefly, orderly and avoid ambiguity by using language that provides only one meaning. When interlocutors obey the co-operative principle, they would thus maintain a conversation because all participants would be able to correctly interpret what is said and this would enable them to proceed with the conversation.
A conversation would also be maintained if the interlocutors observe the politeness principle (Cook, 1989). According to Cook, the politeness principle has a series of maxims that people follow in communication so as to show their politeness. In respect of the politeness principle, a
To begin with, people would maintain a conversation by following the co-operative principle. According to Cook (ibid), this principle requires interlocutors to speak sincerely, relevantly and clearly while providing sufficient information. This is well applied by the use of four maxims – maxim of quality, maxim of quantity, maxim of relevance and maxim of manner (ibid). Using the co-operative principle, each of the people involved in a conversation would contribute to its maintenance by being true in whatever they say and being brief in their contributions. Not only this, interlocutors would also maintain a conversation by saying what is related to the subject under discussion. It should also be pointed out that interlocutors would maintain a conversation by making their contributions prominent (McCarthy, 1991). According to McCarthy, this is the maxim of manner. It requires that interlocutors speak briefly, orderly and avoid ambiguity by using language that provides only one meaning. When interlocutors obey the co-operative principle, they would thus maintain a conversation because all participants would be able to correctly interpret what is said and this would enable them to proceed with the conversation.
A conversation would also be maintained if the interlocutors observe the politeness principle (Cook, 1989). According to Cook, the politeness principle has a series of maxims that people follow in communication so as to show their politeness. In respect of the politeness principle, a
References: Cook, G. (1989). Discourse. New York: Oxford University Press. Fasold, R. et al. (2006). An Introduction to Language and Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. McCarthy, M. (1991). Discourse Analysis for Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Radfold, A. et al. (2008). Linguistics: An Introduction. (2nd ed). Cambridge University Press.