Introduction To Linguistics And Conversation Analysis Cover English Language Essay

Introduction To Linguistics And Conversation Analysis Cover English Language Essay One thing which makes us find so few people who appear reasonable and agreeable in conversation is, that there is scarcely any one who does not think more of what he is about to say than of answering precisely what is said to him. Franà §ois de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) Beginning To master a language is a difficult task for many persons, and to master it in its spoken form even takes more time than learning a new language. Confusions and misunderstandings are commonly observed in conversation. Consider the following example, Fredrick: O Jesus! Suddenly the rain started to pour down! But Suki was so smart that she entered the hall immediately. Kelven: Oh how come she could enter the hall? Did she know the people there? Fredrick: What do you mean Kelven? Wasnt she living in the hall? In the example illustrated, Kelven probably fails to understand what is implicated by Fredricks utterance. Though Fredrick, in this example, has also used a misleading expression in referring to the hall where Suki was residing, a misunderstanding was thus caused. (Schlesinger and Hurvitz, 1969) Misunderstanding can cause a lot of troubles and we have to avoid them. But what are the reasons of causing those misunderstandings? Why in different situations we interpret a speech differently? How can people open and close a conversation well? And the ultimate problem can be, What is conversation and its underneath principles of operations?. The topic of conversation analysis, which is a particular and very important area of discourse analysis, will deal with the problems said. Chapter 8.1 Chapter 8.1A A brief definition of conversation analysis Conversation analysis is a branch of sociology which studies the detailed organization and structure of human conversational interactions in everyday lives; both in verbal and non-verbal sense. (Hutchby and Wooffitt, 2008) In conversation analysis, the structure, orderliness, and sequential patterns in interactions are discussed and studied. (Sidnell, 2010)These sorts of interactions can either be institutional or just in daily, casual conversation. Linguists of conversation analysis are always interested in how we, as language-users, are able to deliver an idea to make others understand about it, and at the same time how we understand the oral language that we hear. (Wang, 2010) It is not only used in linguistics, but it is also a popular concept used in psychology, history, anthropology, etc. (Sidnell, 2010) This subject, like the others, is a progressive development. In the next chapter, the history and changes of conversation analysis throughout the years will be introduced. Chapter 8.1B History and development of conversation analysis The history of conversation analysis can be dated back to late 1960s to early 1970s. The development of it was first inspired by Ethnomethodology, which is a method for understanding how people use social orders to understand the world, by analyzing their descriptions and stories of their daily activities across a long period (Karamjit S. Gill, 1996). Later, sociologist Harvey Sacks with his close associates Emanuel Schegloff and Gail Jefferson, define the term in their book Lectures on Conversation, and the study of conversation analysis has soon drawn a great attention from scholars. (Emanuel and Gail, 1972) With over 50 years of development, today it has become a well-known and widely-used research method in social sciences, linguistics, psychology, speech-communication and anthropology. (Carol, 2010) Its influence in interactional sociolinguistics is particular important as it forms a part in both discursive psychology and discourse analysis. (Levinson, 1983) Moreover, in its own right it has also become an important discipline. In recent years, the techniques of conversation analysis have seen being employed in a number of other subjects, like NLP practitioners use the technique to understand the real feeling of a person (Tosey and Mathison 2006); and phoneticians try to use it to explore the fine phonetic detail of speech (Kelly and Local, 1989). After having a brief overview of conversation analysis, the detailed elements of it will be introduced in the next chapter. Chapter 8.1C Assumptions and principles of conversation analysis We do conversations each and every day, with our friends, parents, colleagues and teachers, etc. In making these daily conversational exchanges, people always follow a set of orders or conventions, both consciously and subconsciously. The orders and conventions are different in different occasions. (Sacks, 1992) And, we learn those orders and conventions since they were young and the process of learning is continuous in ones life. Participants in daily conversations have responsibility to produce interpretable messages and to acknowledge the messages received; based on the orders and conventions, to create a successful conversation. George Pasthas (1995) in his book raises the following assumptions and principles of conversation analysis; Order is produced by orderliness. Order is situated and occasioned. Order is oriented by the parties involved in a conversation only. The analyst holds no conceptions in it. Order is repeatable and recurrent. The discovery, description and analysis of that produced orderliness are the tasks of the analyst. Frequencies and varieties of particular phenomena occur are to be set aside in studying the ways in which order is produced. Structures of social actions, once discerned, shall be able to be described and analyzed in formal forms. These principles and assumptions are widely accepted (George, 1995) and conversation analysts nowadays still have their analysis done in this way. In the following chapter, the detailed methodology of how a conversation analysis is conducted will be introduced. Chapter 8.1D Methodology of conversation analysis Similar to other researches, a research on conversation analysis is initiated by setting up a research problem. In normal circumstances, video or audio recorded conversations are used as raw data for conversation analysis. To ensure that data collected is not artificial, often it is simply collected by adding a video camera to the room where the conversation takes place (e.g. medical doctors consultation with a patient), without involvements of researchers. (Have, 2007) At the same time, the researchers make a detailed transcription, assuming that no details of the conversation have been omitted. The researchers, after the transcription, will then have an inductive data-driven analysis aiming to find recurring patterns of interaction. Based on the result of the analysis, a rule or model to explain the occurrence of the patterns is then developed. Conversation in discourse is mutually constructed and negotiated in time between speakers, which is unplanned and informal. (Cook, 1989) Ending Chapter 8.7 Conclusion In short, conversation analysis deals with our daily verbal exchanges, which are vital in daily lives of each and every one of us. Interpreting daily conversations, we now understand, is a highly complex and complicated process. It has long been believed that the meaning has been there already in a piece of oral language. But after studying this chapter, we find that the said definition is far too simplistic. We think that we do not plan before having a conversation with the others. But we apply different strategies indeed but they are seldom noticed. A speaker has to plan well before delivering a speech; and a hearer also has to work quite hard in order to process a piece of conversation indeed. Even the simplest conversation involves many complex decisions. We cover a few key aspects of conversation analysis, which includes turn-taking, overlapping, repairs, silences, sequence and transcription. We also try to analyze a conversation by following a set of transcription conversations. The question stated at the beginning, What is conversation? And what is its underneath principles?, has been answered by conversation analysis. Through studying it, we learn how to communicate with others well, and most importantly, how to use the principles to live well on this Earth.

Political marketing Essay

The cost of political marketing has been continually on the rise as campaigns grow to be more elaborate and extensive. The cost of advertising alone can cost a national candidate tens of millions of dollars, with local state candidates not lagging behind such figure. This amount is for commercials alone; added expenditures are surveys, exit polls, campaign paraphernalia, and countless other ‘necessary’ expenses. This, I believe, is both good and bad for democracy, but if I were forced to make a choice, I would advocate for election spending regulation, as an unchecked system can threaten our quality of democracy. The advantage of the limitless campaign spending is that it is in line with the democratic principle of unregulated participation. If more people and companies opt to support a candidate, then it is clearly a sign that such candidate is the preferred representative of the populace. In addition, the advantage of the incumbent, which is deemed to be at 15%, can prove to be an obstacle difficult to surpass for challengers who would start in the political field with marginal popularity and limited funds. Also, limiting campaign spending to promote democracy may be in itself paradoxical as the very act or regulation can be argued to violate certain democratic values, like free choice and participation. The clear disadvantage of unchecked campaign and political marketing spending is that it can lead to corruption of candidate and possible electoral victors. Big businesses and corporations would naturally expect payback for their contributions; hence the winning official would be in political debt at the very start of his tenure. Also, it does not promote a level playing field, where the most financially resourceful or those with their own money can have an unfair advantage over new players, who possibly are more qualified. The idea of democracy is equality of opportunities, and regulation does not mean that it is essentially undemocratic; in fact, campaign regulation promotes the values of fair competition and effective representation. Therefore, I support regulation of campaign spending.

Analysis Of The Novel Frankenstein - 1850 Words

Adam Bailey Mrs. Murphy Honors British Literature 5 November 2015 Revenge is a Dish Best Created in a Laboratory The debate of nature versus nurture has been going on for as long as anyone can remember. The discussion of whether characteristics are given to us innately at birth or that we exclusively grow and learn from our own personal experiences is an argument that will not seem to go away. In the novel Frankenstein both sides can be argued about the scientist’s creation, as he shows examples of each viewpoint. However, I believe that the society’s disregard toward Victor’s creation leads to the creature’s thirst for revenge. The creature shows throughout the story how the decisions and actions of other characters impact his emotions and characteristics. Society’s neglect towards the creature creates a sense of loneliness, and fuels the hatred and revenge towards the human race, especially Victor. The society’s neglect toward Victor’s creature is the main cause for the creature’s burning hatred toward all humans. Ironically, the monster’s appearance turns the people away, even though the creature is created by a human. Understanding Frankenstein, by Don Nardo, states, â€Å"Later, the reader learns that the creature’s alienation from people and society began even before it awakened. Frankenstein could have made the body of normal size and taken care to ensure that its features were fair and well proportioned. But in his haste and thoughtlessness, he did not†(Nardo 94). CouldShow MoreRelatedFrankenstein Novel Analysis Essay1664 Words   |  7 PagesMs. Ammendolia EWC4UI 10/13/17 Frankenstein Novel Analysis Frankenstein is partly an epistolary novel. In what way do the letters at the beginning of the text help frame the story that follows? The series of letters at the beginning of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley are from Robert Walton, and were sent to his sister, Margaret Saville. 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12 Literary Piece - 1670 Words

12 Literary piece that have Influenced the World 1. The Bible or the Sacred writings: This has become the basis of Christianity originating from Palestine and Greece 2. Koran: The Muslim bible originating from Arabia 3. The Iliad and the Odyssey: These have been the source of Myths and Legends of Greece. They were written by Homer. 4. The Mahabharata: The Longest epic of the world. It contains the history of religion in India. 5. Canterburry: it depicts the religion and customs of English in early days. This originated from England and written by Chaucer. 6. Uncle Toms Cabin: written by Harriet Beecher Stowe of US. This depicted the sad fate of slaves. This became the basis of democracy. 7. The Divine Comedy: (A†¦show more content†¦The narrator is lost in a forest. The poet narrator meets Virgil who guides him through the world after death. Virgil takes him through Hell. They go through the base of the purgatory and he can see the terraces of it where the sins of those who are ultimately to be saved are cleansed away. Then Beatrice guides him to the ultimate heaven. The poem ends with his moment of illumination and the vision of trinity. 7. Beowulf Anonymous (Old English) - Beowulf, one of the earliest epic of the world, is based on a Scandinavian legend. It was written around 750 AD by an anonymous writer and it has about 3000 lines. Beowulf, the great warrior hero, saves Horthgar, the king of Danes, from the attack of Grendel, a terrible monster, by killing it. Grendels mother attacks him to avenge the death of his son. In the fight, Beowulf kills the mother - monster also, but he gets a mortal wound in the fight and succumbs to it. This epic, the most celebrated survival from Old English literature, is also the earliest extant poem in a modern European language. 8. Paradise Lost by John Milton (English) - Paradise Lost is one of the greatest English literary epic based on the theme of fall of man given in the old Testament and it was written in 17th century by John Milton. The great poet wrote it to justify the ways of god to man. The epic poem begins with the the Satans devilish plans to to take revenge against god for his expulsion from heaven. Some critics has opined thatShow MoreRelatedThe Dark Knight Returns, By Jorge Luis Borges Essay1082 Words   |  5 Pagesmerit. However, this assumption does not hold up in today’s world of literary work. Genres and mediums evolve every minute of every day, continuously changing the game. Even considering the evolution of traditional novels in modern society challenges the original denotation of literature. â€Å"As a consequence, the traditional characteristics [lose] their importance as the defining criteria of literary works of art† (Breuer para. 12). 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The work of Cathy Song, per say, personally has never come up prior to the assigning of this paper. In Song’s â€Å"The Youngest Daughter†, we are introduced to a variety of meanings in which an analysis full of depth is required to clearly interpret and understand what it is that the speakerRead MoreThe Book Thief Literary Analysis1198 Words   |  5 Pages550). This example of imagery, a literary device, in The Book Thief juxtaposed how Death was haunted by the cruelty of human action, just as how humans were haunted by Death. Literary devices were implemented by authors to create gripping stories that they wanted to share with their readers. Novelist Aldous Huxley once said that â€Å"the essay is a literary device for saying almost everything about everything†. While casual readers may not realize the intricacies of literar y devices in writing, they couldRead MoreMy Definition Of A Story806 Words   |  4 Pagesevents whether imaginary or real. 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