Eleanor Chin analyzed topic shifts in conversations to test the hypothesis that stepwise topic transitions are twice as frequent as disjunctive transitions. She found conversations contained 17 stepwise and 11 disjunctive transitions, disproving her hypothesis. Stepwise transitions occur gradually through a pivot word, while disjunctive transitions involve a pause between distinct topics. She also examined the theory that after a topic closes, one participant can proffer a new topic for the other to continue, but found this occurred only twice in the data. The analysis provided insight into natural conversation flows and topic management.

1. Eleanor Chin
May 5, 2016
CHIN 490
Conversation Analysis
Topic Management
Final Project
Topic management conversation
Normally, what we categorize as one conversation comprises of many different
topics. How do we move from topic to topic? Sometimes, a topic closes and a
new topic opens with a disjunctive topic marker. Sometimes, topics have subtle
changes. In this report, I will discuss the frequency of natural topic shifts,
disjunctive topic shifts, and stepwise topic shifts in relation to each other. My
hypothesis is that stepwise transitions are twice as frequent in conversation as
disjunctive transitions. Stepwise topic changes occur when there is a pivot word or
phrase that brings the topic to a related topic but still a new topic. Disjunctive
topic changes occurwhen a topic closes and a phrase such as “anything else”
marks the start of another one. Disjunctive changes also occurwhen there is a
pause between developed topics.
I collected the data while hiking, waiting, and eating. These environments
inspired our discussion topics. Sometimes, the changes in the topic had a root in
the environment.

2. Eleanor Chin
May 5, 2016
CHIN 490
Conversation Analysis
Topic Management
Final Project
The setting in this first data review is at a Chinese restaurant. We have all
come from a long day of hiking in Yosemite. Both recordings are in the restaurant.
In the 2nd line, Ted opens up the conversation by commenting on the menu. The
conversation takes off from there, opening a discussionon the subtlety of Chinese
characters, with a short break to make fun of Morgane in lines seven through
eleven. The conversation is mostly between Ted, Alex, and Levi, with occasional
input from Enzo and myself. In line 38, Morgane and I are talking about
something completely unrelated and it happens to be recorded. This is not a topic
shift, becauseit’s not even in the conversation. This “side sequence” between
Morgane and I continues until line 40. Then, there is a true side sequence in line
41 when Brianne asks Levi whether our table needs anything else. Brianne is one
of the locals in Mariposa who is acting as our waitress for the night. The ordering
food side-sequence topic comes to a close in line 43, and in line 45, Levi brings the
discussionback to the first topic.
The setting for conversation two is while on a hike toward Vernal Falls in
Yosemite Park. Ulises, Morgane, and I are all hiking together. This conversation
is rich in a variety of topic changes. In the beginning, my friend Ulises and I are

3. Eleanor Chin
May 5, 2016
CHIN 490
Conversation Analysis
Topic Management
Final Project
talking about this class, actually, and then, he starts telling me a story about
someone else telling a story. In line 21, I sigh with exasperation about the state of
the American male, in effect, moving on to a subtopic. This is a stepwise
transition, because we just seamlessly transitioned into a new topic without a break
or pause. Lines 23, 24, and 25 are what are typically referred to as a side sequence
because it consists of only a few turns, and the topic is not developed. In line 26,
Ulises brings us back to the 2nd topic, the one I brought up in line 21. Then, in line
37, Ulises brings us back to the first topic, the story about the guy telling a story,
using a stepwise transition. It’s debatable whether this transition is a disjunctive or
a stepwise, becausethe topic doesn’t“close”, but likewise, there is no pause and no
disjunctive marker. The topic just goes back around to the first one, very naturally.
In lines 48 through 51, there is a clear closing of the first topic of the guy telling
the creepy story, and a short side sequence of wondering about the directions.
Then, in line 52, Ulises opens a new topic of discussing one of our friends who is
an absolute diva princess in every sense of the word. This topic is pursued until
line 89. In line 89, Morgane closes the topic with “yeah”. A short pause follows,
as there is nothing else to say. We can see in this example where the squirrel
introduces the next topic. This is a natural change, and the environment provided

4. Eleanor Chin
May 5, 2016
CHIN 490
Conversation Analysis
Topic Management
Final Project
the impetus for the change. In lines 52 and 53, we have a pause, serving as the
disjunctive marker. A brand-new topic is introduced in line 54. In line 65, a side-
sequence appears, once again, about food. In this short piece of conversation, there
are three side sequences and only one true topic change.
The setting for this last data set was also in the restaurant. We were eating
dinner for quite a long time. This is an excerpt from my 45-minute recording of
the dinner conversation. Not recorded on the recorder or the transcript is when
Enzo or I ask what Levi is writing on. In line 2, the conversation really gets going,
and in line 8, we see the first topic shift in the conversation. It is a stepwise shift;
the pivoting phrase is after Levi responds to my compliment “That’s good”. Levi
pivots the conversation away from the specific relationship between the people in
the China Station and the church in Mariposa to the importance of maintaining
relationships between certain people. This topic stays the same until line 19. In
line 19, there is another stepwise change, the pivot phrase being “Do you speak
from experience”, thus inviting Levi to discuss some specifics about his personal
life, deviating from the general topic of who you should befriend and others with
whom you shouldn’t breed enmity. In line 53, there is a pause, giving way to a
disjunctive change in line 54, as Levi enquires about Morgane’s state of being. In

5. Eleanor Chin
May 5, 2016
CHIN 490
Conversation Analysis
Topic Management
Final Project
line 58, there’s one more stepwise topic change. In this discussion, there were two
stepwise topic changes and one disjunctive change. In this one example, the data
matched my hypothesis.
When I looked at my data collectively, however, I saw that even though
stepwise transitions seemed to occurat a higher frequency, in actuality, the ratio
was not as high as I first thought. In total, there were 17 stepwise changes and 11
disjunctive changes. This disproves my first hypothesis.
Pioneering linguist Emmanuel Schegloff presents a related theory of topic-
proffering—that after one topic “closes”, a participant in the conversation can
“proffer” a new topic, meaning that the speaker doesn’tactually proposethe topic
themselves, but the speaker will start and invite the recipient to either close or
continue the topic. Schegloff continues by proposingthat topics that open in this
manner tend to be recipient-oriented, assuming that the recipient of this subtle
invitation is the expert and authoritative speaker. Then, in a successfultopic
switch, the recipient accepts the new topic by continuing to expand it. This pattern
only works with disjunctive changes though, and through the 11 disjunctive
changes, this pattern appeared only two times. Within one already existing topic,
the “expert status” as conferred by the persondoing most of the talking does

6. Eleanor Chin
May 5, 2016
CHIN 490
Conversation Analysis
Topic Management
Final Project
change, but this isn’t a topic shift. This theory would be more apparent if we had
more disjunctive changes.
In conclusion, stepwise transitions, while indisputably more frequent than
disjunctive changes, do not occurat the hypothesized doubled frequency. Yet,
understanding these nuances of topic changes can help in our everyday lives. We
can keep meetings on track, we can keep interviews focused, and we can obtain the
information we want in less time. We can also better appreciate the natural flows
of conversation better now that we know how those patterns work.

7. Eleanor Chin
May 5, 2016
CHIN 490
Conversation Analysis
Topic Management
Final Project
Sources:
Schegloff, Emanuel. 2007. Sequence Organization in Interaction : A Primer in Conversation Analysis.
Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press. Ch. 8, p. 169-172
Wu, Haiping, “Topic Management and Storytelling in Conversation.” Class materials, 2016 March 3