2. ADJANCENCY PAIRS
Is the basic unit of interaction
composed of two turns which
are produced by different
speakers.
U1 – Related to – U2
Characteristics
• Consist of two utterances.
• Utterances are adjacent.
• Different speakers produce
each utterance.
• Include different types of
exchanges.
Ex: Question/Answer
A: I’ve got a meeting this
afternoon, haven’t I?
B: Yeah, that’s right. With
Henry and Tom.
Reference: Thornbury, S. and Slade, D. (2006). Conversation: From description to pedagogy.
Cambridge University Press
3. A: Now who can I make an iced coffee for?
B: Oh I think you could make one for my fat stomach.
A: You don’t like fish?
B: No, it’s not that I don’t like it, it’s the way it is done.
A: Jerry, hi, where’s our cake?
B: It’s coming, it’s coming. (laugh)
4. A: Mmm, don’t speak with your mouth half full, pull
the bloody thing out.
B: I will do what I bloody well like.
A: Great haircut.
B: Do you think? The hair color burnt my scalp.
A: Hand me the knife from the bench, will you?
B: Here you go.
5. Preferred Sequence
Less face-threatening
response
Accepting an Invitation
Granting a Request
Responding a Compliment
Accepting an offer
SEQUENCE
It is an adjacency pair U1 – U2
and any expansions of that adjacency
determined by a choice of responses.
Dispreferred Sequence
Face-threatening response
Conversational
Cooperativeness
Rejecting an Invitation
Refusing a Request
Responding a Compliment
Expressing an Apology
Reference: Thornbury, S. and Slade, D. (2006). Conversation: From description to pedagogy.
Cambridge University Press
6. MOVES AND EXCHANGES
A move is the basic semantic unit in interactive
talk and determines the way speakers negotiate
the exchange of meaning.
Characteristics
• Conversation Utterances.
• Indicate turn-transfer.
• Can be assigned a speech
function.
•Include Initiating, Expected &
Discretionary moves.
Ex: Initiating Move
A: What do you think of Jake?
Speech Function: Question
A: I think Jake is bigheaded.
Speech Function: Declarative
Reference: Thornbury, S. and Slade, D. (2006). Conversation: From description to pedagogy.
Cambridge University Press
7. Expected Responding
Moves
• Finish the exchange.
• Support the speaker’s
proposition.
Answer– Acknowledge
Response (offer/command)
A: What do you think of
Jake?
B: I think he’s all right.
Discretionary Moves
• Open up the exchange and
further negotiation is needed.
Tracking & Response
Challenge & Response
A: What do you think of Jake?
B: Well, he was unfriendly.
A: He’s just shy. That’s all
Initiating Moves
(Primary Speech Functions)
Command – Statement – Offer – Question – Rhetorical
A: What do you think of Jake?
8. TURNTAKING IN CONVERSATION
The way speakers take turns in a conversation to make it
keep sense and flow coherently. This involves the implicit
signals that are understood by participants.
Turn-Constructional Unit
(TCU)
The clear and systematic
semantic units that
constitute a complete
turn of a talk.
One speaker at a time.
Speaker change recurs.
Examples:
A: Do you want to have a drink?
B: That sounds great!
A: Do you want a drink? We
could go somewhere after work.
Reference: Thornbury, S. and Slade, D. (2006). Conversation: From description to pedagogy.
Cambridge University Press
