A Comparative Analysis of Casual Conversation and Institutional Talk.docVIP

A Comparative Analysis of Casual Conversation and Institutional Talk 　　Abstract： This article reflects on the process of transcribing spoken interaction and makes a comparative analysis of two different varieties of spoken interaction （casual conversation and institutional talk）. By doing so， it reveals how the different purposes of speech result in their distinctive characteristics， and shows how language is structured to construct ideational meanings （Field） and interpersonal meanings （Tenor） that define each context. Key words： transcription； comparative analysis； casual conversation； institutional talk 　　[中图分类号]H030 　　[文献标识码]A 　　[文章编号]1006-2831（2014）02-0139-9 doi：10.3969/j.issn.1006-2831.2014.01.037 　　 1. Introduction 　　Transcription is a valuable tool to “freezeframe a moment”（Rex Schiller， 2009： 10）. It offers “previously invisible choices” （Rex Schiller， 2009： 10） to probe into conversations， which would otherwise be evanescent in its original form. Transcription examines both how interactants employ different grammatical， lexical， discourse-organizational， prosodic， and paralinguistic features to negotiate meanings and achieve particular purposes in different domains of life， and how the interpersonal relationship is established， maintained or changed through the conversation. Despite the great value of transcription， it is not a faithful or objective way in which talk can be written. Influenced by the purpose of transcribing， personal language ideology， and the tension between readability and accuracy， transcribers may have different decisions in “what to transcribe and in how much detail” （Eggins， 2000： 148）. Therefore， transcription itself is a kind of interpretation and representation （Green， Franquiz Dixon， 1997）. A comparison of institutional talk with casual conversation would in particular makes salient their distinctive linguistic and non-linguistic features， showing how these choices enact different social rights and obligations of eac