Getting Acquainted in Conversation: A Study of Initial Interactions

✍ Scribed by Jan Svennevig

• Publisher: John Benjamins
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 398
• Series: Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 64
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

What makes a ‘getting acquainted’ a recognizable conversational activity, and how are interpersonal relationships established in a first conversation? This book presents a theoretical framework for the study of relationship management in conversation and an empirical study of a corpus of initial interactions. It provides detailed descriptions of the sequential resources unacquainted interlocutors use in order to:
– generate self-presentation
– introduce topics
– establish common contextual resources
It is argued that these sequential patterns embody conventionalized procedures for establishing an interpersonal relationship involving some degree of:
– solidarity (mutual rights and obligations)
– familiarity (mutual knowledge of personal background)
– mutual affect (emotional commitment)
The sequential analysis is based on a conversation analytic approach, while the interpretive framework consists of pragmatic theories of politeness, conversational style and common ground.

✦ Table of Contents

Content: 1. Acknowledgements, pvii; 2. Transcription symbols, pix; 3. 1. Introduction, p1; 4. 2. The establishment of interpersonal relations in conversation, p7; 5. 3. Methods for analyzing conversation, p63; 6. 4. The self-presentational sequence, p91; 7. 5. Topic introduction, p163; 8. 6. Side sequences and the establishment of common ground, p257; 9. 7. Routine, variation, and success in first conversations, p317; 10. 8. Conclusion, p333; 11. Appendices, p339; 12. Notes, p357; 13. References, p363; 14. Subject Index, p377; 15. Author Index, p381