conversation structure analysis

124a/244a Conversational Structures

Winter 2019

Final Exercise: Story Telling Analysis

Consider the story below, told by Hyla to Nancy. Give separate answers to the following three questions about this story:

1. Launch: How is this story launched? What type of launch is it? How it is realized in this particular case? What are the ramifications for the distribution of responsibility for the telling?

2. Potential Derailments: Are there any reactions from Nancy that threaten to derail the story? If so, what are they and what triggers them? How long does each potential derailment episode last (identify the lines) and how does Hyla return to the story in progress?

3. Ending and response: Where does the story end and what type of ending is it? How does Nancy respond, and do her responses display affiliation? And considering both participants, are they completely in sync in their stance toward the story, or are they out of sync, or somewhere in between?

Length: 1000 words (about 4 pages maximum)

Due: Friday March 15th 11:00am

Where/How: Online course website, submitted through TurnItIn

The "Dark at the Top of the Stairs" story

Context for this story:

Hyla has bought two tickets for a stage play (“The Dark at the Top of the Stairs”) and invited her friend Nancy to go with her. Hyla has seen the movie that was based on this play, but she has never seen the original play. During the conversation, a story emerges about how the tickets came to be purchased.

1 Nan: =Oh so we- we: get the tickets when we get there [right,]

2 Hyl:    [Yeah, ]

3 (.)

4 Hyl: Yeh theh reserved seats.hh.hh=

5 Nan: =Uh hu[h,

6 Hyl:   [A::n' I think w'r in the fifth ro:w,

7 (.)

8 (H): [(    )

9 Nan: [Ga:h that's goo:d.=

10 Hyl: =A:[ :  :  n']

11      [(Seeing) ] that there's only seven [ro:ws ]

12 Hyl: [eh-huh y] eh h-hm,

13 (.)

14 (N): .hhhhhhh=

15 Hyl: =.eh[.eh ].eh .eh .h-.h

16 Nan: [°.hh]

17 (0.8)

18 Hyl: [.hhhhhh]

19 Nan: [How did]ju hear about it from the pape[r?

20 Hyl:    [.hhhhh I sa:w-

21 (0.4)

22 Hyl: A'right when was:(it,)/(this,)

23 (0.3)

24 Hyl: The week before my birthda:[y,]

25 Nan: [Ye] a[:h,

26 Hyl:   [I wz looking in the Calendar

27 section en there was u:n, (.) un a:d yihknow a liddle:: u-

28 thi:ng, .hh[hh

29 Nan:   [Uh hu:h,=

30 Hyl: =At- th'-th'theater's called the Met Theater it's on

31 Point[setta.]

32 Nan: [The Me]:t,

33 (.)

34 Nan: I never heard of i[t.

35 Hyl:   [I hadn't either..hhh But anyways, .-en

36 theh the moo- thing wz th'(Dark e'th'(Top a'th' (Stai[:rs.]

37 Nan:   [Mm-h]m[:,

38 Hyl:     [En I

39 nearly wen'chhrazy cz I[: I:lo:ve  ]that] mo:vie.]

40 Nan:  [y:Yeah I kn]ow y]ou lo:ve] tha::t.=

41 Hyl: =s:So::, .hh an' like the first sho:w,=

42 Nan: =M[m hmm, ]

43 Hyl: [wz g'nna] be:,

44 (.)

45 Hyl: on my birthday.=

46 Nan: =Uh hu[h, ]

47 Hyl:    [I'm] go'[n awhh whould hI love-

48 Nan:    [(So-)

49 (.)

50 Hyl: yihknow fer Sim tuh [take me tuh that.]

51 Nan:    [Y a y u : : h , ]

52 Hyl: =.hhh En the:::n, (0.3) I wz thinkin:g I'd be rilly

53 disappoin'if it did'n live up thho thhe mhho[vie.

54 Nan:     [Uh hu:h,=

55 Hyl: =So I 'eciuh f'rget it I dint wanna see it..hh Tihda:y there

56 wz a who::le (.) review on it'n [the paper.]

57 Nan:       [u-Whe:re. ]

58 (.)

59 Nan: Oh ril[ly I'm'nna go loo:k,]

60 Hyl:   [In the View section.]

61 (0.2)

62 Nan: In the [Vie:w¿

63 Hyl:    [.p.hh

64 Hyl: Yeh- buh I don' wantchu tuh read it.

65 (.)

66 Nan: [O   ] k  a  y,]

67 Hyl:   [Plea]se don't.].hh b[ecuz- ]

68 Nan:    [See I do]n' know what it's a[bout yer n]ot=

69 Hyl:     [Y e a h , ]

70 Nan: =g'nna tell [me? ]

71 Hyl:     [.p.k] be cu:z there's one poin'inyere whur it gives

72 away s:something th[at-]

73 Nan:     [Oh:] ri[lly:? ]

74 Hyl: [i-is a sho]:cker=

75 Hyl: =en I don'want y[ou tih kno:w,]

76 Nan: [Okay   I  w o]:n[ 't,

77 Hyl:    [Cz it'll affectchu more=

78 Hyl: =[when you see it.]

79 Nan: =[I'll read it a:f]ter,=

80 Hyl: =.khhhh Yeah.B't anyw'y so the review is pretty goo:d'n so

81 I go oh if it's this goo:d jihknow=

82 Hyl: =[I'd rilly [l i k e [tu h [see it.]

83 Nan: =[Ye : u h. [Might ez [well [ cha:nc]e it,

84 (.)

85 Nan: That sounds goo:d,

86 Hyl: Ya:h.=

87 Nan: =Kinda looking forward to it.What u:m,

88 (1.0)

89 Nan: Kinyih tell me what it's abou:t?=

90 Hyl: =.khhhhhh [Yeah. It take-  ]

91 Nan:   [O:r would it-uh-]

92 (.)

93 Nan: [(I don't know,)]

94 Hyl: [No. It takes  ] pla:ce, i:n, .t (0.2) u-ni:neteen thirties in

95 Oklahom[a,

96 Nan:  [Uh hu:h,=