conversation structure analysis

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Story Telling

Lecture outline: 1. Narrative vs. story telling perspectives 2. Complexities and face considerations 3. Getting started from 1st position 4. Getting started from 2nd position 5. The telling sequence: recipient’s role

Story Telling

Distinctiveness of story telling as a topic

• Involves “big packages” of talk, with many sequential parts

• Subject to many contingencies, esp. from recipients

• May not be optimally realized

• Thus, may not yield “clean” patterns & precise conclusions we've seen in other areas.

Preliminaries: Narrative vs. Story Telling Perspectives

Story Telling

Conversational stories are one type of a more general communicative form: narratives.

�stories, plans, simultaneous blow-by-blow descriptions, generic narratives about �the way it used to be� or �what usually happens� and reporting past activities are all narratives – kinds of discourse organized around the passage of time in some world�

(Livia Polanyi)

Story Telling

Narrative Approach vs. Story Telling Approach

Narrative perspective treats written and spoken narratives in the same terms.

Narrative perspective focuses on relatively refined story structures.

Narrative perspective treats stories as independent of the local telling context & particular social relationships; focus on broader socio-cultural significance.

Story Telling

The narrative approach exemplified: Labov and Waletzky (1976) “Narrative Analysis: Oral Versions of Personal Experience”

I. Abstract: what was this about?

II. Orientation: who, when, what, where?

III. Complicating action: then what happened?

IV. Evaluation: so what?

V. Result: what finally happened

VI Coda

Story Telling

Labov�s data & method – the stories he examined were:

• Elicited by an interviewer

• Directed to a topic proposed by interviewer: tell me about X

• Designedly free from interruption by the interviewer

• Reactions (if any) are not examined.

• Resulting stories are unilaterally produced & self-contained

• And lack any naturally occurring motivation or purpose.

Consequently: Compared to real-life conversational stories, Labov’s narratives are simplified and idealized.

Story Telling

Because real-life conversational stories:

1. Are mainly told for some evident purpose

2. Are created in, and motivated by, a specific social & interactional environment

3. Are recipient designed - built for particular hearers

4. Can be affected in the course of their delivery by recipients' reactions and interventions

3. Are thus co-constructed by tellers & recipients.

All of this is obscured by Labov’s interview method.

Story Telling

Goffman captures some of these missing situated elements:

�A tale or anecdote is not merely any reporting of a past event. In the fullest sense it is such a statement couched from the personal perspective of an actual or potential participant who is located so that some temporal, dramatic development of the reported event proceeds from that starting point.�

(Erving Goffman 1981)

Story Telling

Narrative vs Story Telling Perspectives

Narrative perspective treats written and spoken narratives in the same terms.

Narrative perspective focuses on relatively refined story structures.

Narrative perspective treats stories as independent of the local telling context; focus on broader socio-cultural significance.

Story telling perspective focuses on spoken narratives, & the distinctive conditions under which they operate.

Story telling perspective focuses on story structures varied in refinement and organization; examined as real-time interactional achievements.

Story telling perspective treats stories as bound up with local context and particular speaker-recipient relationships.

Story Telling: Tasks and Face Considerations

Story Telling

• Story telling is organizationally complex.

• Story telling is a 'high stakes' activity.

Harvey Sacks on Story Telling

Story Telling

The teller’s essential tasks:

• Build a recognizable start – make it clear that a story is being launched • Project the type of story and its point – convey teller’s view of the

story as funny, strange, tragic, etc., and its import (why that now?).

• Align addressees as story recipients – induce them to accept the telling and allow the teller multiple TCUs.

• Construct an intelligible story - with necessary background, a time structure, events, and an ending

• Complete the story and secure appropriate responses – deliver the climax or conclusion, prompt appreciation of the story and its import

• Resume conversational turn taking.

Story Telling

The recipient’s tasks:

• Obliged to listen, extendedly

• Should react appropriately to the in-progress story

• Should withhold moves that would derail the story

• Should show appreciation of the story’s conclusion

Story Telling

Face implications for recipients (mostly negative face):

• Requirements are intrinsically imposing.

• May entail suppression of recipients’ interests & projects.

• This may last for an extended period.

• And may be experienced as boring!

Story Telling

Face implications for recipients:

• Behavioral restrictions are intrinsically imposing

• May entail suppression of recipients' own interests

• These restrictions may last for an extended period

• May be experienced as boring!

• But recipients may be rewarded with important, entertaining, or gratifying information.

Story Telling

Face implications for the would-be teller:

• License to tell rewards teller’s negative face: they are granted unimpeded access to the floor.

• License to tell rewards teller’s positive face: they are validated as worthy of being listened to

• At story’s end, a supportive response further rewards teller’s positive face: their viewpoint is validated.

• Conversely, blocking a story or withholding a supportive response is multiply face-threatening to the teller.

Getting Started: 1st Position Tellings

Story Telling

First vs Second Position Tellings

• First position tellings (Sacks reading): Told at the teller�s initiative (“offered”): #1-4

• Second position tellings: Told at the recipient�s initiative (“requested”): #5 & 6

Story Telling

A story preface sequence is a pre-sequence consisting of:

1. A would-be teller�s offer to tell

2. A potential recipient�s �go ahead�

Harvey Sacks on First Position Tellings: Story Prefaces

(1) [Sacks 1974] 1 Ken: 1-> You wanna hear muh-eh my sister told me a story 2 last night. 3 Rog: 2-> I don’t wanna hear it. But if you must, 4 (1.0) 5 Al: What’s purple an’ an island. Grape- Britain. 6 That’s what iz sis[ter- 7 Ken: [No. To stun me she says uh there was 8 these three girls an’ they just got married? . . .

Story Telling

Social functions of prefatory offers to tell (#1):

• Projects a story

• Projects the type of story

• Invites acceptance of the story-to-come by recipient.

• Which implicates readiness to act as story recipient, and diffuses responsibility for the telling.

• Provides clues as to when story will be complete.

• Projects what an appropriate or affiliative reaction to the story should be.

Harvey Sacks on First Position Tellings: Story Prefaces

Story Telling

Recurrent components of offers to tell:

• An initial “gloss” or brief characterization

• Reference to when the event took place

• A primary protagonist and/or source #2 Frankel 2: Warehouse story

Harvey Sacks on Story Prefaces

(2) [Frankel TC:1:Call 1: Drinking story] 1 Shi: 1-> Ah'm not suhprized. .hhh Listen, u- something very very: 2 cute happened las'night et the Warehouse. 3 (.) 4 Ger: 2-> Wha[t 5 Shi: S-> [.hhhhh YihKNOW Cathy,(.) Larry Taylor's ex girlfrie[nd,] 6 Ger: [Yee]ah. 7 Shi: [.hhhhhhhh]= 8 Ger: [˚˚M-hm?˚˚]= 9 Shi: =Okay. Cathy came in las'night. ((sniff))

Story Telling

Modeling a story start

1: Pre-sequence "offer": Something very cute happened…

2: Go-ahead: What

S: Story launch: You know Cathy…

#2 Frankel 2: Warehouse story(2) [Frankel TC:1:Call 1: Drinking story]

1 Shi: 1-> Ah'm not suhprized. .hhh Listen, u- something very very: 2 cute happened las'night et the Warehouse. 3 (.) 4 Ger: 2-> Wha[t 5 Shi: S-> [.hhhhh YihKNOW Cathy,(.) Larry Taylor's ex girlfrie[nd,] 6 Ger: [Yee]ah. 7 Shi: [.hhhhhhhh]= 8 Ger: [˚˚M-hm?˚˚]= 9 Shi: =Okay. Cathy came in las'night. ((sniff))

Story Telling

Modeling a story start

1: Pre-sequence "offer": We coulda used a little marijuana…

2: Go-ahead: What happened.

S: Story launch: Karen has this new house…

(3) [Chinese Dinner: wallpaper story] Ann: 1-> [We coulda used a liddle, marijuana]. tih get through

the weekend. Ber: 2-> What h[appened. Ann: S-> [Karen has this new hou:se. en it's got all this

like- (0.2) ssilvery:: g-go:ld wwa:llpaper, ˙hh (h)en D(h)o(h)n sa(h)ys. y'know this's th'firs'time we’ve seen this house.

Story Telling

More informal 1st-position starts:

• Offer something (an incident, noticing, etc.) framed as "surprising” or “interesting”

(4) [Ravioli Dinner: transmission repair story] 1 Mark: 1-> Dennis came in today:=uh:m (0.2) tlk=He wrote this 2 big letter tuh Ford, 3 (1.4) ((Kim lifts her eyes to gaze at Mark's face)) 4 Mark: Cuz his car’s been in the shop ya know, 5 (1.5) 6 Mark: tlk for so long,

Story Telling

More informal 1st-position starts:

• Offer something (an incident, noticing, etc.) framed as "surprising” or “interesting”, but not explicated.

• These project elaboration of some sort, but not necessarily formed as a chronological story.

• Response is more optional, but still geared to providing go-ahead (or not).

Getting Started: 2nd Position Tellings

Story Telling

2nd Position Telllings:

• Someone else takes the initiative, in effect "requesting" the story rather than having the teller "offer" it.

• Responsibility is thus diffused by virtue of the responsive sequential position.

Story Telling

2nd Position Tellings

• Responses to Qs: #5: "where’dju git those…”

(5) [Chicken dinner: potatoes story] 1 NAN: Q-> Yeah where'dju git tho:se. Gah ther hu:[ge. 2 VIV: S-> [Well w't happ'n 3 was we picked'p a ba:[g 4 SHA: [Oh yeh it wz ba:[:d 5 VIV: [en they w'r

6 ro:tt'n. 7 (0.7) 8 VIV: So they said (1.7) go back en pick anothuh ba:g.

Story Telling

2nd Position Tellings

• Responses to questions: #5

• Responses to reportings: #7: “Mike siz there wz a big fight down there las’night,”

• Warrant for the story is the prior action; “go ahead” not needed, and responsibility is diffused.

(7) [Auto Discussion: big fight]

PHY: R-> =Mike siz there wz a big fight down there las'night, CUR: Oh rilly?

(0.5) PHY: -> Wih Keegan en, what. Paul [de Wa::ld? ] MIK: S-> [Paul de Wa:l]d. Guy out of,= CUR: =De Wa:ld yeah I [˚(know ] ['m.) MIK: [Tiffen.] [D'you know him¿ CUR: ˚Uhhuh=I know who'e i:s,

(1.8) MIK: Evidently Keegan musta bumped im in thee,

Story Telling

• EX 8: Fly in the coffee story • Story here is topically linked to prior talk, but not

“requested” by it; no prefatory offer & go-ahead either.

Other Types of Initiations: Teller can just start!

Story Telling

• EX 8: Fly in the coffee story • Story here is topically linked to prior talk, but not

“requested” by it; no prefatory offer & go-ahead either.

• Teller thus assumes more responsibility for the story.

Other Types of Initiations: Teller can just start!

12 MIC: [Y i h kno:w?] _____ 13 NAN: [We coulda go]t away with it ri[lly. 14 VIV: [Yea:h. 15 (0.3) 16 NAN: But (0.4) yihknow w[it t h e h e l l] 17 SHA: [Like yih said you ][wuh feelin ¯goo]d,= 18 MIC: [M y ↑fa:ther- ] 19 MIC: S-> =˙hhh My fa:ther we w'r in Manners Big Boy.ih( ) 20 Big Bo[y back E]a:st? 21 SHA: -> [Yea:h? ] 22 (0.3) 23 MIC: En eez drinkin a cuppla coffee iss a true story my- (0.2)

The Telling Sequence: Recipient's Role

Story Telling

Telling Sequence – Recipient's Role:

• Since teller has extended right to the floor (multiple TCUs), recipients should �hold off.�

• But what does "holding off" consist of?

Story Telling

What is �holding off�?

• Silence? #4

(4) [Ravioli Dinner: Car Repair story] 1 Mark: Dennis came in today:=uh:m (0.2) tlk=He wrote this 2 big letter tuh Ford, 3 -> (1.4) ((Kim lifts her eyes to gaze at Mark's face)) 4 Mark: Cuz his car’s been in the shop ya know, 5 -> (1.5) 6 Mark: tlk for so long, 7 -> (.) 8 Mark: Took ‘em like two weeks tuh fix his transmission. 9 -> (0.3) 10 Mark: (H[e had tuh ri-)/(he had uh ru-) 11 Kim: [So he wrote a complaint?

Story Telling

What is �holding off�?

• Silence? #4

• Proactive �Reactions�? #2, 4 Frankel #2

(2) [Frankel: drinking story] ((Recording starts before the transcript.)) 16 Shi: …either siddown'n ta:lk,h whatever. .hhhhh Suh she came in 17 en she starts asking me if I'd seen Gary. Gary Klei:n, 18 .hhhh I s'd yeh eez here t'night .hh she sz well wouldju 19 go find im please'n tell im t'give me my ten dollars thet 20 'e owes me, 21 ( ): .tch 22 Ger: -> mWhaddiyou haftih get [in on that fo[r, 23 Shi: [.hhhh [Wai:t. I started 24 lau:ghing I looked et 'er en I said believe it er not little 25 gi::rl .hh this's my jo:b. I s'd go do it cherself it's yer 26 money. 27 (.) 28 Shi: .hhhhhhh So later on I walked out on the patio.'n she wz...

Story Telling

What is �holding off�? • Silence? #4 • Proactive �Reactions�? #2, 4 • Acknowledgements? #6, 8

(6) [HG II: Dark at the Top of the Stairs story] Nan: [How did]ju hear about it from the pape[r? Hyl: [.hhhhh I sa:w-

(0.4) Hyl: S-> A'right when was:(it,)/(this,)

(0.3) Hyl: The week before my birthda:[y,] Nan: -> [Ye]a[:h, Hyl: [I wz looking in the

Calendar section en there was u:n, (.) un a:d yihknow a liddle:: u- thi:ng, .hh[hh

Nan: -> [Uh hu:h,=

Story Telling

What is �holding off�? • Silence? #4 • Proactive �Reactions�? #2, 4 • Acknowledgements? #6, 8

(8) [Chicken Dinner: Fly in the coffee story] 16 NAN: But (0.4) yihknow w[it t h e h e l l] 17 SHA: [Like yih said you ][wuh feelin ¯goo]d,= 18 MIC: [M y ↑fa:ther- ] 19 MIC: S-> =˙hhh My fa:ther we w'r in Manners Big Boy.ih( ) 20 Big Bo[y back E]a:st? 21 SHA: -> [Yea:h? ] 22 (0.3) 23 MIC: En eez drinkin a cuppla coffee iss a true story my- (0.2 24 my ¯dad's (0.3) stepfathuh eez (0.3) pretty funny ¯guy 25 isn'ee ˚(you[know'm)˚ 26 SHA: -> [Uh huh, )

Story Telling

Take-away points

• Story telling is organizationally complex

• And a high-stakes activity with face implications for all.

• We've looked at: (1) preliminary launch phase, and (2) telling sequence, just focusing on recipients.

• Vulnerabilities: Ø lack of recipient alignment during launch Ø premature reactions during telling Ø all can derail the story.

• Still to come: (1) most of the telling sequence, and (2) the reaction phase