Linguistic Language Analysis (Critical Analysis on Speech Act and Turn Taking Management in Linguistics)
This paper tries to make a critical linguistic language analysis in terms of speech act and turn taking management. These two are considered as one of the most important aspects of language analysis in linguistics. Speech act refers to a technical term that deals on the successful communication act of the participants in the communication model (Searle 1999). Turn taking management, on the other hand, refers to the process of successfully taking ones turn in the communication paradigm (Tannen 1993 as cited in Mayers 2008).
Both of these aspects are essential for the successful realization of the conversations and dialogues in the communication model. Hence, there must be an in-depth understanding on these linguistics components to make a great analysis on a particular language.
Contributions of Speech Act and Turn Taking in Linguistics Analytical Approach
In our everyday life, people are speaking language which is tantamount to performing speech acts which include making statements, giving commands, asking questions, making promises, and the like (Searle 1999). These statements have something to do with the linguistics term speech acts. Through the use of speech act, people will communicate clearly and effectively with the other people. Hence, there must be a good understanding in this concept so that there would be an effective conversation or dialogue for a successful communication paradigm.
In the speech act analysis, there will be explanation on the recorded conversations from the speakers who use English as a second language. The data were secretly gathered from the chosen subjects so that there would be continuous and natural conversations between the participants.
Meanwhile, whenever people talk to each other, they are establishing and sustaining a little world of shared attention and participation (Dhondt, et. al.). Thus, there should be a strict observance of the process called turn taking. Turn taking is an indispensable tool in a successful conversation between the speaker and the receiver in a communication model. Through this process, there is an assurance of smooth rhythm and exchange of ideas in the topic of the communication process. Likewise, in the process of turn taking, there are several considerations such as the gender, educational background, cultural orientation and the like. These are to be taken into consideration in order to achieve a good communication process.
In the turn taking analysis, there will be an attempt to provide explanation and discussion on the role of turn taking in the environment of speakers who use English as their second language. The data for this analysis were gathered through a listening and recording form the conversation of the people who use English as a second language. The pedagogical implications of the tole of turn taking in the communication will be analyzed and discussed in a detailed manner. And also, the reasons of communication barriers due to the failure on turn taking will be identified through the data which will be analyzed and interpreted.
Speech Act and its Roles in Linguistics Analysis
Speaking a language means engaging in a rule-governed form of behavior. This explains that talking is performing acts according to pre-set rules. In a conversation, therefore, speech act is very essential as such it also determines good and successful communication model (Searle 1999).
When people are communicating with others, they are giving different context in their sentences. For instance, people may assert, question, command, remark, warn, criticize and others in their statements and these are regarded as illocutionary acts. Proper speech acts will help in the clear meaning and context of a sentence in s conversation. A good example to exemplify this is the different way of utterance of a given sentence. In telling a statement, a person may say Sam smokes habitually. However, people may inquire by saying Does Sam smoke or would that Sam Smoked habitually, and may express strong feeling by uttering Sam, smoke habitually Searle (1999) asserts that
In the utterance of any of these four sentences in the example a speaker is characteristically performing at least three distinct kinds of acts. (a) The uttering words (morphemes, sentences) (b) referring and predicting (c) stating, questioning, commanding, promising, etc (p. 23).
As seen in the context of the given sentences, a sentence can be spoken in different ways with different meanings. Hence, in the communication process, it is important to observe speech act so that the clarity and logicalness of the messages in the dialogues are highly observed and maintained.
Furthermore, speech act also include criticisms, invitations, greetings, congratulations and other acts that express meanings from the speaker to the listener. These are indeed essential so that there will be clear and logical meanings and contexts in a conversation in the communication model.
Turn Taking and its Role in the Communication Model
Cooperation and smooth turn taking among the participants which allow them to make progress in the development of the topic characterized a good communication model. Poor communication, on the other hand, lacks a smooth rhythm and smooth exchange of turns which results to a problematic exchange of ideas and topics in the communication of the participants (Tannen 1993 as cited in Mayers 2008). To make a smooth flowing conversation, turn taking is the determining factor which is considered as an essential part of the communication process for it allows the speaker and the receiver to have good avenue of exchanging their thoughts and ideas with regards to the topic that they talking about.
Moreover, communication is said to be generally characterized by turn taking (Levinson, 1983). Accurate timing and minimal amount of overlap should always be observed so that the success of a good conversation will be attained. With this consideration, turn taking can be also considered as a local management system for there should be a systematic management between the participants of the conversation so that the effectiveness of the communication process will not be at stake.
In the process of turn taking, in addition, there are some considerations that should be maintained so that turn taking management will be effective in keeping the conversation logical, clear and smooth flowing. The first thing that the participants should consider is the diversity in the cultural backgrounds of the people in the communication model. People should always consider that different cultural backgrounds come into contact in the communication. Thus, the flow of the communication may be disturbed since assumptions of what each considers polite, cooperative and appropriate linguistic behavior might be different (Malam, 1996). As the cultural background may differ from one place to another, the participants in the communication should always bear in mind the restrictions and limitations that a culture may possess (Mayer, 2008). For instance, in some countries before, the women are not given a chance to speak with the other people or they are given the opportunity to talk in a conversation of a group of men. Furthermore, in some countries which have monarchical system of government, the layman are not allowed to directly speak with the royal blood. These are some examples of the considerations with regards to the cultural differences. And these considerations should be given utmost value so that there will be an assurance of an effective and efficient turn taking in the communication model.
However, not only the diversity in cultural background should be taken account for but also the gender of the elements included in the model. Being aware of the gender-based differences in turn taking and understanding them can eventually reduce cases of miscommunication and frustration ( Gebhardt, 2008). Since gender is a very sensitive issue nowadays specifically with regards to equality and sensitivity, it should be given ample attention on the turn taking process during the communication process. For instance, if we will consider what society dictates about being a gentleman, the male speaker will most likely to give special consideration in the turn taking process of the female participant. The male is expected to become polite and considerate especially when the person he is taking to is a female. Likewise, along with the consideration of the gender is also the importance of age in the elements or participants of the conversation (Malam, 1996). Age should be given also with utmost consideration as such the young ones should show gesture of politeness to the adults especially during formal conversations. If the male reserves courtesy to the female, then, the young should exhibit politeness to the old.
Likewise, in the conversation process, the non verbal gestures and cues should be given importance as such they are also determiners of the turn taking process (LaFrance, 1974). Sometimes, these non verbal gestures and cues suggest the speaker to stop in the talking as the receiver would like to take his turn or put the topic into halt. The feelings and understandings of both the speaker and the receiver should be also consider so that the exchange of the ideas will be smooth sailing (Dae, 2003).
In order to analyze the turn taking process in the communication model, it is important to have the deep understanding on the turn taking model (Sacks et. al. 1974 as cited in Lee 1979). The first rule in this model is the first transition relevance place (TRP) in every turn in the conversation. This means that after the speech of the speaker, he needs to stop to give way to the receiver who will become the next speaker in the communication process and so that this next speaker can respond or give answer to the message of the first speaker. However, when the first speaker did not select the next speaker among the receiver or if the message of the first speaker did not directly address to someone, anyone in the group can talk and assume the post of being the next speaker. But if no one responds among the group, the first or the original speaker can select who will be the next speaker or he can address directly his message to someone so that there would be someone who will become the next speaker.
These rules on the turn taking model are indeed applicable in the everyday conversation of the people. The first speaker is the one who selects the next speaker among the receivers or the members of the group by directly addressing the message to that someone. However, if the message is for everybody, the members of the group can decide who will be the next speaker. But when no one responds on the last message by the speaker, that speaker should directly address or call the attention of someone so that there would be next speaker.
Critical Analysis of the Recorded Conversations in terms of Speech Act and Turn Taking Management
The following transcript is based on a recorded conversational exchange between the participants in the communication model. In Sample 1, it is a conversation between Martha and Mark. Mark would like to talk to the husband of Martha that is why he called on a telephone. In Sample 2, Joeffrey and James are conversing to each other as they are getting to know each other. In Sample 3, a man is talking to the woman about the quitting of the womans husband to drinking alcohol. The real names of the chosen subject for this analysis were hidden for the protection and privacy of these people. In sample 4, it is a conversation between parents about their children.
Sample 1
Martha Hello Good morning.
Martha Uhmmm...
(0.3)
Someone (interruption in a soft voice) Hello
Martha Martha, speaking.
Mark Its Mark Clemence. Can I speak to your husband...please
Martha Sure. I just get him.
Mark Oh, just go and get him. Thanks.
In the above transcription from a recorded conversation, the Transition Relevance Place (TRP) became problematic as the first speaker failed to mention a clear and continuous conversation with the receiver of the message. Martha is speaking very slow as she is experiencing problem in the facility of the English language because it is her second language. There is a 0.3 gap before the response of the next speaker because he thought that Martha has something to say more. Because of this, problem on turn taking has occurred in the conversation and resulted to a gap in the process. Likewise, since the subject of the analysis uses English as second language, it should be expected that the subject has no good facility of the language. Hence, there would be gaps, barriers and difficulties with regards to the continuity of the conversation as well as with the structure of the sentence and pronunciation of the words. For instance, in line 7, Martha failed to properly pronounce the words sure and get. During the recording of the conversation, it seems that the chosen subject has spoken different word which is very far from the original message or context that she wants to say. This has something to do with the uttering of words aspect of the speech act. If the words are not clearly spoken, there would be different meaning or context that will be built in the mind of the listener.
Sample 2
Joeffrey Hello
James Hi My name is James.
Joeffrey Hi Im Joeffrey.
(0.7)
James Hello Joeffrey. Please to meet you...
Joeffrey Nice to meet you too.
In the above transcription about the conversation of James and Joeffrey, there is a great failure on the transition relevance place (TRP) as such the next speaker failed to react on the posted message by the first speaker. This very long pause in the conversation was reflected in line 4 with 0.7 gap. Likewise, during the recording of the conversation, James found it difficult to communicate with Joeffrey. This has something to do with the background of James as a second speaker of the English language. Since English is not the mother tongue of the chosen subject, it is expected that the speaker has no good facility in the use of the language. Furthermore, the subject is also encountering dilemma on his morphological and phonological abilities with regards to the use of the English language. As seen in line 5, James failed to properly pronounce the word please.
Sample 3
Man Does your husband drink alcohol
Woman Yes.
Man Okay...
Woman (Takes the turn quickly) No he... No he quit. No he quits d-drinking.
Man Okay. So why did he quit drinking alcohol
Someone (Interrupts and takes the turn at the middle of conversation) He kiss me.
Man (overlap with the interruption of that someone) Why Why quit drinking
Woman Why quit
Someone (Interrupts) Why
Woman Because it is too bad to... for hearts.
In the above transcription, the perfect example of violating the rules of the turn taking process in the communication model has occurred. First, there is no proper turn taking in the conversation as the participants committed overlapping in most of the conversations. As seen in line 3 and 4, the woman did not give the man the chance to speak in response to her message. The woman quickly grabbed the turn to correct her mistake in her first response to the question of the man. The man is asking if the womans husband is smoking. The woman first answered yes but changed it and snatched the turn to the man to speak. This is against the rule of turn taking in the conversation.
A good communication should have a good way of turn taking so that the communication will become clear and efficient (Tannen 1993 as cited in Mayers 2008). Nevertheless, since the woman grabbed the turn of the man, there was no turn taking that took place in the communication model. In addition, in reference to line 6, someone interrupted the exchanging of messages in the conversation. This is again against the rule of the turn taking model. That someone has no right in the turn as such what she said was not relevant to the topic being discussed in the conversation.
Likewise, it is not ethical to talk or give comment to the conversation of the other people in which she does belong in the topic of the conversation. This clearly violate the rules of the turn taking about the cultural and personal background of the participants. On the same manner, based on the voice recorded on the tape, that someone who interrupted in the conversation should not talk as such the dialogue was intended only for the speaker and the receiver. The question is directly addressed to the woman.
Moreover, in lines 3 and 4, the conversation became noisy because of the improper turn taking. The woman just talked without even considering that the man was not yet finished on his turn. This shows that turn taking is indeed important in a clear and organized communication. In this line also, the woman, who is the subject of analysis, committed errors in phonological and syntactical aspects of the language as reflected when she pronounced the word quit and used an incomplete sentence.
In lines 8, 9 and 10, a dilemma was also experienced with regards to the turn taking of the participants of the dialogue as well as with the pronunciation of the subject with some words. Likewise, another intruder took the turn by saying why while the man is asking the woman about her husband. This somehow caused delay on the response of the woman as such she was disturbed by the unnecessary interference. This resulted to the delay on the process of exchanging ideas or messages in the communication model.
Sample 4
1. Mother 1 Hi Ive learned from my son that your son is smoking.
2. Mother 2 Your son is smoking
3. Mother 3 My son is smoking I cant believe that
In the above conversation, it can be clearly seen the difference of the contexts or meanings of a sentence based on the speech act that the speaker will commit. The first sentence from mother 1 is merely giving a statement. This means that the context of the sentence can be merely associated to asserting, giving facts or giving statement. The second sentence, on the other hand, is asking question. Though the second sentence has the same structure as of the first one, they have different context because of the different speech act of the respective speakers. The third sentence, furthermore, is relatively different with the first two sentences although they have somehow the same structure because the third one is implicating string emotion. This is actually the response of Mother 3 to the statement of Mother 1. This implies strong emotion as the mother of the son who is learned by another mother to be smoking while in the school.
Recommendations and Conclusion Based on the Linguistics Approach
It is indeed that speech act and turn taking management are essential tools of the successful communication model. The participants of the conversation should always consider that good speech act and turn taking process result to good communication model. This helps the conversation to become smooth and clear on both part of the speaker and the receiver. More so, in turn taking, there are also considerations that we need to put into account such as the age, sex differences, cultural and personal background. These are not to be taken for granted whenever we are going to take turns in the conversations or dialogues.
In addition, in order to maintain proper speech act and turn taking management in a conversation, based on the analysis of the recorded conversation., people should consider the following
Ability to know how to bring up initial topics. When the speaker has the ability to create and initiate initial topic for the conversation, there would be no gaps and barriers in the exchanges of lines or dialogues. This means that there would be successful communication model if the participants of the communication have the ability to initiate topic that will be discussed in the conversation.
Good skill in developing topic in conversation. Usually, the reason of barriers and gaps in the conversation is the lack of the ability to think of the topic that will be talked about in the conversation. If the participants in the conversation have spontaneity in the thinking of possible topics for the dialogues in the conversation or communication, there will be no gaps. Likewise, there will be no problem also in the TRP because all the participants will have the clue on to when they will grab their turn in the communication process.
Ability on proper switching of topics in a conversation. Proper timing in the switching of new topic in the conversation will make the flow of the communication smooth and logical. If one of the participants will insert new topic within the conversation in a wrong timing, there will be chance that barriers will interfere the smooth flow of the conversation. Likewise, the TRP of the turn taking management will also be affected as such the participants will have confusion on their turn in the conversation due to the new topic.
Proper knowledge on bringing a new topic as an extension of the previous one. This has something to do with the consistency and coherence of the flow of the topic in the communication model. Just like writing, conversation should also be coherent and consistent to attain successful exchanging of meanings and dialogues. This will be attained if the participants of the conversation are able to connect all the topics successfully.
Proper opening and closing of the conversation. This aspect has something to do with both speech act and turn taking management. Proper opening in the conversation like greetings can make a big difference in the successful conversation. The same holds true with the closing remarks in the conversation. This will be realized only if there is also proper turn taking in the participants of the conversation.
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