Conversation Analysis (Second Language Acquisition Research Series)

Conversation analysis is a methodology that originated over three decades ago as a sociolinguistic approach but has since been adopted by scholars in a variety of other areas, including applied linguistics and communication. It is of great utility in second language acquisition research for its demonstrations of how micro-moments of socially distributed cognition instantiated in conversational behavior contribute to observable changes in the participants' states of knowing and using a new language. This volume describes the methodology in detail, discusses its relevance for current theories of SLA, and uses two extended examples of conversational analysis to show how learners succeed or fail at the job of learning the meaning of a word or phrase in conversational context. This book is one of several in LEA's Second Language Acquisition Research Series dealing with specific data collection methods or instruments. Each of these monographs addresses the kinds of research questions for which the method/instrument is best suited, its underlying assumptions, a characterization of the method/instrument and extended description of its use and problems associated with its use. For more information about these volumes, please visit LEA's Web site at (http://www.erlbaum.com) www.erlbaum.com This book is an introduction to the ethnomethodological approach to conversation analysis (CA) for second language acquisition (SLA) specialists. It reviews recent research on the role of interaction in second language acquisition (SLA) studies and argues that an ethnomethodological approach to conversation analysis can provide valuable conceptual and methodological insights into how mundane conversation and institutional varieties of talk may potentially function as resources for SLA. Conversation Analysis is divided into three parts: Part I begins by defining key terms and providing an overview of current issues in SLA and develops a rationale for the need to reconceptualize our understanding of the processes of SLA as a set of conversational practices that are grounded in the behaviors that participants display to each other (and therefore also to analysts) as they engage in talk-in-interaction. Part II builds on this rationale by discussing the three constituent elements of interactional competence: the sequential organization of talk, turn-taking and repair in different speech exchange systems. Finally, Part III applies the methodology of CA to analyze two similar sets of empirical data to show how this methodology may be used to demonstrate both successful and unsuccessful attempts at language learning, at least in the short term. Conversation analysis is a methodology that originated over three decades ago as a sociolinguistic approach but has since been adopted by scholars in a variety of other areas, including applied linguistics and communication. It is of great utility in second language acquisition research for its demonstrations of how micro-moments of socially distributed cognition instantiated in conversational behavior contribute to observable changes in the participants' states of knowing and using a new language. This volume describes the methodology in detail, discusses its relevance for current theories of SLA, and uses two extended examples of conversational analysis to show how learners succeed or fail at the job of learning the meaning of a word or phrase in conversational context.

This book is one of several in LEA's Second Language Acquisition Research Series dealing with specific data collection methods or instruments. Each of these monographs addresses the kinds of research questions for which the method/instrument is best suited, its underlying assumptions, a characterization of the method/instrument and extended description of its use and problems associated with its use. For more information about these volumes, please visit LEA's Web site at erlbaum.com
Content: Contents: Foreword. Part I: Issues and Definitions. Overview of SLA Studies. Conversation Analysis: A Resource for Reconceptualizing SLA Studies. Doing Conversation Analysis: Practical Issues in Recording, Transcribing, and Analyzing Data. Part II: Locating Interactional Competence. Sequential Organization in Different Speech Exchange Systems. Turn-Taking in Different Speech Exchange Systems. Repair in Different Speech Exchange Systems. Part III: Demonstrating Conversation Analysis. "Coral": A Case of Comprehended Input That Leads to Understanding and Learning. "We Cannot Get by Auschwitz": A Case of "Comprehended" Input That Does Not Lead to Understanding and Learning. Appendices: Transcription Conventions. "Coral" Collection. "We Cannot Get by Auschwitz" Collection. 1. Overview Of Sla Studies -- 2. Conversation Analysis: A Resource For Reconceptualizing Sla Studies -- 3. Doing Conversation Analysis: Practical Issues In Recording, Transcribing And Analyzing Data -- 4. Sequential Organization In Different Speech Exchange Systems -- 5. Turn-taking In Different Speech Exchange Systems -- 7. Coral: A Case Of Comprehended Input That Leads To Understanding And Learning -- 8. We Cannot Get By Auschwitz: A Case Of Comprehended Input That Does Not Lead To Understanding And Learning -- Appendices A-c -- References -- Author Index -- Subject Index. Numa Markee. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 183-202) And Indexes. This book presents the method of conversation analysis with special attention to its usefulness in second-language research. Focus is on designs for appropriate use and interpretation. For theoretical and applied linguists.