Article Title：Past troubles-talk in nonnative-native interviews
Abstract：
This study examines the telling of past troubles in three institutionally oriented interactions involving normative speakers of English of various Asian backgrounds and Australian native speakers. The analysis, based on conversation analysis, indicates that the telling of past troubles may arise unexpectedly in the course of an interaction, and that their telling is a negotiated event. Talking about past troubles occurred while the normative speakers were interviewing Australian native speakers who in relating their life story happened to reveal some past afflictions. These interviews were part of an assignment for an English as a second language class. The talk about troublesome past events may develop into past troubles-talk or may be conducted as story-telling depending on the participants' orientation to the activity. In effect, past-troubles talk is a collaborative accomplishment and participants may shift their orientation during the talk. Past troubles-talk is somewhat distinct from current troubles-talk, which has received more attention in the Conversation Analysis literature. Talk about past troubles may involve talking about delicate matters, which may pose further interactional difficulties when the recipient is a learner of English, which is the case in this study. This study examines the resources employed by the normative speakers when dealing with such talk and how this talk is co-constructed. This study contributes towards a better understanding of how learners of English interact in a setting outside the classroom. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: conversation analysis; native-normative interaction; cross-cultural communication; past troubles-talk; institutional talk; interview
DOI: 10.1016/S0378-2166(02)00126-1
Source：JOURNAL OF PRAGMATICS
Welcome to correct the error, please contact email: humanisticspider@gmail.com
