Volume 30, Issue 3

Using conversation analytic methodology, this paper investigates one function of the discourse marker so in everyday German conversations. In particular, the paper describes how speakers of German use so to manage sequences of actions (both verbal and embodied actions). With the production of so , speakers indicate that they view the prior action as complete and that they are ready for the next action. Specifically, so is placed between two types of actions where the second action can be considered a “logical next phase” in the overall design of the activity. The article contrasts German so with other types of sequence closings in German and other languages. The findings of this paper contribute to our understanding of how co-participants structure and coordinate their own conduct, and how sequences and turns are designed. Moreover, it speaks to the various functions of different discourse markers in interaction and raises questions of cultural specificity and translatability.

In this article we make use of the methodology of corpus linguistics to organize and search the several millions of words contained in the published speeches of Tun Dr. Mahathir as prime minister. Our corpus consists of over 2.5 million words of speeches, roughly half in English and half in Malay, with over 900 English speeches and over 800 Malay speeches. This study concentrates on the Malay speeches, and follows up previous work on Dr. Mahathir's English speeches. The approach is entirely data driven. Instead of making a subjective choice of words to investigate, we begin by identifying key words. We then use the ranked list of key words to investigate the immediate context in which those words occur. By concentrating on key words connected to Malaysian identity, we obtain a remarkable insight into how that identity is presented by Dr. Mahathir.

In this study we examine how suitability for adoptive parenthood is assessed and displayed in interactions between social workers and prospective adoptive parents. In particular, we have analyzed relationship questions that are put to couples with and without an observation from the social worker. The answers are featured as very precise, stressing the positive aspects of the relationship but avoiding sainthood, and accompanied with examples that illustrate the stability of the relationship. We concluded that it is not only “what” couples answer but also “how” they answer that is taken into account in the assessment. That is why “being able to finish off each other's sentences when giving an answer” and “having the ability to reflect on the relationship” is considered to be a protective factor for adoptive parenthood.

Political and parliamentary discourse analysis is a well-established field of research. Such work focuses on the patterns and processes of political discourse and their relation to wider issues and ideologies. In this article, we aim to further understanding of sociopolitical processes by shifting the focus from parliamentary to community discourse about political life. With reference to data from post-devolution Northern Ireland, we examine how political and parliamentary processes are discussed and interpreted at the level of community discourse. Through this approach, we demonstrate: (a) how politics is interpreted differently within different local frames of reference; and (b) how these interpretations are grounded within broader (global) narratives and ideologies of politics. Thus, “lay” interpretations of politics can be seen as finely balanced between local and global concerns.

This article attempts to describe gender-specific gestures typically employed by university-educated Mandarin Chinese speakers in talk-in-interaction. Careful and repeated examination of audio-video data collected from real conversational settings shows that females prefer using hand-shielding-mouth gestures when laughing broadly and hand clapping when excited with joy, while males take to chin-up when indicating a target and index-finger pointing when directing recipients' attention. However, this does not rule out the situation in which females may also use fingers pointing to imply “blame” or “criticism.” Understanding of such gesture differences between males and females in Mandarin-Chinese interaction will help prospective other language speakers to interact more effectively with Mandarin speakers in the intercultural context.