Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 December 2014
For the last decade, conversation analysis (CA) has increasingly contributed toseveral established fields in applied linguistics. In this article, we willdiscuss its methodological contributions. The article distinguishes betweenbasic and applied CA. Basic CA is a sociological endeavor concerned withunderstanding fundamental issues of talk in action and of intersubjectivity inhuman conduct. The field has expanded its scope from the analysis oftalk—often phone calls—towards an integration of languagewith other semiotic resources for embodied action, including space and objects.Much of this expansion has been driven by applied work.
After laying out CA's standard practices of data treatment andanalysis, this article takes up the role of comparison as a fundamentalanalytical strategy and reviews recent developments into cross-linguistic andcross-cultural directions. The remaining article focuses on applied CA, theapplication of basic CA's principles, methods, and findings to thestudy of social domains and practices that are interactionally constituted. Weconsider three strands—foundational, social problem oriented, andinstitutional applied CA—before turning to recent developments in CAresearch on learning and development. In conclusion, we address some emergingthemes in the relationship of CA and applied linguistics, including the role ofmultilingualism, standard social science methods as research objects,CA's potential for direct social intervention, and increasing effortsto complement CA with quantitative analysis.
Antaki, C. (Ed.). (2011). Applied conversation analysis. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
This book documents recent developments in the application of CA to intervention in health and social services and other institutional activities.
Heritage, J. (2012a). Epistemics in action: Action formation and territories of knowledge. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 45, 1–29.
Heritage, J. (2012b). The epistemic engine: Sequence organization and territories of knowledge. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 45, 30–52.
Heritage's two companion articles brought social epistemics to the forefront in the study of language and social interaction.
Markee, N., & Kunitz, S. (2013). Doing planning and task performance in second language acquisition: An ethnomethodological respecification. Language Learning, 63, 629–664.
This article is a good example of CA's critical tradition to challenge established concepts. It reexamines task planning as embodied, socially shared activity.
Schegloff, E. A. (1996). Confirming allusions: Toward an empirical account of action. American Journal of Sociology, 102, 161–216.
This is a key article demonstrating CA's methodology and contribution to a theory of action.
Sidnell, J. (Ed.). (2009). Conversation analysis: Comparative perspectives. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
This book presents comparative studies demonstrating language-specific solutions to generic interactional problems.