Conversation Analysis

Abstract

Conversation analysis (CA) is an approach to social research that investigates the sequential organisation of talk as a way of accessing participants’ understandings of, and collaborative means of organising, natural forms of social interaction. As a method, it has been widely applied not just to the analysis of conversation but to numerous other forms of interaction. A distinctive methodological feature is that CA gathers its data of naturally occurring interactions as they unfold in real time using video- or audio-recording technology. This entry introduces the intellectual foundations and basic principles of CA, discusses its approach to understanding turn-taking systems, outlines its approach to data collection and transcription, illustrates its analytical procedures, and discusses the application of CA to institutional interaction and other sociological topics.

locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles