Conversation Analysis

Conversation analysis (CA) is an interdisciplinary field of study that investigates fundamental communication processes that make human interaction possible. CA aims to explicate how people accomplish and understand social actions when interacting with others. A distinctive feature of this empirical approach to the study of communication is its reliance on video and audio recordings of naturally occurring talk-in-interaction. In spite of its name, CA is not limited to the study of “conversation” per se. CA research examines diverse forms of talk and visible conduct in numerous social settings: casual conversations between friends and family members; interactions in courtrooms, classrooms, and medical offices; and news interviews, workplace meetings, calls to emergency services and helplines, and many others. Within the discipline of communication, CA ...

  • Loading...
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