Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4757-4082

Abstract

Though the field of conversation analysis (CA) was founded upon examinations of interactional “routines” such as conversation openings and closings, conceptualizing and categorizing communicative phenomena as “formulaic” is anathema to CA. This chapter details how, since its inception, CA work has empirically elucidated how participants to recorded episodes of naturally occurring social interaction actively and collaboratively accomplish conversational activities as ‘routine’ or not by selecting from available action alternatives, spontaneously coordinating their selections vis-à-vis one another. Taking a multimodal CA approach, this chapter reviews state-of-the art literature on how people open and close in-person and telephone conversations, showing the immense importance of conversational ‘routines’—including greeting another person, introducing oneself to someone new, and saying goodbye. Presenting evidence that people tailor their social actions to/for one another in meaningful, creative and nuanced ways, this chapter illuminates how these phenomena sustain our human sense of self and our social relationships.

Date Created

11-01-2024

Department

Communication

Publication Date

2024

Document Type

Book Chapter

Comments

This is a preprint of a book chapter published by Routledge in The Routledge Handbook of Conversation Analysis in 2024.

Available for download on Sunday, November 01, 2026

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