Author ORCID Identifier
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
Recommended Citation
Pillet-Shore, Danielle. (2024). ‘Routines’ and ‘Formulaic Language’ in Conversation Analysis. Chapter 10 in Matthew Burdelski & Timothy Greer (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Conversation Analysis.
Included in
Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons, Social Psychology and Interaction Commons
Comments
This is a preprint of a book chapter published by Routledge in The Routledge Handbook of Conversation Analysis in 2024.