Page 75 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol. 4(1) (2016)
P. 75
ia universitatising system. The confirmation of the universal later paper she tries to distance herself from such
turn-taking hypothesis leaves us with two prob- generalizations and labelling). She talks about
cross-influencebetweenlanguageandculture:pausestructureasproofofculturaldifference... 75 lems. How come there are still quite different pauses and overlaps as a part of different conver-
perceptions of turn-taking variations in differ- sational styles, which are learned growing up, as
ent languages and cultures? Is it possible that one learns to talk. According to her our styles are
the reasons for these variations can be found in influenced by the social groupings that determi-
visual signs and other types of non verbal behav- ne whom we hear and talk to growing up – all
iour that always accompany conversation? If that the ethnic, regional, and class distinctions that
is the case, is it possible that more gestures and have so many reverberations in society.15There
body talk result in more overlapping and that are two problems to be considered: personal con-
there are longer pauses in cultures with less body versational style and different ethnic and religi-
talk? ous background.
Turn-taking differences within the same Conversational style is usually perceived
language through different manners of a person’s language
To distance ourselves from different culture-lan- use that depends on different sociolinguistic el-
guage-nation similarities or variations we first ements (informal or formal speech, close friends
have to look into the studies that have been done or unknown person, age of the listener, topic of
on turn-taking in the same language. In socio- conversation, involvement, personal style). But
linguistics the best examples of such studies are it is always ascribed to one person only. Can we
presented by Tannen9 who compared East Euro- define different groups of speakers in the same
pean Jewish speakers from New York and Chris- way? The second problem is the ethnic and re-
tians from California. Zimmerman and West10 ligious background that the author is underlin-
(1983, 1975), Eakins and Eakins (1976),11 Esposi- ing in defining the cultural variation of the same
to (1979)12describe different performance styles language speaking community without consid-
in the same language speaking communities ba- ering different region-town provenience. This el-
sed on gender, while Lein and Brenneis13 and ement automatically assumes different historical
Kochman14 base their studies on different eth- and traditional backgrounds, which emphasizes
nic backgrounds (black and white English spe- the cultural influence on their difference in over-
akers). Tannen described the first group as spea- lapping or pausing. However, the historical and
kers with high-involvement style and the second traditional backgrounds should be the same for
as high-considerateness style (even though in her our study. And finally, unlike Tannen’s study,16
we are not interested in finding out if speakers
9 Tannen, “Interpreting Interruption in Conversation,” 267-287. with longer pauses are seen as slow, or if speakers
10 Candace West and Don H. Zimmerman, “Gender, language, and with more overlaps are perceived as more dom-
inant, aggressive or with “no manners”. There-
discourse,” Handbook of discourse analysis, 4 (1985):103-124; Can- fore, we will not be looking at interruptions (as
dace West and Don H. Zimmerman, “Sex roles, interruptions and negative overlaps) or pauses (as perfectly timed
silences in conversation,” in Language and Sex: Difference and do- conversation). Primarily, our aim is to find out
minance, eds. B. Thorne and N. Henley (Newbury House: Rowley, whether there are differences in these two re-
Mass, 1975). gions, and, if there are, what has caused them
11 Barbara Eakins and Gene Eakins, “Verbal Turn-Taking and notwithstanding their similar traditional and
Exchanges in Faculty Dialogue,” in The Sociology of the Langua- historical backgrounds.
ges of American Women, eds. Betty Lou Dubois and Isabel Crou-
ch (San Antonio, TX: Trinity University Press, 1976), 53-62. 15 Tannen, “Interpreting Interruption in Conversation,” 276-277.
12 Anita Esposito, “Sex differences in children conversation,” Langua- 16 Tannen, “Interpreting Interruption in Conversation,” 276-277.
ge and Speech 22 (1979), 213-220.
13 Laura Lein and Donald Brenneis, »Children’s Disputes in Three
Speech Communities,« Language in Society 7(3) (1978): 299–323.
14 Thomas Kochman, Black and White styles in conflict (Chicago:
University of Chicago press, 1981).
turn-taking hypothesis leaves us with two prob- generalizations and labelling). She talks about
cross-influencebetweenlanguageandculture:pausestructureasproofofculturaldifference... 75 lems. How come there are still quite different pauses and overlaps as a part of different conver-
perceptions of turn-taking variations in differ- sational styles, which are learned growing up, as
ent languages and cultures? Is it possible that one learns to talk. According to her our styles are
the reasons for these variations can be found in influenced by the social groupings that determi-
visual signs and other types of non verbal behav- ne whom we hear and talk to growing up – all
iour that always accompany conversation? If that the ethnic, regional, and class distinctions that
is the case, is it possible that more gestures and have so many reverberations in society.15There
body talk result in more overlapping and that are two problems to be considered: personal con-
there are longer pauses in cultures with less body versational style and different ethnic and religi-
talk? ous background.
Turn-taking differences within the same Conversational style is usually perceived
language through different manners of a person’s language
To distance ourselves from different culture-lan- use that depends on different sociolinguistic el-
guage-nation similarities or variations we first ements (informal or formal speech, close friends
have to look into the studies that have been done or unknown person, age of the listener, topic of
on turn-taking in the same language. In socio- conversation, involvement, personal style). But
linguistics the best examples of such studies are it is always ascribed to one person only. Can we
presented by Tannen9 who compared East Euro- define different groups of speakers in the same
pean Jewish speakers from New York and Chris- way? The second problem is the ethnic and re-
tians from California. Zimmerman and West10 ligious background that the author is underlin-
(1983, 1975), Eakins and Eakins (1976),11 Esposi- ing in defining the cultural variation of the same
to (1979)12describe different performance styles language speaking community without consid-
in the same language speaking communities ba- ering different region-town provenience. This el-
sed on gender, while Lein and Brenneis13 and ement automatically assumes different historical
Kochman14 base their studies on different eth- and traditional backgrounds, which emphasizes
nic backgrounds (black and white English spe- the cultural influence on their difference in over-
akers). Tannen described the first group as spea- lapping or pausing. However, the historical and
kers with high-involvement style and the second traditional backgrounds should be the same for
as high-considerateness style (even though in her our study. And finally, unlike Tannen’s study,16
we are not interested in finding out if speakers
9 Tannen, “Interpreting Interruption in Conversation,” 267-287. with longer pauses are seen as slow, or if speakers
10 Candace West and Don H. Zimmerman, “Gender, language, and with more overlaps are perceived as more dom-
inant, aggressive or with “no manners”. There-
discourse,” Handbook of discourse analysis, 4 (1985):103-124; Can- fore, we will not be looking at interruptions (as
dace West and Don H. Zimmerman, “Sex roles, interruptions and negative overlaps) or pauses (as perfectly timed
silences in conversation,” in Language and Sex: Difference and do- conversation). Primarily, our aim is to find out
minance, eds. B. Thorne and N. Henley (Newbury House: Rowley, whether there are differences in these two re-
Mass, 1975). gions, and, if there are, what has caused them
11 Barbara Eakins and Gene Eakins, “Verbal Turn-Taking and notwithstanding their similar traditional and
Exchanges in Faculty Dialogue,” in The Sociology of the Langua- historical backgrounds.
ges of American Women, eds. Betty Lou Dubois and Isabel Crou-
ch (San Antonio, TX: Trinity University Press, 1976), 53-62. 15 Tannen, “Interpreting Interruption in Conversation,” 276-277.
12 Anita Esposito, “Sex differences in children conversation,” Langua- 16 Tannen, “Interpreting Interruption in Conversation,” 276-277.
ge and Speech 22 (1979), 213-220.
13 Laura Lein and Donald Brenneis, »Children’s Disputes in Three
Speech Communities,« Language in Society 7(3) (1978): 299–323.
14 Thomas Kochman, Black and White styles in conflict (Chicago:
University of Chicago press, 1981).
