In this study, we examined interactions in evaluation meetings to reveal the procedures involved in closing talk-in-interaction in institutional settings. Based on previous research on closing ordinary conversations, we observed the last section of evaluation meetings and identified the characteristic construction used to negotiate whether or not the meeting should be ended.
There were two contrasting types: The first was a method in which the chairperson would ask the other participants explicitly whether they have anything to say or not, whereas the second type of closing meetings presents no opportunity for such negotiation at all. Although we can close meetings using the latter technique, it is reasonable to state that the organization of the closing of an interaction is evident not only just before the closing but also in the earlier part of the session.
We identified the following resources used in organizing the closing of a meeting for the earlier part: (1) cues to structuralizing talk, namely, resources that indicate the phase of the utterance produced, such as “Do you have any other comment?” as well as discourse markers, silence, and expressions about the topic mentioned; and (2) the structure of the meeting, that is, the information about the meeting agenda as expected by the participants. By using these resources, participants can understand the position of the utterances produced in the interaction in real time; as a result, the participants can realize that the meeting would end.
制度的場面における会話の終結に関する一考察 : 実習反省会の観察から
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概要
