Turn-Taking In Ndebele: An Application Of Conversation Analysis

Abstract

This paper will demonstrate the extent to which conversation analysis, especially turn taking applies in Ndebele. The paper will first test whether conversation analysis is a method or theory. It however, has largely been viewed as a method of analysing linguistic recordings. On the other hand, it has been viewed as an alternative to Grice’s notion of maxims. The paper will, therefore, test whether it is a theory or method. The paper will then test the universal applicability of this method/theory. Tape recording was done to get speech samples. Using extracts of these recordings, the essay will then analyse turn-taking especially the role played by overlaps and silence in Ndebele discourse. The paper will concentrate on the properties of turn-taking called local management, party-administering and interactional control, that is, on the degree of freedom in allocating turns. It is our hypothesis that these properties of turn taking are not applicable in Ndebele. This is because we will argue in this paper that turn taking in Ndebele is largely predetermined in terms of age and social position.