Conversation Analysis: (Second Language Acquisition Research Series)

This work reviews recent research on the role of interaction in second language acquisition (SLA) studies. It argues that an ethnomethodological approach to conversation analysis can provide valuable conceptual and methodological insights into how mundane conversation and institutional varieties of talk may potentially function as resources for SLA. More specifically, the book is divided into three parts. In part 1, the author begins by defining key terms and providing an overview of current issues in SLA. He then develops a rationale for the need to reconceptualize our understanding of the processes of SLA as a set of conversational practices that are grounded in the behaviours that participants display to each other (and therefore also to analysts) as they engage in talk-in-interaction. In part 2, the author builds on this rationale by discussing the three constituent elements of interactional competence: the sequential organization of talk, turn-taking and repair in different speech exchange systems. Finally, in part 3, the author applies the methodology of CA to analyze two similar sets of empirical data to show how this methodology may be used to demonstrate both successful and unsuccessful attempts at language learning, at least in the short term.

Table of Contents:

Contents: Foreword. Part I: Issues and Definitions. Overview of SLA Studies. Conversation Analysis: A Resource for Reconceptualizing SLA Studies. Doing Conversation Analysis: Practical Issues in Recording, Transcribing, and Analyzing Data. Part II: Locating Interactional Competence. Sequential Organization in Different Speech Exchange Systems. Turn-Taking in Different Speech Exchange Systems. Repair in Different Speech Exchange Systems. Part III: Demonstrating Conversation Analysis. "Coral": A Case of Comprehended Input That Leads to Understanding and Learning. "We Cannot Get by Auschwitz": A Case of "Comprehended" Input That Does Not Lead to Understanding and Learning. Appendices: Transcription Conventions. "Coral" Collection. "We Cannot Get by Auschwitz" Collection.

"The book is written in a clear, interesting, yet challenging style....It would be of most use to the experienced teacher or upper-level research student interested in how conversation analysis can be used to analyze language learning in the classroom."
—TESL-EJ

"...Conversation Analysis is a groundbreaking attempt. Markee has made the case that CA is capable of providing insights into language-learning processes. The inclusion of CA as an SLA methodology will no doubt broaden the horizon of language acquisition research....Markee has indeed made an important contribution to both CA and SLA."
—Language in Society

"Markee's argument for including CA methodology in SLA research is persuasive."
—Cambridge University Press

"Conversation Analysis has opened up a new frontier for both Conversation Analysis (CA) and second-language acquisition (SLA). It is a gutsy and timely book. As a first endeavor of its kind, it ventures to apply an increasingly popular discourse analytic methodology to a field whose research has traditionally been governed by experimental paradigms. It also strikes an impressive balance between theoretical considerations and empirical analyses. The book begins with purely theoretical discussions on the larger issues that govern the two fields, then moves on to incorporate empirical data in illustrating the possibility of connecting them. The theory-to-practice continuum is completed by applying CA to two SLA-related collections of data. In a remarkable way, the author manages to become fully engaged in micro-analytic procedures without for a moment losing sight of the larger pictures that motivated these procedures."
—Language in Society

"...the book is well written and accomplishes its goal of illustrating how conversation analysis can be used as a methodological resource for SLA studies. This book is recommended for those interested in conducting research into how language is spoken and how learners learn from speaking language. It is especially useful for language teachers who want to explore issues related to teaching approaches that rely on small-group interaction."
—Modern Language Journal