VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FALCUTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ------------o0o------------- ĐINH THỊ THANH HUYỀN A STUDY OF PREFERRED AND DISPREFERRED SECOND TURNS USED IN THE FIRST EPISODE OF THE FILM “DOWNTON ABBEY” (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CÂU ĐÁP ƯU TIÊN VÀ KHÔNG ƯU TIÊN TRONG TẬP 1 PHIM “DOWNTON ABBEY”) Major: English Linguistics Code: 60220201 Training Program: Type 1 Supervisor: Assoc. Nguyễn Văn Trào, PhD HANOI – 2016 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I hereby declare that this thesis, entitled, “A study of preferred and dispreferred second turns used in the first episode of the film “Downton Abbey” and the work presented in it is my own and has been generated by me as the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of Arts in English Linguistics at University of Languagues and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. I confirm that when I quoted from the work of others, the source was always given and no part of this work has been published before submission. Signature: Date: LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During the period of completing this research, I have received great assistance and support from many people.
First and foremost, I owe my deepest debt of gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc. Nguyen Van Trao, PhD who has always encouraged me to pursue this study and been willing to give me clear and sighted guidance as well as valuable suggestions and corrections in the completion of this research. Second, I wish to thank all of the lecturers, professors and doctors teaching at the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies of ULIS for their lessons and support during my MA course. I would also like to express my warmest thanks to my parents, my beloved sister, and my friend Ngo Thanh Huyen for their love, support and caring.
Finally, I am also grateful to all the authors whose books, newspapers and works have been referred to in this thesis. The research paper could not have been fulfilled without them. Hanoi, October, 2016 Dinh Thi Thanh Huyen LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT This study is carried out in an attempt to investigate the general patterns of preferred and dispreferred second turns as well as the common linguistic features indicating them in the first episode of the film Downton Abbey based on the theoretical frameworks of conversation analysis and preference structure. The database comprises 108 conversations, in which 13 contain preferred second responses and 95 consist of dispreferreds.
Both quantitative and qualitative methods have been employed to seek answers to the research question. The findings reported in the study can be summarized as follows. Firstly, the mere four patterns of preferred seconds, namely assessment – agreement, invitation – acceptance, proposal – agreement and request – acceptance, can be found in the movie and the assessment – agreement pattern is the most common one. Also, there are four linguistic elements signaling the preferreds, among which „saying „Yes‟ as answer‟ ranks the most.
Next is the appearance of all the five patterns, respectively assessment – disagreement, invitation – refusal, offer – decline, proposal – disagreement and request – refusal, in the examined dialogues including dispreferred second turns. The „delay/hesitate‟ feature is the most widely used one. Additionally, the data analysis figures out that there is a combination of using several linguistic units to indicate dispreferred second responses and some certain elements express the same- class lines. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION.
iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv LIST OF TABLES & FIGURES. vii ABBREVIATIONS & CONVENTIONS. viii PART 1 – INTRODUCTION.
Rationale of the study. Aims of the study. Significance of the study. Scope of the study.
Design of the study. 5 CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND. 6 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. General patterns of preference structure.
Preferred second turns. Dispreferred second turns. Preferred and dispreferred second turn in Episode 1of the film Downton Abbey. Related prior works.
16 CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY. Findings and Discussion. Overview of Preferreds and Dispreferreds. General patterns of Preferreds.
Common linguistic features indicating Preferreds. General patterns of Dispreferreds. Common linguistic features indicating Dispreferreds. Common linguistic features.
26 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. The ways six common linguistic features are used. General patterns of preferreds. Linguistic features associated with preferreds.
General patterns of dispreferreds. Linguistic features associated with dispreferreds. Limitations of the study. Implications for language teaching and learning.
Suggestions for further studies. xv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES & FIGURES page Table 1 – Correlation of content and format in adjacency pairs seconds 11 Table 2 – The general patterns of preferred and dispreferred structures 11 Table 3 – Linguistic patterns signaling dispreferred second turns 14 Figure 1: Percentage of frequency distribution 20 Figure 2: General patterns of preferred second turns 21 Figure 3: Linguistic features indicating preferred second turns 22 Figure 4: General patterns of dispreferred second turns 25 Figure 5: Linguistic features indicating dispreferred second turns 26 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABBREVIATIONS & CONVENTIONS SA Speech Act H Hearer S Speaker CA Conversation analysis Q Question A Answer EOG Earl of Grantham COG Countess of Grantham DCOG Dowager Countess of Grantham DOC Duke of Crowborough & And (.) pause in talk less than tenths of a second LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART 1 – INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale of the study Downton Abbey is a period drama television series set and filmed in Britain and created and principally written by Julian Fellowes. The series is set during the post- Edwardian era (after Edward VII's death) and depicts how major historical events such as the sinking of the Royal Mail Ship Titanic, the First World War and the Spanish influenza pandemic affect the fictional estate of Downton Abbey in Yorkshire.
Six series have been made so far, in which the 6th one has recently been confirmed to be the final. The first series of the seven episodes in Series 1 was broadcast in the UK in 2010, exploring the lives of the Crawley family and their servants from the day after the sinking of the RMS Titanic in April 1912 to the outbreak of the First World War on 4th August 1914. The focus of the discussion is the first episode of Series One of the film Downton Abbey because it is the commencement of all events and shows the main features of the characters, notably their social status, attitude and personalities through conversations with others. However, from a functional approach to analyze this work, little research based on pragmatic knowledge has been carried out.
Therefore, this study is intended to find out how Conversation Analysis (CA) can be applied to conversations in movies or drama to inform audiences‟ understanding of the interpersonal dynamics between characters through an investigation into a small aspect of CA – common patterns of preferred and dispreferred second turns and linguistic units used to signal them. In short, the self-interest in the film series Downton Abbey, especially the first season, and the lack of attention to the link between English film works and preference LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com structure are the stimulation for the author to do the study of “Preferred and Dispreferred Second Turns Used in the first episode of the film “Downton Abbey”. Research Questions The research seeks the answer to the following questions: 1. What are the general patterns of preferred structures and the common linguistic features indicating them in the first episode of the film “Downton Abbey”? 2.
What are the general patterns of dispreferred structures and the common linguistic features indicating them in the first episode of the film “Downton Abbey”? 3. Aims of the study This study aims to: (1) supply readers with basic understanding of speech acts, conversation analysis, adjacency pairs, and preference structure; (2) explore the general patterns of preferred and dispreferred second turns structure used in the first episode of the film Downton Abbey; (3) investigate the linguistic features signaling preferred and dispreferred replies in the episode; (4) provide film critics with practical knowledge of conversations comprising preferred and dispreferred second-turn questions. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Significance of the study This conversational analysis of preferred and dispreferred second turns contributes in two main aspects; both theoretically and practically.
Theoretically, the paper expands the scopes of preference structure research employing the language spoken at the end of the Edwardian era in 1912. Moreover, practically, this study might contribute in education fields; especially for English language teachers and learners who exploit films as a means of acquiring knowledge of English language and pragmatics; also in film industry for critics and conversational analyst to create profound reviews on analyzing lines as well as turn-taking practices. Therefore, with its assistance, readers could comprehend speech acts, conversation analysis, adjacency pairs, preference structure, preferreds and dispreferreds, together with their general patterns and the linguistics segments indicating them. Additionally, it may serve as the reference and suggestion for possible further studies regarding the analytical comparison on this aspect of pragmatics among different kinds of films by researchers of related fields.
Scope of the study Owing to time limitation and within the framework of a minor thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in English Linguistics, the primary concentration of this study will merely be an investigation into the small aspects of preference structure: the common patterns of preferred and dispreferred second turns and the frequently exploited linguistic characteristics to state them in the first episode of the film Downton Abbey. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Design This study is presented into three parts in which part is divided into chapters that elaborate the investigated issues. Part 1, Introduction, states the rationale, objectives, research question, scope, and significance of the study.
Part 2, Development, comprises two chapters. Chapter 1 – Theoretical background indicates the relevant theories for the work. Chapter 2 – The Study covers the context and methodology of the study, as well as presents and discusses the findings that arise from the data collected. Part 3, Conclusion, summarizes major points of the investigation, and provides implications for teaching and learning English and pragmatics.
This part will also figure out some limitations of the research and make suggestions for further studies. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART 2 – DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1. Film Film (usually North American English movie) is a series of moving pictures recorded with sound that tells a story, shown on television or at the cinema/movie theater. (Free Online Dictionary, Oxford Learner‟s Dictionary) Film, known as “the Seventh Art” (given by Ricciotto Canudo), shows the interaction and communication between characters in form of conversations representing the reality of daily life.
Movies are not only the source of entertainment, documents of their time and place but perfect wholes of dialogues that can be observed and analyzed. These dialogues are analyzed is to “describe, analyze, and understand talk as a basic and a constitutive feature of human social life” (Sidnell, 2009). The sentiment, attitude and personalities of each character would be vividly revealed through actions, lines of dialogue, and even silence. Definition The speech act theory has long been one of the widest interests among linguists and philosophers.
For instance, Yule (1996) stated that speech acts are “actions performed via utterances” (p.16) or according to Kent Bach, "almost any speech act is really the performance of several acts at once, distinguished by different aspects of the speaker's intention." LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.