VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES as an NGUYEN ‘THI THUY ENGLISH TELEPHONE RESERVATION CONVERSATION FROM A CONVERSATION ANALYSIS PERSPECTIVE (DAT PHONG QUA DIEN THOAI BANG TIENG ANH TỪ GÓC ĐỘ PHÂN TÍCH HỘI THOẠT) Minor thesis Field: English Linguistics Code: 60 2215 HANOI - 2010 'VIETNAM NATIONAL. PNTVERSITY, HANOT TNIVERSTTY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES ee NGUYEN THI THUY ENGLISH TELEPHONE RESERVATION CONVERSATION FROM A CONVERSATION ANALYSIS PERSPECTIVE (DAT PHONG QUA BIEN THOAT BANG TIENG ANH TU GOC DO PHAN TIiCH HOI THOAD Minor thesis Kicld: English Linguistics Codc: 6Ù 22 15 Supervisor: Prof. Nguyễn Hòa HANOI - 2010 TABLE OF CONTENT OF “ENGLISH TELEPHONE RESERVATION CONVERSATION FROM A CONVERSATION ANALYSIS PERSPECTIVE” Page Retention and use of the papel Acknowledgements Abstract. ‘Table of contents.
List of tables. Objectives and researeh questions of the study 2 3. Scope of the study. Organization of the study 3 PART B: DEVELOPMEN’ Chapter 1: LITERATURE REVIEW.
Definition of Conversation. Convarsation Analysis versus Diseourse Analysis. Direct and indirect speech act 14 Chapter 2: METHODOLOGY .1, Research ques0NS. Dafa colleetiont mefhod.4, Data analysis framework .ecsesesiseenisiesnsitntssimeenentuanieninainnmeenees LT Chapter 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 3.
Vypical procedure of opening a telephone reservation conversation by receptionists 30 3. Speech acts used by hotel receptionists in collecting guest’s information for reservation - - - - 32 3. Ways nssd by holel roceptionisisin closing tclophone rescrvation conversation 35 PART C: CONCLUSION. Suggestions for furthar s REFERENCES.
APPENDIX LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Detailed information included in self-identification by the called Table 2. ntemnational Phonetic Alphabet Table 3. Specified novils of customer 10 In order to reduce the bad feelings of customers and help non-native receptionists of English (refer to as Tonetative 1 tủonisis) achicve better communication resulls, the ways of handling telephone reservation conversations should be observed and studied, Given this need, the questions then become: what are the procedures that receptionists often adopt to make a lelephone reservation conversation? Whal are some teasonable inuptications that would help promote the development of consciousness of telephone skills, and lead to the improvement of interactional or communicative competence for successful reservation conversations? ‘lo work out the answers to the questions above, T decided 10 do an analysis of telophone reservation conversation in the light of conversation analyas.
Objectives and research questions of the study Leamers of a fercign language may find it troublesome to perform a professional conversalion naturally and properly in other tongues. For a smooth reservation, the knowledge of both linguistic rules and the service itself is required. The objectives of this study are to (V) exptore the tescrvation procedures expressed im formal resorvation conversation through telephone between a customer and a receptionist to charactenmze the speech acts performed in the opening, topic talk and closings, (2) discover good ways cmployed and detect common mistakes reflected in conversations, thereafter to (3) help non-native customers and receptionists get a better understanding of reservation conversation and improve [heir communicative competence, To serve the above-mentioned objectives, the research questions come out as how non-native customers and receptionists behave in their reservation conversations with regard to such skills utilized in opening, topic talk and closing parts, Specifically, the following questions will be dealt with: (1) Low do the receptionists often open a reservation conversation through telephone? (2) Whal are significant specch acls im collecting gucsi’s mformation uscd by receptionists? (3) How do the receptionists preferably close a telephone reservation conversation? 12 PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter discusses the theoretical background of the study which explores the following, concepts: ~ Conversation analysis - Basic concepts of Conversation, and + Basic concepls of lelephone reservation conversalion 1.1, Definition of Conversation When discussing conversation from a linguistic perspective, one has fo know how this Lenn is defined in this context. In everyday language use, conversation often is understood as some kind of “civilized art of talk” or “cultured interchange” (Schegloff 1968: 1075).
‘'his is not the understanding Conversation Analysis his of conversation, although this definition - Tike Conversation Analysis - excludes one kind of talk. This excluded kind is the one of organized talk as is to be found in classrooms, churches and many other institutions. (Levinson 1983: 284) Conversation Analysis detines conversation in a different way. Fust of all it is stated to be a “familiar predominant kind of talk in which two or more participants freely alternate in spaaking” (Levinson 1983-282) and the “central or most basic kind of language use” (Levinson 1983;283).
This means, that in a conversation several persons speak in the way we do it ourselves everyday, without a special set of rules according to which ths participants are to act, like in a courtroom, The conversation meant here can be a conversation between old fricnds, a short talk between stiangcrs, a call toa business-partner and so on. We converse in this way almost everyday and more than we do in any other way. Conversation Analysis versus Discourse Analysis ‘Iwo different main methodologies exist for analysing and examining conversation — conversation in general, or (clephone conversation in special — from a linguistic perspective: 12 PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter discusses the theoretical background of the study which explores the following, concepts: ~ Conversation analysis - Basic concepts of Conversation, and + Basic concepls of lelephone reservation conversalion 1.1, Definition of Conversation When discussing conversation from a linguistic perspective, one has fo know how this Lenn is defined in this context. In everyday language use, conversation often is understood as some kind of “civilized art of talk” or “cultured interchange” (Schegloff 1968: 1075).
‘'his is not the understanding Conversation Analysis his of conversation, although this definition - Tike Conversation Analysis - excludes one kind of talk. This excluded kind is the one of organized talk as is to be found in classrooms, churches and many other institutions. (Levinson 1983: 284) Conversation Analysis detines conversation in a different way. Fust of all it is stated to be a “familiar predominant kind of talk in which two or more participants freely alternate in spaaking” (Levinson 1983-282) and the “central or most basic kind of language use” (Levinson 1983;283).
This means, that in a conversation several persons speak in the way we do it ourselves everyday, without a special set of rules according to which ths participants are to act, like in a courtroom, The conversation meant here can be a conversation between old fricnds, a short talk between stiangcrs, a call toa business-partner and so on. We converse in this way almost everyday and more than we do in any other way. Conversation Analysis versus Discourse Analysis ‘Iwo different main methodologies exist for analysing and examining conversation — conversation in general, or (clephone conversation in special — from a linguistic perspective: 11 ‘This study should be of potential interest to those who work in or have passion for who want lo make a 1 servalion for roor and. hotel receptionists who desire to achueve more satisfactory reservation, and generally to those who want to have successful and smooth conversations through telephone.
in shert, from a CA perspective, the turn level of armalysis clarifies how speakers routinely implement the collaborative and orderly achievement of reservation conversation. Scope of the study This study is proposedto work with reservation conversations via telephone between speakers with equal power, one is guest (the caller) and one is hotel receptionist (the called) who speaks Unglish as a foreign language, in formal setting. Ihe research targets at the written scripls, nol the audio or sound of conversations. Features that will be under study are opening, topie talk and closing of conversation.
Finally, due to the limitations of technology, non- verbal gestures and expressions are excluded. Organization of the study This M.A thesis discusses the detection of some structure features of conversations between guests and receptionists, namely opening, topic talk and closing. The paper is divided into 3 main chapters as follows Introduction, introducing the research topic, its rationale and research questions, scope of the research and the organization of the paper. Chapter 1: itcrature review, discussing the theoretical background in thesis, of which the research matters will be discussed.
Chapter 2: Methodology, describing the nuclear methodology to investigate the research matters Chapter 3: Vindings and Discussions, showing the results of the study, providing answers to the research questions, and Conclusion, summarizing the overall study and proposition implications as well as suggestions for other related studies or work 10 In order to reduce the bad feelings of customers and help non-native receptionists of English (refer to as Tonetative 1 tủonisis) achicve better communication resulls, the ways of handling telephone reservation conversations should be observed and studied, Given this need, the questions then become: what are the procedures that receptionists often adopt to make a lelephone reservation conversation? Whal are some teasonable inuptications that would help promote the development of consciousness of telephone skills, and lead to the improvement of interactional or communicative competence for successful reservation conversations? ‘lo work out the answers to the questions above, T decided 10 do an analysis of telophone reservation conversation in the light of conversation analyas. Objectives and research questions of the study Leamers of a fercign language may find it troublesome to perform a professional conversalion naturally and properly in other tongues. For a smooth reservation, the knowledge of both linguistic rules and the service itself is required. The objectives of this study are to (V) exptore the tescrvation procedures expressed im formal resorvation conversation through telephone between a customer and a receptionist to charactenmze the speech acts performed in the opening, topic talk and closings, (2) discover good ways cmployed and detect common mistakes reflected in conversations, thereafter to (3) help non-native customers and receptionists get a better understanding of reservation conversation and improve [heir communicative competence, To serve the above-mentioned objectives, the research questions come out as how non-native customers and receptionists behave in their reservation conversations with regard to such skills utilized in opening, topic talk and closing parts, Specifically, the following questions will be dealt with: (1) Low do the receptionists often open a reservation conversation through telephone? (2) Whal are significant specch acls im collecting gucsi’s mformation uscd by receptionists? (3) How do the receptionists preferably close a telephone reservation conversation? 12 PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter discusses the theoretical background of the study which explores the following, concepts: ~ Conversation analysis - Basic concepts of Conversation, and + Basic concepls of lelephone reservation conversalion 1.1, Definition of Conversation When discussing conversation from a linguistic perspective, one has fo know how this Lenn is defined in this context.
In everyday language use, conversation often is understood as some kind of “civilized art of talk” or “cultured interchange” (Schegloff 1968: 1075). ‘'his is not the understanding Conversation Analysis his of conversation, although this definition - Tike Conversation Analysis - excludes one kind of talk. This excluded kind is the one of organized talk as is to be found in classrooms, churches and many other institutions. (Levinson 1983: 284) Conversation Analysis detines conversation in a different way.
Fust of all it is stated to be a “familiar predominant kind of talk in which two or more participants freely alternate in spaaking” (Levinson 1983-282) and the “central or most basic kind of language use” (Levinson 1983;283). This means, that in a conversation several persons speak in the way we do it ourselves everyday, without a special set of rules according to which ths participants are to act, like in a courtroom, The conversation meant here can be a conversation between old fricnds, a short talk between stiangcrs, a call toa business-partner and so on. We converse in this way almost everyday and more than we do in any other way.
