Discourse Patterns in First Language Use at Hcme and Second Language Learning at School: an Ethnographic Approach

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4.4 The Coding System

4.4.1 Definitions

Coiiversatioial sequence <cs>

^,An episode of talk between a target child <TC) and an adult on the
same subject, ended by a change in subject or by the adult or child
moving out of earshot'

TURI

'The communicative message sent by one of the speakers before
another speaker switches from the role of addressee to that of
sender' (adapted from Vllliams at al.,1981:332).

Both verbal and vocal nonverbal messages are considered.

A turn may consist of one or more utterances.

Utteraice

'One Independent unit of verbal / vocal communication, as part of or
constituting a turn.'

Turns and Utterances are Identified as defined in the original
transcripts of the main corpus of data; CSs were defined and
Identified in the subset of adult-child CSs. Units were identified in
the process of coding.

UIIT

'A stretch of turns in a Conversational Sequence between 2 or more
participants, initiating with a Request by the speaker who will
retain control of the unit by means of sustaining the interaction'.

A unit ends when another speaker acquires control and sustains the
interaction or when the interaction ends.

CS may consist in 1 or more units.

As long as the sequence ^rRequest-Response-Confirmatlon' is maintai-
ned in the interaction without switch of initiative, the 1st speaker
is 'sustaining' the unit. (See example on following page).

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