1 MODULE 2 Meaning and discourse in English DISCOURSE FUNCTIONS - TRANSACTION AND INTERACTION Lecture 12

2 Functions of discourse There are two important functions of any Form of discourse. These are: Transactional Interactional

3 Transactional and interactional The aim of transactional language is to communicate a specific message “I’d like a cup of tea, please” - ‘Here you are” “Howard’s being eaten” The aim of interactional language is to maintain a social relationship “good morning… good morning” Most discourse contains a mixture of transactional and interactional language

4 Transctional v Interactional (1) Aims and consequences TRANSACTIONAL Aim is for hearer to understand message correctly It has an effect on the world INTERACTIONAL Aim is for hearer to feel that speaker is friendly It does not have an effect on the world

5 Transactional v Interactional (2) Typical contexts TRANSACTIONAL Doctor-patient Customer-bank clerk Teacher-pupil INTERACTIONAL Phoning mum Visiting a friend in hospital Chatting at a bus stop Internet chat Talking to the dog

6 Transactional v Interactional (3) Typical content TRANSACTIONAL how to take the medicine how to open an account how to do fractions recipe details INTERACTIONAL greetings coldness of the weather lateness of the bus prettiness of the baby

7 Cafè - Elizabeth/Jenny Typical ch’stics of speech - repetition, filler, expressions of attitude, simple lexis Transactional (Is that..?; I’ll have.. Can I have …? We’ll come back..) Interactional (tag questions - haven’t I?, shall we? inclusive “we”; laughs; search for agreement; lots of speaker support and cooperation from all speakers Adjacency pairs (question-answer) Insertion sequence (with milk?) Preferred responses Politeness markers

8 Conversations have both transactional and interactional elements The conversation in the cafè is an example of both transaction and interaction: The exchange between Elizabeth and the assistant is basically transaction The exchange between Elizabeth and her friends in mainly interactional