Language and Occupation

Drew and Heritage (1992) - Institutional Talk

They assert that workplace and professional talk differs from ordinary conversation in a number of ways:

- goal orientation

- allowable contributions

- structure

- turn-taking or restrictions

- professional lexis

- asymmetry - one person talking more

Norman Fairclough (1989) - Language and Power

He shows that many interactions are 'unequal encounters', that language choice is created and constrained by certain social 'power' situations or 'power type' discourse of kinds accepted as 'normal' for that kind of encounter e.g. a manager and worker or a doctor and patient.

- asymmetrical power relations

- enforcing explicitness - forces/pushes for an answer

- formulation - repeat/reword response given - used within police, law court, teachers

Sinclair and Coulthard - The IRF Model

Initiation -> Response -> Feedback

e.g. the teacher initiates by asking a question, the learner responds by giving an answer, the teacher gives feedback by correcting/praising them. Common structure…