Motivations And Types Of Topic Insertion In Conversational Discourse: A Conversational Analysis Of Political Interviews

Abstract

Conversation analysis focuses on the structure and organization of the spoken discourse among people. It allows the researchers to probe into the significance of management and insertion of various topics into mutual interactions during conversation among people. This study investigates topic insertion in conversational discourse, analyzing the extracts of interviews between Pakistani politician Imran Khan and American journalist Jonathan Swan, American Politician Joe Biden and journalist Lester Holt and Nelson Mandela with journalist MacNeil. Utilizing B.K. Crow's framework and Jefferson’s transcription symbols, the research explores the underlying motivation behind topic insertion. The analysis identifies a primary phenomenon; motivation including persuasive intent, communicative tasks (clarification and expansion), defensive needs, and illustrative clarification. The study categorizes topic insertion into four types based on motivation: persuasive, communicative, defensive, and illustrative. These findings highlight the use of topic insertion in conversation, driven by various motivations. This research contributes to the existing body of work on topic management, offering insights into how speakers navigate and control discourse to achieve communicative objectives within conversational discourse.