Back-channeling in Celebrities Interviews: A Socio-discoursal Study

Authors

  • Zainab Saad Mohammed Department of English, College of Education and Human Sciences, University of Diyala- Diyala Governorate, Iraq
  • Ahmed Adel Nouri Department of English, College of Education and Human Sciences, University of Diyala- Diyala Governorate, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21271/zjhs.29.Con.1.45

Keywords:

backchannel, male, female, functions, types.

Abstract

Conversation is an act in which two or more interlocutors take turns. Each one of them speak at a time; hence the act is not something arbitrarily done. However, there might happen some problems when certain interlocutor competes for taking the turn. Conversely, the interlocutor may contribute in some way to the conversation's success and continuance. They assist and facilitate the speaker's speech by employing backchannels.

The current study aims to investigate and analyze backchannels used in the conversation of native speakers (celebrities). The purpose of this study is to look at how different genders employ this language phenomena. To achieve this goal, the researcher looks at a few chosen interviews with famous actors, fashion designers, and politicians. The results reveal that females tend to use backchannels more frequently than males do. Also, the use of verbal backchannels is proved to be more frequent than that of non-verbal.   

References

- Cameron, D., (ed.) 1998. The Feminist Critique of Language: a Reader, second edition. London.

- Clancy, P. M., Sandra, A., T., Ryoko, S., & Tao, H., 1996. The conversational use of reactive tokens in English, Japanese, and Mandarin. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222806176_The_conversational_use_of_reactive_tokens_in_English_Japanese_and_Mandarin. [Accessed: 8 August 2023].

- Dittman, A. and Llewellyn, L., 1968. Relationships between vocalizations and head nods as listener responses. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/17519484_Relationships_Between_Vocalizations_and_Head_Nods_as_Listener_Responses. [Accessed: 12 June 2023].

- Drummond, K., & Hopper, R., 1993. Back channels revisited: Acknowledgement tokens and speakership incipiency. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230875967_Back_Channels_Revisited_Acknowledgment_Tokens_and_Speakership_Incipiency. [Accessed: 5 September 2023].

- Duncan, Starky Jr. & Fisk, D. W., 1985. Interaction structure and strategy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

- Forbes, Katie; Cordella, Marisa (1999) The Role of Gender in Chilean Argumentative Discourse. Available at: https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:335543/UQ335543_OA.pdf [Accessed: 10 June 2023].

- Hirokawa, K., 1995. The expressions of culture in the conversational styles of Japanese and Americans. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, The University of Michigan, Aim Abor.

- Hoffman, E. & Verdooren, A., 2018. Diversity Competence: Cultures Don't Meet, People Do. UK: Bell & Bain Ltd, Glasgow.

- Kidd, J., 2016. Face and Enactment of Identities in the L2 Classroom. Multilingual Matters: Bristol, Buffalo, Toronto.

- Kogure, M., 2003. Gender differences in the use of backchannels: Do Japanese men and women accommodate to each other? Unpublished PhD dissertation: University of Arizona.

- Maltz, D. and Borker, R. 1982. A cultural approach to male-female miscommunication. In Gumperz, J. (Ed.) Language and Social Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

- Maynard, K. S., 1990. Conversation management in contrast: Backchannel in Japanese and American English. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/037821669090097W [Accessed: 3 September 2023].

- Maynard, S., 1997. Analyzing interactional management in native/non-native English conversation: a case of listener response. Available at: https://www.proquest.com/docview/1300510853?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals [Accessed: 7 January 2023].

- Schegloflf, E., 1982. Discourse as an interactional achievement: Some uses of UH-HUH' and other things that come between sentences. In D. Tannen (ed.), Georgetown university roimd table on language and linguistics. Analyzing Discourse: Text and Talk (pp. 71 -93). Washington D.C.: Georgetown University Press.

- Tannen, D., 1,986. That's Not What I Meant! How Conversational Style Makes or Breaks Relationships. NY: Ballantine.

- Tannen, D., 1990. You just don't understand: Women and men in conversation. New York: Morrow.

- Tannen, D., 1994. Gender and Discourse. NY: Oxford University Press.

- Wales, K., 2001. A Dictionary of Stylistics. 2nd ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

- Ward, N., 2004. Pragmatic functions of prosodic features in non-lexical utterances. Available at: https://www.cs.utep.edu/nigel/papers/prosody04.pdf [Accessed: 23 April 2023].

- Ward, N., 2006. Non-lexical conversational sounds in American English. Pragmatics & Cognition. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233650028_Non-lexical_conversational_sounds_in_American_English [Accessed: 10 May 2023].

- West, C. and Zimmerman D., 1987. 'Doing Gender' in Gender and Society. Available at: https://www.gla.ac.uk/0t4/crcees/files/summerschool/readings/WestZimmerman_1987_DoingGender.pdf [Accessed: 10 April 2023].

- Yngve, V., 1970. On getting a word in edgewise. Papers from the Sixth Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society, 567-577.

- Young, R. F. and Jina L., 2004. Identifying units in interaction: Reactive tokens in Korean and English conversations. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227525043_Identifying_units_in_interaction_Reactive_tokens_in_Korean_and_English_conversations [Accessed: 13 May 2023].

Published

2025-02-15