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Ĭonversation is generally face-to-face person-to-person at the same time (synchronous) – possibly online with video applications such as Skype, but might also include audio-only phone calls. Or if time-efficient communication is most important, a speech may be preferable.Ĭonversation involves a lot more nuanced and implied context that lies beneath just the words. On the other hand, if permanency or the ability to review such information is important, written communication may be ideal. Conversations may be ideal when, for example, each party desires a relatively equal exchange of information, or when the parties desire to build social ties. Contributions to a conversation are responses to what has previously been said.Ĭonversations may be the optimal form of communication, depending on the participants' intended ends. Failure to adhere to these rules causes the conversation to deteriorate or eventually to end. Specific rules for conversation arise from the cooperative principle. Ĭonversations follow rules of etiquette because conversations are social interactions, and therefore depend on social convention. Summarizing these properties, one authority writes that "Conversation is the kind of speech that happens informally, symmetrically, and for the purposes of establishing and maintaining social ties." įrom a less technical perspective, a writer on etiquette in the early 20th century defined conversation as the polite give and take of subjects thought of by people talking with each other for company. An interaction with a tightly focused topic or purpose is also generally not considered a conversation. A ritualized exchange such as a mutual greeting is not a conversation, and an interaction that includes a marked status differential (such as a boss giving orders) is also not a conversation. Consequently, the term is often defined by what it is not. No generally accepted definition of conversation exists, beyond the fact that a conversation involves at least two people talking together.
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Conversation analysis is a branch of sociology which studies the structure and organization of human interaction, with a more specific focus on conversational interaction.ĭefinition and characterization A group of men chatting in Ponce, Puerto Rico The development of conversational skills in a new language is a frequent focus of language teaching and learning. The development of conversational skills and etiquette is an important part of socialization. 1935)Ī conversation, also known as a convo or chat, is interactive communication between two or more people. For the mobile app, see Convoz.Īrnold Lakhovsky, The Conversation ( c.
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