The types of overlap as conversational strategies in ‘dispute’, the Iranian live TV program

Abstract

Purpose This paper is concerned with the use of overlap as a conversational strategy. Specifically, the aim of the researcher is to investigate overlap types and the locations at which they occur in 'dispute', an Iranian live TV program. Design/methodology/approach The two hour Iranian live TV program “dispute” was video-taped. 10 minutes of this program was chosen randomly. The distinctive feature of this program was that it occurred naturally and was broadcasted on November 28, 2014. The minutes/seconds in which the technique, overlap, occurred were noted for detailed analysis. Finally, the selected excerpts were transcribed based on Jefferson’s (1983) transcription conventions. These transcriptions which include showing the overlaps, pauses, immediate turn taking, etc are shown in both Farsi and English versions of the data based on Jefferson. The transcribed data, was analyzed for determining instances of overlaps and their function. Findings the analysis found four functions for overlap as floor-taking, objection, confirming, and continuing. The last two functions, confirming and continuing, are somewhat similar. This similarity may be due to their similar roles in saving face (i.e. both of them are FSAs). What the present analysis shows, is that ‘continuing’ function has some degrees of ‘confirming’ firstly. Another understanding is drawn from the confirmatory function of overlap and its close relation with backchannel functions. Backchannels are functions in which listeners send signals of agreement (also confirming) and enthusiasm in what is being said by the speaker. Research limitations/implications One difficulty was the transcription of overlapped utterances, because in some cases, more than two persons talked simultaneously and it needed to be listened so many times with concentrated and focused attention. Practical implications The implications concern three areas of research: communicating with other cultures, media studies, and journalistic English. Most overlaps were as a result of impatience, haste, and the need to be approved of. This kind of behavior may be rooted in cultural matters of Iranians. There are implications, thus, for raising cultural differences matters conducting comparative studies. Issues like word choice, participants’ way of looking and gazes to each other, their pauses, tone, intonation, hedges, etc. may be of interest to delicate journalistic studies. Originality/value There are many studies in the field of discourse and conversation analysis which focus specifically on overlaps, but not any one of them focused on a 'dispute', as their data. This study with its focus on a specific type of discourse, that is dispute, is an original one which, to the knowledge of the researcher, has not been carried out in any other study. The results of this study which is the identification of four types of overlaps were also original and not have been encountered elsewhere by the researcher.