Receive Readily, Recognize Genuinely: Casual Conversation and Cooperative Behaviors

ABSTRACT

Two cochlear implant users engaged in casual conversation, each with an unfamiliar communication partner in adverse listening conditions. Conversational analysis was performed to characterize how the two men repaired communication breakdowns and to identify cooperative conversational behaviors. A model of communication breakdown repair is presented. We suggest that because casual conversation is a cooperative enterprise, listeners attempt to adhere to two maxims: receive readily and recognize genuinely. Implications for aural rehabilitation are considered.

KEYWORDS

Conversational analysis - conversational fluency - hearing loss - repair strategies - bluffing - maxims of conversation

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