On the part of ratified participants: ratified listeners in multi-party interactions

Vol.40,No.1(2014)

Abstract
This paper aims to elucidate the categories of listening ratified participants in multi-party interactions in the light of the existing literature on participation frameworks. First of all, a distinction is drawn between an addressed ratified participant, the addressee, and an unaddressed ratified participant, dubbed the third party, whose subtypes are teased out. A crucial modification in the proposed classification of participants concerns an individual, commonly regarded as the bystander/overhearer, who is ratified and attains the status of the third party, thanks to the speaker's intention to communicate meanings to him/her. Several subordinate phenomena are also highlighted, such as the change of roles halfway through a turn, or collective roles. The discussion of participatory phenomena is illustrated with verisimilar examples taken from a popular American series entitled "House".

Keywords:
addressee; Goffman; hearer/listener types; multi-party interaction; ratified participants; third party; turn-taking

Pages:
27–44
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