A Conversation Analysis Of Job Interviews On Chinese TV Program Only You

TV talk shows originate from the program Tomorrow which is produced by the AmericanNBC in1954. Since then, different types of TV talk shows have developed at anunprecedented speed. Compared with the western countries, the Chinese TV talk shows startat a relatively low speed. In1996, the program Tell as It Is which is produced by CCTV hasbeen the real leader in TV talk shows in China. Along with the reform and open policy and thedevelopment of the technology, TV talk shows meet with great favor in terms of the relaxation,sincerity and authority. Not only have TV talk shows brought the audience closer, but alsosatisfied the demanding for information and entertainment as well. As the predominance ofTV talk shows, the content of these shows has been enriched. TV job interviews have becomeone of the new emerging type in TV talk shows. From the angle of content, TV job interviewsbelong to the interview talk; from the angle of structure, they can be classified into TV talkshows.This thesis mainly adopts the qualitative research method to analyze and describe thedata. Taking conversation analysis as the fundamental theory, this thesis probes into thesequential organization of initiation and termination in TV job interviews; then it analyzes thetypes, the frequencies, the functions of questions occurred in the conversation; finally itstudies the patterns, the frequencies, the functions of answers occurred in the conversation.The investigation indicates that (1) there are two forms in the sequential organization ofinitiation in TV job interviews, exchanging greetings and checking information; there are fourforms in the sequential organization of termination in TV job interviews: the positive form,the negative form, the evasive form and the silent form.(2) there are nine types of questionsin TV job interviews: wh-questions, X not X questions, alternative questions, positive yes-noquestions, negative yes-no questions, declarative questions, tag questions and yes-noquestions with modal auxiliaries, rhetorical questions. Each of them has different proportionsin occurrence. Their main function is to elicit new information.(3) there are five patterns ofanswers in TV job interviews, they are interjections, concrete words, phrases, sentences andcombinations. They have different frequencies in occurrence. Their main function is to supplythe information.There are seven chapters in this thesis. In chapter one, this thesis points out the researchbackground, the research questions, the research significance and the organizational structureof the whole thesis. Chapter two states the relevant literature review about TV talk shows, jobinterviews, questions and answers. Chapter three moves to clarify the theoretical frameworkadopted in this thesis. Chapter four describes the data collection, the data transcription, the data analysis process and the research method. Then chapter five analyzes the sequentialorganization of initiation and termination in TV job interviews. Chapter six continues toelaborate the types, the frequencies, the functions of questions and the patterns, thefrequencies, the functions of answers. Chapter seven summarizes the major findings of thewhole thesis and points out the limitations of this present thesis and the future direction offurther studies.