Conversation Analysis Of The American Sitcom Friends

Sitcom conversation, due to its specialty (it can be seen as the written talk), is rarely studied. The present thesis attempts to explore conversation in the American television sitcom Friends from the ethnomethodological perspective, the systemic perspective and the pragmatic perspective. Sitcom conversations are taken as the subject to examine the areas of turns, sequences and exchanges with the purpose to investigate whether Conversation Analysis Theory is applicable to sitcom conversation. The roles of pairs, three-part exchanges are also investigated. Moreover, we try to investigate the differences between naturally occurring conversation and sitcom conversation with the emphasis on how the conversationalists in Friends make a choice to initiate, proceed and end conversation, and what specific choices make the conversation typical of sitcom talk. This is based on the premise that language is a system of choices with meaning potentials: each choice made by the first speaker opens up another set of choices for the next speaker whose utterance is restrained by the previous utterances. With the help of systemic theory, the system of choices at initiation, response and follow-up are examined. Categories of the follow-up moves are discussed in more detail in order to examine how"acting conversationalists"in sitcom situations deliberately deviate from conversational conventions to create dramatic effect.Aside from conversational processes, sitcom language itself is another area of concern which is addressed in the present thesis----since language usage lies at the root of sitcom entertainment. While in talking with each other, conversationalists are involved in not only verbal actions but also in activities, like ordering, demanding, cursing, or blaming. A primary focus, therefore, is on whether or not conversationalists in Friends appropriately interpret certain activity and respond accordingly. For example, if they don't understand at certain times what an utterance means, might often result in an effect based upon this misunderstanding of a peculiar nature. Therefore, if the listener drawsupon varied information from the speaker's utterance, how does he or she decide what the speaker actually meant or intended? If he or she infers improper information and responds improperly or inappropriately, what will be the result? Actually, it is often in these interactional situations in sitcoms that result is more humorous or funny endings.A conclusion is drawn on the basis of the analysis, which sums up the accomplishment and the findings of the research as well as the issues that remain unsolved.