Norman Fairclough said that in all conversations there will be a clear dominant speaker and someone who is less powerful, although this could change throughout the conversation.
In this example text of two friends speaking on the phone, we can clearly see how power has been asserted:
Maureen: hi, Juliane
Juliane: Maureen (.) hold on a mo (1) I'm just er finishing this er work off
Maureen: okay [laughs] do you want me to call you back
Although Maureen has called Juliane first and therefore has power to call her the power is taken away when Juliane stops Maureen, "hold on a mo" the use of clipping shows that it is informal and is a conversation between two friends. Fairclough's theory is clearly established here as she is asking Maureen to wait whilst she finishes off her work. Maureen then continues to lose power :"[laughs]" Maureens laughter could show negative face as she is lowering her status and giving Julianne the authority in the conversation as she now has to wait for Julianne to finish her work before the conversation can continue.
Good - you can use more terminology e.g. saying that the imperative "hold on" is just one of the many ways J imposes constraints on M's speech; M complies with J each time, showing that she is willing to defer to J, displaying their power asymmetry.
ReplyDelete