Part of
Producing and Managing Restricted Activities: Avoidance and withholding in institutional interactionEdited by Fabienne H.G. Chevalier and John Moore
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 255] 2015
► pp. 151–179
Edited by Fabienne H.G. Chevalier and John Moore
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 255] 2015
► pp. 151–179
“But whose side are you on?”
Doing being independent in telephone-mediated dispute resolution
Affiliation is a relevant response to ordinary troubles talk but in complaint calls to an independent dispute resolution service it is a restricted activity. This research asks about the practices conciliator call-takers use to maintain a neutral stance towards callers’ problems. Observable responsive practices that avoid stance alignment include okay and so prefaced turns that receipt and propose closure on the prior sequence and launch an institutionally relevant activity. It was also found that the required description of the service as independent was occasioned by callers’ pursuit of affiliation. This chapter contributes to an understanding of how, in institutional talk, restricted activities can influence and shape the trajectory of interactions.
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Cited by
Cited by 2 other publications
Benwell, Bethan, Maria Erofeeva & Catrin S. Rhys
2024. Why affiliation matters: A conversation analysis of complaints calls to the NHS. Patient Education and Counseling 119 ► pp. 108077 ff. 
Weatherall, Ann
2020. Constituting agency in the delivery of telephone-mediated victim support. Qualitative Research in Psychology 17:3 ► pp. 396 ff.
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