Language management in life story interviews

This research analyzes interactions in life story interviews with first generation Zainichi Koreans, specifically when they noticed perception gaps in the interviewer’s questions and tried to negotiate those gaps. It was found that the interviewees used two contrastive strategies: one described her perceptions using a monological storytelling manner and the other responded to the questions in an interactive mode. In the interactive mode particularly, interviewees can see whether their previous language management worked or not, which affects their motivation to talk. Applying Language Management Theory in narrative studies (i.e., micro-level analysis) provides two macro-level contributions. One is gaining a holistic understanding of the speaker. The other is a contribution to the methodology of life story interviews, by including LMT analysis between the first interview session and the second interview session.

Published online: 20 May 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/wlp.7.11sar