QUESTIONS TO KEEP IN MIND
WHILE READING ETHNOGRAPY
 Who is the ethnographer? How is
she/he positioned?
 What does the ethnographer want to
demonstrate or argue? How is she/he
engaging in larger debates and
discussions in anthropology?
 What concepts does the ethographer
use – e.g., race/ethnicity, education,
socialization, dominance, power,
resistance, culture? How does she or
he define these concepts?
 How does the ethnographer relate
general theory to cultural specificity?
1
Language and social interaction model
(McDermott et al.)
Focus on documenting how people
manage concerted activity by constantly
informing and conforming each other to
whatever it is that has to happen next.
2
The linguistic turn
 Theory of language as constitutive
 Ethnography of communication
 Ethnography of speaking
 Language socialization model
 Ethnomethodology
 Language and social interaction
model
3
DOING CONVERSATION
Openings
 Adjacency pairs
Ratification of topic
Cohesion
 back-channel talk
 turn-taking
 repair mechanisms
 repetition
 punning
Closings
4
ATTENTION STRUCTURE FOR
CONVERSATION
 Designation of addressed recipient
 Hearer recognition of addressor
 Designation of addressor
 Speaker recognition of addressed
recipient
Openings
Turn-taking
Auditory and/or visual channels
5