Practices of Delivering Dispreferred Responses in English Talk Show Interaction

Abstract

English talk shows have attracted a large group of audience with their humorous and relaxing features and these programmes are not only entertaining but also information-oriented, so the smooth progression of host-guest interaction is very important for producers, interactants, and the audience. However, the fact is that talk show interactants do not always construct their turns with collaborative efforts and the presence of dispreferred responses is not rare. With the data collected from ten episodes of Conan, the practices of delaying the occurrences of dispreferred responses and the practices of blurring them are generalized. The exploration of some possible causes of delivering dispreferred responses can lead to the conclusion that instead of being made arbitrarily, dispreferred responses could be delivered for lack of relevant knowledge, out of the consideration of modesty, and so on. Therefore, dispreferred responses are not definitely destructive to smooth communication and social solidarity since various devices can be used to mitigate the force of dispreferred responses and minimize potential threats to the face of interlocutors.