Presenting a point of view: Caller's contributions to talkback radio in Australia

Abstract

This paper examines publicly available forms of oral argumentation in the form of talkback radio events in which callers present a point of view on a particular issue. Argumentation is examined as a structured phenomenon whose structuring is evident in conversational activity and which is influenced in talkback radio by its institutional context. The paper describes the complexes of speech acts used by callers to substantiate points of view and identifies the complexes of argumentation, complexes of evidence and complexes of concession, used by callers. The sequencing of these complexes of speech acts within the contribution is then examined and the placing and function of host's challenges to points of view and their relationship to other components of the caller's contribution is discussed.