The accompanying dialogue and the follow-up interview: the analysis of trans-interactional management

Abstract

Abstract The accompanying dialogue (realized while the participants are engaged in work activities together) provides very suitable material for the in-depth analysis of interaction and its relational, content, self-presentation and conative aspects, above all in the case of asymmetrical roles (superior – inferior). This contribution uses a video recording and a transcript of two collaborators in a violin workshop and, in addition, a follow-up interview, which forms an interesting complement to the original recording. Here it is possible to trace how, in the interview, the workshop leader tries to balance out the relational, content and conative aspects, weaken the expressions of his own superiority, mitigate the command-like tone of the communication, and to cooperate with his partner as much as possible; however, he himself labels these methods as “manipulation”. Methods of interactional linguistics were utilized in the analysis of both interviews. The theoretical framework for the empirical analysis consists of ego-linguistics as conceived by J. Dolník (emphasis on the egocentrism of the participants, their ego-motivation and ego-mobility) and language management theory with a focus on communicative (organized, trans-interactional) management.