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| | The Role of the Interlocutor in Conversation (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-11) |
 | | In other contexts, the interlocutor can provide support or disapproval, feelings which can’t always be predicted beforehand just by knowing the participants’ opinions, authoritative status, gender, age, socio-economic status, etc. In the “Rights to Advise” article by Rymes, we see how advice and standpoints generally emerge from conversation. |
 | | When talking to somebody, we not only assume a lot about the interlocutor’s world knowledge, but we also need to know a lot about their roles in society and generally the rules by which the society we live in functions. |
 | | Thus, whether it is for approval or support, for active listening or passive “pretend-listening”, the role of the interlocutor is very important in the flow of conversation, use/usage of language, and ultimately the identities we construct through these interactions. |
| www.arches.uga.edu /~iuliab/discpapers.htm (1529 words) |
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