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37 KJ: I never had any day to day (. )[interaction with people of other (0.5) er
38 LIVI: [Pardon Qto child))
39 nationality before I went in the RAF=
40 0
41 TM: =Yeah=
42 KJ: =And for six years my er boss was either an Italian or a German (0.5) Air
43 Force (like colonel) and er I don't know whether its because they've got
44 more anglicised as the longer they've been there but no I never found any
45 er (0.5) certainly when you er when you've found that they erm (1) A new
46 member of the German or the Italian staff came across that they were (0.5)
47 standoffish maybe at the beginning but it after then a few months then NO
48 (1)
49 RP: Well I think I think I don't know (. ) I=
50 TM: =1 think I think what you'll find is in humour there's a big difference in it (1)
51 from er English to other countries
52 (1.5)
53 RP: Does anybody else want anymore bread
In this particular episode, which is drawn from talk focusing on the
English way of conversing, in line 1, LM makes a rather general statement
about'our problem', that is, the English speakers' problem. In making this claim
- one made in the presence of and directed at other English nationals -
LM is
obviously assuming solidarity in her definition and evaluation of what it means
to be an English conversationalist. This can be seen as a claim which, under
normal circumstances, would have led to positive alignment, with all participants
'having a go'at or downgrading themselves and the English in general.
However, in line 19 KJ unmitigatingly rejects the solidaric claim expressed by
LM with his claim of 'No, that's not true that. What happens here is that KJ in
effect increases the propositional distance between himself and LM, and
thereby not only negates LM's proffered positive claim, but also initiates a move
from positive alignment to a more negative alignment. The is evidenced in the
ensuing talk which develops along a more negatively aligned route as
conversational solidarity is temporarily reduced down in favour of something
conversationally akin to German Wettkampf (albeit in a rather abridged and
mitigated form).
We know in English the chagrin one can feel when a solidarity claim is
rebuked as being either incorrect or being based on a false assumption. Indeed,
this is one of the reason why we tend to inductively 'test out' the claims that we
may safely make in the early phases of social encounters (see Goffman 1967).
The being generally'taken aback'at moments of no n-ratifi cation and non-
1 r, -A