Computer-mediated communication and conversation analysis

An increasing number of researchers use conversation analysis (CA) methodology to investigate interactional dimensions of computer-mediated communication (CMC) and their impact on language and learning. While there is a significant body of CA research focusing on naturally occurring telephone and face-to-face conversation, researchers’ attention since the late 1990s has shifted to new contexts where communication between human beings is mediated by computers. This chapter is focused on CA research in the educational sphere, where participants are using an additional or a foreign language. CA research on human interaction developed robust analytical tools to identify and understand the unique interactional resources which are available to users in technologically mediated contexts. In particular, researchers are able to draw on previous CA research on face-to-face and telephone interaction to explore affordances and constraints of new technologies for learning, and how users use language to adapt to new and evolving interactional contexts. This chapter will therefore provide a brief overview of early CMC and CA research on technologically mediated interaction. Following this overview, major contributions where CA is systematically applied to computer-mediated talk will be presented, focusing specifically on findings related to language and interaction in L2 educational settings