Conversation Writing Project
(adapted from a K. Lange, Binghamton University)
For your primary research project, you will be doing field research, where you gather (in this case, record) the data. You will record 30 minutes (at minimum) of a mixed group conversation (of at least four people, 2 male, 2 female).

You cannot be a participant in the conversation. You want the conversation to be as natural as possible, and as you’ve read, this is difficult when the participants know they are being recorded. However, your subjects must know about AND give their permission to the recording for the interview. You can, however, be creative about the recorder: hide it, use elapsed time, etc. The less they think of it, the more natural their conversation will be.

Analyze your recording in regard to male/female, female/female, and male/male
interactions and the language used in them. You may focus on one (or all) of the following areas:

1) Write down all instances of the indicators of “powerless language”
(Lakoff’s “women’s language”). These indicators include the following:
tag questions, questioning intonation, hedges, ’empty adjectives’, use of ‘so’ and ‘very’, overemphasis (‘speaking in italics’), ‘polite
language’, sex-specific vocabulary, hypercorrect forms.

2) Write down all instances of interruption, overlap, and swearing.

Show how these linguistic devices were used within the context of the conversation. For example, was Robert’s interruption a power play? Were Julie and Ana engaged in troubles talk? Connect your analysis to what you have learned of male/female speech stereotypes. Utilize class readings (or other scholarly sources) to support your conclusions.

Turn in your analysis, with at least 4 supporting transcriptions (I don’t want an entire
transcription—just excerpts), and a reference page.

Each excerpt should highlight a separate linguistic device.

Paper length is 1000 words, excluding conversation excerpts and reference page (APA style).

i have attached some class readings where you may reference/support some of the conclusions