“Misunderstanding in Telephone Interaction” : A Qualitative Study of how Non-native Interactants Manage Misunderstanding in a Mediated Communication

Sammanfattning: This study contributed to study how Chinese and Pakistani interactants in 10 telephone conversations, despite their different cultural backgrounds and different speech habits, managed miscommunications and misunderstandings in their communications. It focused on various aspects that hurdle the inter-subjectivity and progressivity of talk between the interlocutors during the telephone interactions. The purpose behind the data collection for this research on miscommunication and (mis)understanding was to obtain audio recordings of real life telephonic conversation in which misunderstanding or reduced understanding as well as not understanding occurred. Out of 10 audio-recordings, the researcher chose the ones in which the participants were Chinese and Pakistani interactants in such a way that the telephone communication always took place cross culturally i.e. between a Pakistani person on one side and a Chinese person on the other. They used English as medium of communication. The participants of the study were introduced with their initials for the purpose of anonymity. Although the conversational corpus had a small size, yet suitably designed analyses aiming at finding the misunderstandings with the help of clear-cut proofs and solid evidences in the transcripts; could yield the required results. The recordings were then transcribed using the Ian Hutchby and Robin Wooffitt’s transcription glossary.The following research questions were designed for the study:1. What is the background of the miscommunication in the recording?2. What proof do the transcripts provide for the miscommunication?3. How does miscommunication emerge?4. How is miscommunication negotiated by the speaker and the recipient?5. What makes an interactional unit a trouble source?Different softwares like Audacity, CLAN, ELAN and Sound Forge will be used for repeated listening and then transcribing purpose. Finally, the data will be analyzed using procedures used specifically in the field of CA.