The Interactional Architecture of the Language Classroom: A Conversation Analysis Perspective

Winner of the MLA Kenneth W. Mildenberger Prize 2005, this monograph provides a model of the organisation of L2 classroom interaction and a practical methodology for its analysis. The main thesis is that there is a reflexive relationship between pedagogy and interaction in the L2 classroom; this relationship is the foundation of its context-free architecture. The book explains the basic principles of Conversation Analysis and reviews the literature on L2 classroom interaction; portrays the reflexive relationship between the pedagogical focus of the interaction and the organisation of turn-taking, sequence and repair; describes the overall organisation of L2 classroom interaction and illustrates the use of the analytical methodology; and, considers how Conversation Analysis can contribute to the research agendas of Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition.