2.1.1 The turn-constructional unit
A system has to have units. This is also true for conversations.
Read the following text. It comes from an interaction between a shop attendant and a customer.
A system has to have units. This is also true for conversations.
Read the following text. It comes from an interaction between a shop attendant and a customer.
Text 1, adapted from Halliday (1978)
Good morning Tom good morning Sir have you got a Guardian left this morning you’re lucky it’s the last one tis bright today by the look of it yes we could do with a bit of a dry spell you got change for a pound yes plenty of change here you are anything else no that’s all just now Tom be seeing you mind how you go
Good morning Tom good morning Sir have you got a Guardian left this morning you’re lucky it’s the last one tis bright today by the look of it yes we could do with a bit of a dry spell you got change for a pound yes plenty of change here you are anything else no that’s all just now Tom be seeing you mind how you go
You will have realized that this was originally a conversation. We’ve just taken the speaker identification out. Can you reconstruct the conversation?
Having taken a moment to do this check your reconstruction against Halliday’s original dialogue.
Having taken a moment to do this check your reconstruction against Halliday’s original dialogue.
Halliday's Text
Good morning Tom
Good morning Sir
Have you got a Guardian left this morning
you’re lucky it’s the last one tis bright today by the look of it
Yes we could do with a bit of a dry spell you got change for a pound?
Yes plenty of change
here you are
anything else ?
no that’s all just now Tom
be seeing you
mind how you go
Good morning Sir
Have you got a Guardian left this morning
you’re lucky it’s the last one tis bright today by the look of it
Yes we could do with a bit of a dry spell you got change for a pound?
Yes plenty of change
here you are
anything else ?
no that’s all just now Tom
be seeing you
mind how you go