William Labov - Theory of Spoken discourse structure

William Labov is the theorist whom categorised the social linguist known as spoken discourse structures. Labov was best known for the work he done on language variation and change. Labov’s most important contributions were on the discourse analysis making a model of the structure of the spoken narrative whilst co – writing with Waletzsky in 1967. A study of therapeutic discourse which sets out an analysis to discover structural regularities beneath the conversations between people. Mainly through a client and customer conversation. Labov then provided a summary of the structural approach of the fundamental problems of discourse analysis.

They appear in the order of:

• ABSTRACT - (A) The indication that a narrative is about to start and the speaker wants to get the listeners attention. 

"Guess what happened to me today"

• ORIENTATION - (O) The who,what,where and why of the narrative, set the scene by providing contextual information.

"So Jade and I was in London shopping for her holiday in May"

• COMPLICATING ACTION - (CA) The main body providing a range of narrative detail.

"When we was walking around it started to rain, people began to run to get under cover from the bad weather when the pavement became slippery"

• RESOLOUTION - (R) The final events to give narrative closure.

"She slipped over and cut her leg over and broke her arm, when she was then taken to hospital"

• EVALUATION - (E) Attention to the basic story to highlight attentions/attitudes/command and gets the listeners attention at the right moments.

"So Jades day out went from good to bad very quickly and now she will be in a cast on her holiday"

• CODA - (C) A sign that the narrative is complete, may include a finish.

They're were also four main evaluations that Labov studied:

1. EXTERNAL EVALUATION - Added by the narrator at the time of recounting and not usually part of the series of events.
2. INTERNAL EVALUATION - Occurring at the same time as those detailing in the complicating action.
3. INTENSIFYING EVALUATION - Contributing via gestures, repetitions or dramatic sounds.
4. EXPLICATIVE EVALUATION - Proving reasons for narrative events.

WILLIAM LABOV