Language as Interaction

Miniworkshop

Language clearly is not a simple phenomenon. It is simultaneously meaningful, subjective, and material. It belongs to everybody and to nobody. It connects us by dividing us, by being the one in-between. It is a mediator. And sometimes it is better to say that it is mediation, a process rather than an object. All in all, by studying language we learn important things about complexity in general – about irreducibility, multiplicity, reflexivity, and emergence.

The proposed workshop is intended as a loose continuation of this event. While the December workshop focused on systemic features and properties of languages, including attempts to introduce dynamic elements into the picture, the planned meeting will take another route. It will take the view of language as action. Even more: it is going to be more socio-logical, since the action at stake will be a shared action – i.e., interaction.

This time, therefore, a kick-off presentation will be made by sociologist. Ilkka Arminen (University of Tampere, Finland; http://www.uta.fi/~ilkka.arminen/) will speak about ethnomethodology and conversation analysis (EM & CA) as approaches known for their focus on empirical study of practical uses of language. Participants are invited to discuss interactionist perspectives on languages from a transdisciplinary perspective.

Thursday, March 16

10:00-12:00 Ilkka Arminen: A lecture (with emphasis on practical examples from his research on Rodney King trial, various kinds of mobile communication & air traffic control team work)

Friday, March 17

9:30-9:40 Introduction by Zdenek Konopasek 9:40-10:00 IIlkka Arminen’s summary of the EM and CA standpoint