In this post, Interchange author Jack C. Richards explores talk as transaction.
Talk as transaction refers to situations where the focus is on what is said or done. The message and making oneself understood clearly and accurately is the central focus, rather than the participants and how they interact socially with each other. In such transactions, Jones suggests, “talk is associated with other activities. For example, students may be engaged in hands-on activities (e.g., in a science lesson) to explore concepts associated with floating and sinking. In this type of spoken language students and teachers usually focus on meaning or on talking their way to understanding.” (Jones 1996:14)
The following example from a literature lesson, taken from my 1994 book with Charles Lockhart, illustrates this kind of talk in a classroom setting (T = Teacher, S = Student):
T: The other day we were talking about figures of speech. And we have already in the past talked about three kinds of figures of speech. Does anybody remember those three types? Mary?
S: Personification, simile, and metaphor.
T: Good. Let me write those on the board. – Now can anybody tell me what personification is all about again? Juan?
S: Making a nonliving thing act like a person.
T: Yes. OK. Good enough. Now what about simile? … OK. – Cecelia?
S: Comparing two things by making use of the words “like” or “as.”
T: OK. Good. I’ll write that on the board. The other one – metaphor. Paul?
S: It’s when we make a comparison between two things, but we compare them without using the words “like” or “as.”
T: All right. Good. So it’s more direct than simile. Now we had a poem a few weeks ago about personification. Do you remember? Can you recall one line from that poem where a nonliving thing acts like a human person?
S: “The moon walks the night.”
T: Good. “The moon walks the night.” Does the moon have feet to walk?
S: No.
T: No. So this is a figure of speech. All right. Now our lesson today has something to do with metaphor. Now we’re going to see what they have in common . . .
(Richards and Lockhart 1994: 116–117)
Examples of talk as transaction
- Classroom group discussions and problem-solving activities
- A class activity during which students design a poster
- Discussing needed computer repairs with a technician
- Discussing sightseeing plans with a hotel clerk or tour guide
- Making a telephone call to obtain flight information
- Asking someone for directions on the street
- Buying something in a shop
- Ordering food from a menu in a restaurant
Burns (1998) distinguishes between two different types of talk as transaction. The first type involves situations where the focus is on giving and receiving information and where the participants focus primarily on what is said or achieved (e.g., asking someone for directions). Accuracy may not be a priority, as long as information is successfully communicated or understood.
The second type is transactions that focus on obtaining goods or services, such as checking into a hotel or ordering food in a restaurant. For example, the following exchange was observed in a café:
Server: Hi, what’ll it be today?
Client: Just a cappuccino, please. Low-fat decaf if you have it.
Server: Sure. Nothing to eat today?
Client: No, thanks.
Server: Not a problem.
The main features of talk as transaction
- It has a primarily information focus.
- The main focus is on the message and not the participants.
- Participants employ communication strategies to make themselves understood.
- There may be frequent questions, repetitions, and comprehension checks, as in the example from the preceding classroom lesson.
- There may be negotiation and digression.
- Linguistic accuracy is not always important.
Skills involved in using talk for transactions
- Explaining a need or intention
- Describing something
- Asking questions
- Asking for clarification
- Confirming information
- Justifying an opinion
- Making suggestions
- Clarifying understanding
- Making comparisons
- Agreeing and disagreeing
Here are the references and further reading for this series of posts.
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Read all the posts in this series:
Teaching speaking #1 – Conversational routines
Teaching speaking #2 – Styles and functions of speaking; talk as interaction (i)
Teaching speaking #3 – Talk as interaction (ii)
Teaching speaking #4 – Talk as transaction
Teaching speaking #5 – Talk as performance
Teaching speaking #6 – Teaching talk as interaction
Teaching speaking #7 – Teaching talk as transaction
Teaching speaking #8 – Teaching talk as performance
Teaching speaking #9 – Evaluating performance on speaking activities