William Labov

William Labov

William Labov is the theorist who categorised the social linguist known as spoken discourse structures. Labov was best known for the work he carried out 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 aims to start an analysis to discover structural regularities beneath the conversations between people. Mainly through a client and customer conversation. Labov then created 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. 

Such as: “everyone settle down, never guess what happened today”

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

For example: "So today, I went to the beach with my mum and sister"

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

For example: "When we was sitting on the beach, seagulls began to swarm around us, people began to run to get under cover from them when the seagull pooed"

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

For example"As an elderly woman began to run, she tripped over a stone and twisted her ankle, she then got rushed to the hospital as she cried out in pain"

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

For example: "So what seemed to be a great idea for the lovely weather, we ended up accompanying the elderly lady in the hospital for some company"

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

 

There were also four main evaluations that Labov studied:

 

EXTERNAL EVALUATION - Added by the narrator at the time of recounting and not usually part of the series of events.

INTERNAL EVALUATION - Occurring at the same time as those detailing in the complicating action.

INTENSIFYING EVALUATION - Contributing via gestures, repetitions or dramatic sounds.

EXPLICATIVE EVALUATION - Proving reasons for narrative events.