(Amphithéâtre)

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  Ruusuvuori, Johanna (Dept. of Sociology and Social Psychology, University of Tampere)
  Peräkylä, Anssi (Department of Sociology, University of Helsinki)

Facial Expressions in Evaluations

The role of facial expression in the dynamics of conversational interaction will be examined. We will focus on a specifi c action, evaluation, by examining the different tasks that the facial expressions manage in producing the evaluation, and the interplay of the speakers and the hearer’s facial expressions. It will be argued that the facial expression has two functions in the delivery and reception of evaluation. One is to modify the meaning and valence of the evaluation. The other is to manage the momentary social relation between the participants. The data consists of three 30 minute lunch conversations between two students, videotaped and transcribed. The data are quasi-natural, as their collection was initiated by the researchers. The conversations were recorded with three video-cameras, through a splitter, to result in a three-part picture where the faces of both participants and an overall view are shown simultaneously. Two single cases will be presented. With the help of these cases, we will show how facial expression can both strengthen and modify the meaning expressed in the lexical content of the evaluation. These cases will also illustrate some ways in which the face can produce closeness or distance between the participants.