Roberts2004
| Roberts2004 | |
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| BibType | ARTICLE |
| Key | Roberts2004 |
| Author(s) | Felicia Roberts |
| Title | Speaking to and for Animals in a Veterinary Clinic: A Practice for Managing Interpersonal Interaction |
| Editor(s) | |
| Tag(s) | EMCA, Animals, Veterinary Clinic, Pets |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited |
| Year | 2004 |
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| Month | oct |
| Journal | Research on Language & Social Interaction |
| Volume | 37 |
| Number | 4 |
| Pages | 421–446 |
| URL | |
| DOI | 10.1207/s15327973rlsi3704_2 |
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Abstract
Based on observations of 185 veterinary clinic visits, 10 of which were videotaped, in this study, I extend the empirical investigation of animal-directed talk as a resource for organizing and managing social interaction. In the veterinary setting, personnel balance a variety of tasks: sustaining an expert demeanor, caring for animals, and maintaining good client relations. In this investigation, I reveal how juggling these sometimes competing activities is accomplished through talk directed at pets and occasionally on behalf of pets (in the animal's voice). Such animal directed and animal authored utterances may also avert professionally (and socially) risky activities such as foregrounding incorrect caretaking of a pet or derailing client complaints about the pet. More generalized tasks, such as entering into interaction and navigating apologies, are also accomplished through animal directed talk. Although wide ranging in function, the collection of sequences I analyzed in this study reveal how humans deploy an animal's presence as a resource in managing both institutional and everyday dilemmas of interaction.
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