The conversational response as interpretation in action

Abstract

The work that follows proposes to highlight the community dimension of conversation. Conversation is not the product of the behaviors of interacting speakers, but the condition of these behaviors and interactions. The conversation is not the result of exchanges, but rather what guides them. In verbal exchange, we are not turned towards each other, but live with each other, in a shared being in which the other is not an object of my attention, but a partner with whom I play. Because of this partnership, I am never the sole author of my speech. The speakers do not enter the conversation with something to say. On the contrary, it's the conversation that gives each speaker something to answer. Speaking in conversation must therefore be understood as an interpretation of the meaning of the society powered by the conversation.