[Control of verbal exchange in physician-patient consultation. A single case study]

Following theoretical considerations by Sacks et al. (1974) and Duncan & Fiske (1977) a method for the analysis of turn-taking in dialogues is proposed. This method is used in a pilot case study of a dialogue between a doctor and his patient. The conservation is segmented into single utterances (units of analysis) within which so called speaker-relevant control signs (tags, questions, speech pauses) as well as listener-relevant control signs (hearer signals) are defined and localized. Based on this analysis the transcript of the dialogue is entered into a data base. The distribution of speaker- and listener-relevant control signs and their relation to turn-taking lead to the conclusion that the two partners of dialogue "bargain" for the takeover of the floor within a process of communication.