The multi‐functionality of accounts in advice giving¹

Abstract

Accounts have traditionally been understood as explanations designed to exonerate the speaker from an untoward act (e.g. account for lateness) (Scott and Lyman 1968). In this paper, I examine the use of accounts in advice giving, adopting a broader view of accounts as the reasoning provided to bolster the viability of the advice. The data set consists of 15 graduate peer tutoring sessions and a total of 143 advising sequences collected over a period of four years. Using the methodology of conversation analysis, I show that besides their remedial utility of 'repairing the broken,' accounts can also be used proactively to validate and promote a current agenda. In particular, I argue for the multi-functionality of accounts in addressing face threats, managing resistance, and doing pedagogy.

Health Internet sites: a linguistic perspective on health advice columns

“…This research is relevant since it touches on the face-threatening component of advice sequences and identifies important interactional patterns. There is indeed a body of research on advice in face-to-face educational counseling (for example, Bradbury and Koballa 2007;Bresnahan 1992;Erickson and Shultz 1982;He 1994;Vásquez 2004;Waring 2007aWaring , 2007b, radio advice programs (for example , Gaik 1992;Hudson 1990;Hutchby 1995), advice on the phone (for example, Baker, Emmisson, and Firth 2005), advice in therapeutic contexts (for example, Gaik 1992;Labov and Fanshel 1977) and everyday advising (for example, Jefferson and Lee 1992). The research foci are as diverse as the investigation of the societal norms and values that are propagated by means of advice columns (for example, Currie 2001; Gough and Talbot 1996;Mutongi 2000), the linguistic realization of advice in newspaper advice columns (for example , Franke 1996;Gough and Talbot 1996;Thibault 1988Thibault , 2002, or a study of the ''problem letter'' rather than the advice given (for example, Kreuz and Graesser 1993).…”

14. Internet advice

“…Examples include visits by health care nurses to first-time mothers (Heritage and Sefi 1992), HIV counseling sessions (e.g., Silverman 1997), and medical encounters more generally (e.g., Leppänen 1998;Pilnick 1999Pilnick , 2001Sarangi and Clarke 2002). Counseling and advising have also been researched in academic contexts (e.g., Bresnahan 1992;Erickson and Shultz 1982;He 1994;Limberg 2011;Waring 2007) and on call-in radio (e.g., Gaik 1992;Hudson 1990;Hutchby 1995). The fields of cognitive linguistics, psychology, and communication studies have tackled the topic of advising as well (e.g., Goldsmith and MacGeorge 2000;Miller and Gergen 1998;Wood and Griffiths 2007).…”

Stepwise advice negotiation in writing center peer tutoring

“…The delivery and reception of advice is one of the practices integral to a wide range of settings in both ordinary conversation (Jefferson and Lee 1992) and institutional contexts (Limberg and Locher 2012), including medical interaction (Heritage and Lindstrom 1998;Heritage and Sefi 1992;Lepp€ anen 1998;Ragan 1995), HIV counseling sessions (Kinnell and Maynard 1996;Koenig 2011;Silverman 1997), helpline calls (Landqvist 2005;Lepp€ anen 2005;Pudlinski 2002), and academic discourse (He 1994;Park 2011Park , 2012aPark , 2012bVehvil€ ainen 2001Vehvil€ ainen , 2009Vehvil€ ainen , 2012Waring 2005Waring , 2007aWaring , 2007bWaring , 2011. In advice delivery, the advice giver 'describes, recommends or otherwise forwards a preferred course of future action' (Heritage and Sefi 1992, 368).…”

“…In particular, the asymmetrical relationship between the advisor and the advisee is often highlighted in academic contexts (e.g., teacher-student and counselor-student). Advising students, which includes practices of giving feedback and proposing a solution, has been identified as one of the core practices that teachers adopt in pedagogical discourse (Angouri 2012;Ender, Winston, and Miller 1982;Koshik 2002;Limberg 2010;O'Banion 1972;Vehvil€ ainen 2009;Waring 2007a).…”