TALKING BIG ABOUT SMALL TALK Talking Big About Small Talk

264 Pages·2014·3.48 MB·English

Running head: TALKING BIG ABOUT SMALL TALK

Talking Big About Small Talk: A Contemporary Theoretical Model for Phatic
Communication

Fabiana González Manzo
Mount Saint Vincent University

Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Arts
Communication
TALKING BIG ABOUT SMALL TALK

© Fabiana González Manzo 2014
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Abstract
This thesis views phatic communication as a discursive mechanism relevant to the
establishment and maintenance of social bonds, even in contemporary times. The
theoretical framework that guides this research is Thomas Scheff's sociological Bond
Theory. Through it, the functional significance of phatic communication in interpersonal
relationships and society at large is characterized. Further attention is given to phaticity in
social media, where online social platforms are used to establish and maintain bonds
through different mechanisms. The framework for this purpose comes from the work of
sociologist Vincent Miller and his concept of phatic culture. A theoretical model for
phatic communication is elaborated through a classificatory scheme that identifies the
formal and structural characteristics of phatic communication and phatic gestures. In
consort with this process, representative illustrations of phatic communication are
presented and explained from fabricated and secondary data. Sources for analysis include
social occasions, such as greetings and spontaneous conversation in transient space,
dialogues in work places, and exchanges in private contexts.

Keywords: phatic communication, phatic, phaticity, antiphatic, antiphaticity, non-phatic,
phatic culture, politeness, small talk, weather talk, chit chat, casual conversation, social
bond, bond theory, social media, social network, phatic community, communication
online, communication 2.0, Twitter, hashtags, connectedness, presence, linguistic tokens,
phatic tokens, phatic gestures, Thomas Scheff, Vincent Miller
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Dedication
To my grandparents: María Teresa Aguerrevere Orsini and Antonio Julio Manzo
Henríquez. Words are not even necessary when we share such a strong bond.

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Acknowledgments
Special thanks for her time, effort and support, to my academic advisor, Alla
Kushniryk. Also thanks to my thesis committee, DeNel Rehberg Sedo and Tony Yue.
Thanks to my great friend María Karina García for her valuable insight. And finally,
thanks to my mom, Marita Manzo, and her husband John Robb.

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Table of Contents
List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... x
List of Figures .................................................................................................................... xi
Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1
Talking Big About Small Talk ......................................................................................... 1
Chapter 2: Definitions ......................................................................................................... 6
What is Phatic Communication? ..................................................................................... 6
Introductory Concepts ................................................................................................ 6
Phatic communion. ................................................................................................. 6
Phatic communication. ............................................................................................ 8
Small talk. ............................................................................................................... 9
Other terms. ........................................................................................................... 11
Phaticity. ............................................................................................................... 12
Phatic culture. ....................................................................................................... 12
Non-phatic. ............................................................................................................ 14
Defining Phatic Communication Today .................................................................. 16
Proposed working definition. ................................................................................ 18
Chapter 3: Theoretical Framework ................................................................................... 22
Between Bonds and Connections ................................................................................... 22
Scheff’s Bond Theory ............................................................................................... 22
Miller’s Phatic Culture ............................................................................................. 40
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Chapter 4: Theoretical Model of Phatic Communication ................................................. 51
Rethinking Phatic Communication ............................................................................... 51
Introduction of the Model ........................................................................................ 52
Explanation of the Model ......................................................................................... 53
1. Nature of Phatic Communication ........................................................................ 55
1.1 Superfluous versus complex duality. .............................................................. 55
1.2 Communion versus communication. .............................................................. 65
2. Scope of Phatic Communication .......................................................................... 67
2.1 Oral communication. ....................................................................................... 68
2.2 Written communication. ................................................................................. 68
2.3 Gestures. .......................................................................................................... 69
2.4 Online and offline. .......................................................................................... 70
4.1.4 Personal or corporate sender. ....................................................................... 72
3. Functions of Phatic Communication ................................................................... 75
3.1 Relational function. ......................................................................................... 76
3.1.1 Acknowledgment. ................................................................................... 78
3.1.2 Social bonds. .......................................................................................... 83
3.1.3 Community and solidarity. ..................................................................... 88
3.2 Indexical function. .......................................................................................... 93
3.3 Normative function. ........................................................................................ 97
3.3.1 Maxim of politeness. ............................................................................ 100
3.3.1.1 Social lubricant and management of silence. ................................... 105
3.3.1.1.1 Jokes. .............................................................................................. 107
3.3.1.1.2 Compliments and complaints. ........................................................ 113
3.3.1.2 Agreement. ........................................................................................ 115
3.3.2 Ritual behaviour. .................................................................................. 116
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3.3.3 Cooperation. ........................................................................................ 123
4. Typology of Phatic Communication .................................................................. 129
4.1 According to context. .................................................................................... 129
4.1.1 Existent or nonexistent bond. ............................................................... 132
4.1.2 Social distance. .................................................................................... 133
4.1.3 Social hierarchy. .................................................................................. 137
4.2 According to direction. ................................................................................. 140
4.2.1 Neutral tokens. ..................................................................................... 140
4.2.2 Self-oriented and other-oriented tokens. .............................................. 141
4.3 According to content. .................................................................................... 143
4.3.1 Transitional. ......................................................................................... 143
4.3.2 Gradient. .............................................................................................. 145
4.3.3 Antiphaticity. ........................................................................................ 150
4.4 According to placement. ............................................................................... 154
4.4.1 Opening phase. .................................................................................... 156
4.4.2 Medial phase. ....................................................................................... 158
4.4.3 Closing phase. ...................................................................................... 160
5. Scenarios of Phatic Communication ................................................................. 163
5.1 Everyday life. ................................................................................................ 165
5.2 Pop culture. ................................................................................................... 176
From the show Curb Your Enthusiasm. ........................................................ 176
From the show Spun Out. ............................................................................. 176
From the show Bones. ................................................................................... 177
From the show The Big Bang Theory. .......................................................... 178
From the show Selfie. ................................................................................... 179
5.3 Professional fields. ........................................................................................ 180
5.4 Cross cultural communication. ..................................................................... 187
5.4.1 Second-language acquisition. .............................................................. 192
5.5 Social media. ................................................................................................. 198
5.5.1 A closer look into Twitter and hashtags as phatic tokens. ................... 210
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5.5.2 Discussion: So, how bonded are we, really? ....................................... 223
Chapter 5: Concluding Thoughts .................................................................................... 230
Is Phatic Communication Still Relevant Today? ....................................................... 230
References ....................................................................................................................... 235
Appendix ......................................................................................................................... 247
Online and Offline Examples of Phatic Communication ............................................... 247

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List of Tables
Table 1. Online/Offline-Personal/Corporate Phatic Communication ............................. 244

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