Talk and silence in The Interrogation

Abstract

Talk and silence are two general, analytic categories applied to a pragmatic study of a filmscript Przesltichanie ('The Interrogation') by Ryszard Bugajskl. The analysis follows a frame analytic approach in demonstrating how talk and silence are interchangeably used as dominant surface linguistic forms across different interactive frames. It is also shown how talk and silence are part of the metamessage of interaction, i.e. how they frame utterances and how they are used to establish the footing between interactants. Frame analysis is a dynamic framework for the analysis of discourse. Frame shifting can account for many impediments in communication as well as the negotiation of participants' multiple goals in discourse. The text of The Interrogation, which is largely centred on conflict between the main character (Tonia) and two interrogating officers, lends itself particularly well to such a dynamic analysis. Copyright © 1998 SAGE Publications.