Negotiating Social Relations - Tenor Resources in English - Y.J. Doran
Tuning: Adjusting the Meanings We Share
Negotiating Social Relations - Tenor Resources in English - Y.J. Doran
Y.J. Doran [+]
University of Sydney
J.R. Martin [+]
University of Sydney
Michele Zappavigna [+]
University of New South Wales
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Description
This chapter introduces the final set of resources within the proposed model of tenor, namely TUNING. The resources of TUNING concern how we nuance the meanings we put forward – how we raise or lower the stakes of what is being said, how we broaden or narrow the scope of what they apply to, and how we vary the spirit in which the meanings are being put forward. This chapter will show that finessing meanings along these dimensions underpins much of the dynamics of conversation and of broader text. It will illustrate that these resources help maintain communality (if this is what speakers wish for) or disrupt it (if this is what is needed). The chapter in particular shows how these resources are drawn on in both face-to-face dialogue and online multilogue where people affiliate together ambiently, engaging with whoever comes along at any time.