A Study On The Conflict Talks In Workplace In The Apprentice Based On The Adaptation Theory

Conflict talk is a very common linguistic phenomenon in society,which belongs to the field of discourse analysis research.Recently,there are many researches on conflict talk from different perspectives,such as sociology,anthropology and linguistics.All those studies have paid attention to conflict talk itself,mainly focusing on exploring the structure of conflict talk consisting of initiation,development and termination and discovering the detailed processes.Few studies have touched upon the specific features of conflict talk,the causes of the occurrence of conflict talk,how to choose the terminating patterns of conflict talk and how to make proper linguistic choices for mitigating conflict talk then maintain interpersonal relationship.The present study is concentrated on investigating the factors which lead to the occurrence of conflict talk,the subsequent terminating patterns as a result of responses to conflict talks and the choices of mitigating strategies as realizations of adaptation then manage rapport in workplace.Firstly,the present study will be carried out by the analysis with the qualitative mainly and quantitative research methods.Based on Verschueren’s Adaptation Theory,language use is the process of the continuous making of linguistic choices,consciously or unconsciously,external or internal.Language users can make all kinds of choices because language has three characteristics: variability,negotiability and adaptability.And the most important one for successful interaction is adaptability.Language users should make a dynamic adaptation to the contextual factors to achieve the targets in the process of communication.However,not all the language users can adapt to these dynamic factors.So a detailed pragmatic analysis of conflict talk in the data collected from the American Reality TV Show The Apprentice produced by NBC will be conducted.We will take a close look at how the interlocutors fail to make adaptation to the contextual factors of physical world,social world and mental world,and what categories of terminating patterns the interlocutors choose and which kinds of terminating patterns can be used in a positive way for mitigation.Secondly,through the analysis of conflict talk,Major findings are shown in the following aspects.There exist big differences in the causes of the occurrence of conflict talk and the choices of terminating patterns in situations which the interlocutors are with equal powers(colleagues)and unequal powers(superiors and subordinates).When interlocutors are with equal power,they are seldom to seek proper strategies to remit conflict,while the interlocutors with unequal powers,they frequently choose to terminate conflict talk by mitigating strategies;another aspect is analyzed by conducting a more in-depth analysis of the responses of conflict talk,which are as results of terminating patterns.It can show that most of mitigating responses,here say mitigating strategies,are employed firstly by the interlocutors with low powers because of attendance to the face of the other party with high power or high social status.When in the specific workplace,the relations between colleagues and between superior and subordinate are relatively simple to be figured out.So it requires people to pay more attention to the differences of powers in communication.In short,conflict talk frequently exists in the communication,which is accompanied by various terminating patterns as mitigation strategies to respond to conflict talks.The research on conflict talk and terminating patterns is of a practical significance,especially in workplace or business context which language users are always with specific goals and interests.It is becoming increasingly important for language users to make appropriate choices and make adaptation to the contextual correlates in communication.In this complex social system,it is more demanding for the participators to make efforts to minimize conflicts and achieve win-win result.This research can provide some suggestions and practical values for the interlocutors in business context to understand conflict talk and then avoid conflict talk for interpersonal harmony.