A Critical Analysis Of Questions In Dialogues

This dissertation argues that questions are an important means to exercise power in all verbal interactions. Through a substantial statistical study, the dissertation expounds that questions are a latent powerful means in casual conversation and a prominent powerful means in institutional dialogue. Furthermore, it is pointed out that the immediate allocation of turn-taking and the temporary topic control result in the latency of questions as a powerful means in casual conversation. Comparatively, the prominence of questions as a powerful means centers on three factors: notably unequal distribution of questions producing the unequal allocation of turn-taking, dominant questions controlling both local and global topics, and Yes/No questions and Wh-questions exercising power in different degrees.The significance of the dissertation is twofold. On the one hand, the dissertation establishes the theoretical underpinning for questions and power relations. It is argued that not only is there a natural and inherent joint of questions with power, but also questions and power relations can be interpreted from social semiotics, social cognition and psychology and systemic-functional linguistics. On the other hand, the dissertation sets up a four-layered critical framework of questions. In other words, questions and power relations can be revealed at the phonological level, the lexical level, the conversational structure level and the generic structure level. Such a critical framework of questions not only enriches research on questions, but also complements Fairclough's critical tools of spoken texts in CDA.The critical framework of questions furnishes approaches for people to reveal questions and power relations in dialogues. Moreover, the critical framework of questions has been applied to both casual conversation and institutional dialogue to verify its feasibility and practicability. Besides, questions and power relations in intertextual dialogues are discussed. It is argued that questions as a prominent powerful means are reduced and power relations between participants are weakened in intertextual dialogues. It is also elaborated that two factors lead to the subtle change of questions and power relations, that is, the transformation of social status between participants and a tendency towards informality.