| Small talk, also known as phatic communication, is a speech event that occurs between strangers or acquaintances with the purpose of establishing rapport. It consists of utterances that tend to be formulaic and predictable. For the language learner, these expressions and their appropriate responses may cause difficulties in conversing in the target language. Language teachers may be interested in small talk as a course topic.;The results of a needs analysis given to a group of Austrian engineers indicated a need for coursework on socializing and small talk. Formal research and pertinent curricula for small talk were sparse, though many popular publications were found. From the information reviewed, a small talk curriculum based on English for Specific Purposes was developed. |
