Bakhtin's dimensions of language and the analysis of conversation

The work of the Mikhail Bakhtin circle is examined to discover useful intersections between their approach to situated talk and that of conversation analysis (CA). Although the Bakhtin and CA come from distinctive traditions, they are shown to share many concepts about the analysis of conversation., Comparing the approaches yields three Bakhtinian dimensions of language: open and closed perception, ownership, and incompleteness. These dimensions are applied to three well‐known samples from the literature on analysis of talk, demonstrating how the problem space in analysis of talk can be expanded. The work of the Bakhtin circle is thus shown to be a valuable addition to the investigational repertoire of the conversation analyst.

Key concepts:

• Bakhtin
• situated talk
• conversation analysis
• sociolinguistics