Research
I am a conversation analyst whose research investigates the connection between grammar and interaction on the one hand, and language use in different cultures on the other. I am currently involved in two major projects, one on response tokens and the other on methodological questions in pragmatic research. For a complete list of my publications, see my CV.
Response Tokens
Project Description:
I am studying German response tokens (such as ach, achso, achja, naja, tja, jaja, etc.) in terms of their functions and use. Response tokens are ubiquitous in spoken interaction and provide systematic means through which members of a speech community accomplish interactional, cognitive, and affective actions. Thus, response tokens have profound implications for fundamental issues in managing human sociality. By comparing German response tokens to tokens in other languages (e.g., American English, Japanese, etc.), I also address the cultural (non)specificity of the various practices under investigation.
Presentations/Publications:
Golato, A. (in press). Turn-initial naja in German. In M.L. Sorjonen & J. Heritage (Eds.). At the Intersection of Turn and Sequence: Turn-Initial Particles Across Languages. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Taleghani-Nikazm, C. & Golato, A. (2016). Jaja in spoken German: Managing knowledge expectations. Unterrichtspraxis, 49(1), 80-96.
Golato, A. (2012). German oh: Marking an emotional change of-state. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 45(3), 1-24.
Barske, T. & Golato, A. (2010). German so: Managing sequence and action. Text & Talk, 30(3), 245-266.
Golato, A. (2010). Marking understanding versus receipting information in talk: achso. and ach in German interaction. Discourse Studies, 12(2), 147-176.
Golato, A & Fagyal, Z. (2008). Comparing single and double sayings of the German response token ja and the role of prosody – A conversation analytic perspective. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 41(3), 1-30.
Betz, E. & Golato, A. (2008). Remembering relevant information and withholding relevant next actions: The German token achja. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 41(1), 58-98.
Golato, A. & Betz, E. (2008). German ach and achso in repair uptake: Resources to sustain or remove epistemic asymmetry. Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft, 27, 7-37.
Methodological Questions in Pragmatics
Project Description:
This project, which I am working on with Peter Golato, a psycholinguist, explores questions of methodology in pragmatics. Specifically, we explore what methods of data collection are appropriate for various types of research questions. Specifically, we explore the concept of naturally occurring data in conversation analytic research and options for combining conversation analysis methods with experimental procedures more commonly used in psycholinguistics.
Presentations/Publications:
Golato, A. and Golato, P. (in press). Ethnomethodology and conversation analysis. In A.H. Jucker, K.P. Schneider, & W. Bublitz, (Eds.). Handbook of Pragmatics. Berlin: de Gruyter.
Golato, A. (2017). Naturally occurring data. In A. Barron, Y. Gu, & G. Steen, (Eds.) Routledge Handbook of Pragmatics (pp. 21-26). London/New York: Routledge.
Golato, A. & Golato, P. (2012). “Pragmatics Research Methods”. In C.A. Chapelle (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell *
Golato, A. & Golato, P. (2012). “Speech Acts”. In C.A. Chapelle (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Golato, P. & Golato, A. "Second Language Processing of a Discursive Practice in German: Evidence from Self-Paced Reading," Paper presented at the American Association of Applied Linguistics 2012 Annual Conference, Boston, MA, March 24-27, 2012.
Golato, P. & Golato, A.“A hybrid, ethnomethodological-experimental approach to examining L2 pragmatic development in German,” Paper presented at SLRF 2008, Honolulu, HI, October 17-19. Part of a panel organized by A. Golato & P. Golato entitled “Combining Conversation Analysis and SLA: Avenues for Research”