Abstract:
The aims of this study are to study and analyze the role of intimacy on choices of sequences and strategies in opening telephone conversations in Thai. The data consist of 300 telephone openings collected during April and May 2000. Recordings were obtained from 30 Thai speakers who speak Central Thai and live in Bangkok and the area around Bangkok. It is found that opening telephone conversations by Thai speakers can be described in four sequences : summons-answer, identification recognition, greetings, and small talk. The small talk sequence is found to be a characteristic of Thai culture. Strategies in the summons-answer sequence consist of the use of answer terms, the use of final particles, and self-identification. Strategies in the identification - recognition sequence include requesting, calling the answerer by using an address term, giving self-identification, asking questions about the answerer, using answer terms, and joking . Strategies in the greeting sequence are divided into two types : simple and complex strategies. Simple strategies comprise using greeting terms, using final particle , and exclaiming. Complex strategies include uses of greeting terms and address terms, of exclamation words and greeting terms, of greeting terms followed by topics. Strategies in the small talk sequence consist of asking questions or paying notice to the state, work or activity of the answerer, asking about the answerer's health and general well-being, inquiring about the answerer's activity in the future, giving reasons for calling, referring to the third person, asking about the event or activity of the answerer in the past, blaming, recalling, talking about the weather, and inquiring about the answerer's behavior. In addition, it is also found that intimacy relates significantly with the choices of sequences and strategies in the openings (p < 0.0005). For example, in the identification - recognition sequence, well-acquainted speakers tend to call answerers by using address terms, whereas less-acquainted speakers prefer giving self-identification. Contrary to the small talk sequence which is found mainly in the well-acquainted group, the greeting sequence is found least. However, there is no relationship between intimacy and the summons-answer sequence. In other words, this sequence is found in all groups and answering strategies reflect the answerer's personal style.