In comparison with this situation, it is interesting to look at the greeting patterns of male friends. This example was observed while eating at the dining hall. A group of students, all on BU’s rowing team, was seating at a round table, enjoying their breakfast, laughing and conversing. Then, another one of their friends arrived, and joined them. From their behavior, it was evident that this group of men was close, and that the arriving student was seeing his friends for the first time that day. This is a similar situation from the previous, but the greeting received and given by the student differs. In fact, as he walked towards the group’s usual table, a plate in hand, his friends spotted him, and from afar, greeted him with simple “Hey
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In fact, greeting patterns are situation-specific, and differ according to the participants’ relationship with another and their social status within the community of practice (Duranti 191). As Duranti explains, greetings take place at the beginning of the encounter and “the adjacency of pair structure makes sense if greetings are exchanges in which participants test each other’s relationship” (Duranti 192). In fact, this can be applied to most of the examples here, where, two women try to establish if they are still friends, a professor imposes his authority, or where a man acknowledges his responsibilities towards his girlfriend. Duranti goes on to relate that, “even when there is no speech, there are usually plenty semiotic resources in an encounter for participants to give out information about themselves, and make inferences about others” (Duranti 193). This can be seen in the situation between the group of friends or the two female best friends, as there behavior says more than their verbal greeting. It is also clear in the example of the professor and the student, that the professor asserts his dominance, and informs the student of that, by making him wait, standing over him while extending his hand to shake, and displays his authority when he asks whether the student is ready and he responds by thanking him. The
In fact, greeting patterns are situation-specific, and differ according to the participants’ relationship with another and their social status within the community of practice (Duranti 191). As Duranti explains, greetings take place at the beginning of the encounter and “the adjacency of pair structure makes sense if greetings are exchanges in which participants test each other’s relationship” (Duranti 192). In fact, this can be applied to most of the examples here, where, two women try to establish if they are still friends, a professor imposes his authority, or where a man acknowledges his responsibilities towards his girlfriend. Duranti goes on to relate that, “even when there is no speech, there are usually plenty semiotic resources in an encounter for participants to give out information about themselves, and make inferences about others” (Duranti 193). This can be seen in the situation between the group of friends or the two female best friends, as there behavior says more than their verbal greeting. It is also clear in the example of the professor and the student, that the professor asserts his dominance, and informs the student of that, by making him wait, standing over him while extending his hand to shake, and displays his authority when he asks whether the student is ready and he responds by thanking him. The