Nonverbal regulators in structural sequences initiation of conversation narratives: A sociopragmatic study Los reguladores no verbales de inicio de secuencia estructural en narraciones conversacionales: Un estudio sociopragmático

Abstract

The present study, based on 54 co-constructed narratives of couples living in Santiago de Chile, investigates patterns of nonverbal regulators in structural sequences initiation of conversation narratives in relation to gender and socio-economic indicators. Our hypothesis is that there is a variation in how these nonverbal regulators are used within this type of discourse. The inductive analysis does not only allow a categorization of nonverbal regulators in structural sequences initiation of conversation narratives, but also permits to certify the existence of well-defined sequential regulators. Some of the regulators are very frequent in the first part of the narratives and others are more common in the closing sequence. Eventually, the results suggest that such a variation in the use of nonverbal regulators in structural sequences initiation exists and that it is especially related to gender indicators.