By interactional speaking, we are looking at casual

conversation. Two or more people sitting around

chatting about many things. The rules are completely
different in this style of conversation. Topics will
change very often, a conversation that starts about
the weather might move into sports and then into
current news before ending. There are still many
social rules in this type of conversation, but the rules
are very different.
In interactional speaking, we use many rejoinders,
such as, Really? or Oh no!. We often interrupt
each other, where one person will stop the other
person from speaking by asking a question. In
transactional speaking this would be very rude and is
generally not done. That sort of thing.
Interaction occurs when two people are engaged in a
dialogue or actively participating in the process.

TRANSACTIONAL

Transctional
v
Interactiona
l (1)
Aims and
consequenc
es

Aim is for hearer

to understand
message
correctly
It has an effect
on the world

INTERACTIONAL
Aim is for hearer
to feel that
speaker is
friendly
It does not have
an effect on the
world
4

Transactional v Interactional (2)

INTERACTIONAL
Typical contexts
TRANSACTIONAL
Doctor-patient
Customer-bank
clerk
Teacher-pupil

Phoning mum
Visiting a friend
in hospital
Chatting at a bus
stop
Internet chat
Talking to the
dog
5

Transactional v Interactional (3)

Typical content
INTERACTIONAL
TRANSACTIONAL
how to take the
medicine
how to open an
account
how to do fractions
recipe details

greetings
coldness of the
weather
lateness of the
bus
prettiness of the
baby