Analyzing discontinuous speech in EU conversations: A methodological proposal

Conversation is commonly described as an ordered and linear phenomenon. Using an extreme example of talk-in-interaction in a European Union consultative institution, this paper proposes a methodology which makes it possible to analyze also discontinuous and chaotic features of conversations. The communicative interaction in this setting constitutes a process which is not directly translatable into ordered sequences of relevant elements. On the contrary, it achieves its goal of elaborating a collective opinion in a chaotic way that can be described as multiple processes developing in parallel. The conversations appear as a collection of units with a particularly complex configuration that does not conform to the classical structures of linguistic exchanges and communicative dynamics. The paper focuses on how to describe the incessant discursive fluctuations, by identifying topical changes within speakers’ interventions and from one speaker intervention to another.