ABSTRACT
The notion of a discourse topic is still unclear, as different discourse analysts have different perceptions of what constitutes a discourse topic and how to identify the topic of any particular discourse. This chapter reviews several theoretical concepts of ‘topic’ and highlights the strengths and shortcomings of each existing conceptualization. This chapter also proposes a comprehensive analytic lens to identify topical development such that it should begin with the topical action of introducing the topic, followed by the actions of continuing, changing, shifting, digressing and closing the topic. The second part of the chapter discusses how the concept of topical actions, which has its root in face-to-face conversation analysis, provides a useful basis for understanding the interactions that occur on Facebook Timelines.
