ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that a conversation analytic perspective, that interactional competence can and should be developed from the outset in tandem with one’s linguistic competence. It demonstrates how, in a short phone conversation between two proficient speakers of English, one can find a rich array of evidence of interactional competence despite the fact that only a limited set of linguistic resources are drawn upon. The chapter shows that by sharing the design, implementation and outcome of an intervention class, how that same conversation can be used as material for helping lower-level learners develop their interactional competence. One way to sidestep the conundrum of competence is to shift from a discussion that focuses on competence to one that focuses on practices—the methods of interaction that are the observable manifestations of one’s interactional competence. The model begins with turn-taking practices at its base—the foundation of interactional competence.
