Show The Herald Journal Logan Utah Friday March 18 1988— Page 7 Rules of conversation may be based in physiology - LOS ANGELES An (UPI) anthropologist who has studied bartering in a remote Thai village and analyzed the dynamics of “chitchat” in a New York upholstery store says the rules of conversational speech are the same throughout all cultures Such a conclusion may seem somewhat presumptuous but Michael Moerman of the UnLos iversity of California Angeles insists there are several pervasive universal rules that can be found in conversational speech no matter where the speakers live Moreover his studies suggest these rules may reflect a more subtle evolution based on the sensory development of the human nervous system “We can only hear and process so much information at a time” said the professor who has spent the past dozen or so years studying the way people talk to each other He has found that the way speakers take turns talking tne length of speech sequences the way someone may react to interruptions and the speed with wnich people react with laughter to a humorous statement all tend to be about the same He even theorizes that it isn't necessary to speak a language in order to grasp the rules of g when listening to turn-takin- speakers converse “I find it distressing that there are these universal ” he said jokingly “I initially went into this noping to hang out with people who were different So at first all of this was rather shocking to discover “My guess is that these rules are a product of our neurophysiology on one hand and the basic properties of the communication system (language) on the other" he said Moerman bases his theories on the hundreds tape recordings he has gathered in travels over the world to listen to people talk to each other He has found that when two people are talking and there is of a second a gap of after the speaker has expected a response the speaker immediately knows that the listener is not interested two-tent- hs 'v a pitch politicians trying to woo voters and doctors at- The field of study is called conversational analysis and was started by the late UCLA sociologist Harvey Sacks about IS years ago Moerman now estimates that about two dozen researchers are in the discipline worldwide of tempting to convince a patient to undergo surgery The difference with his investigations Moerman says is that all of his findings are based on natural informal conversations not questionnaires or situations in which people were forced to talk to each other Within the years since the field of study began scholars have studied salesmen making KWIft r 'lilMfWI ! Beef Shortribs Swedish Meatballs Ham Hocks Meat Loaf Pot Pies Reubens Croissants Call —— —— for Today's Special 752-315- 5 ii lewiTiniiiiiriiniii ¥" n — mmi— i iiMMMiawriiriMiMn in f A ’Mt " rvAV-- ' A y ' L A 5M i i' f s 4 4 v ? ft ?'- - -jy M I ' i X I i v onOFF X iVoN SWEATERS &SKWSsweater pullover zed jewel neck 25Tr- 235 MEN'S Sieeaa 12 9S g OFF tscf (Jrr 1 tn Inc s snu' run ar - 20 at 25 savings - 2999 $40 Sale OFF a variety Par Four’ I iaguar' luggage OFF 25 or " Casual OFF WOMENSOCKS GIRLS9BASICSs o’ — room sizes tor any i — 9S yVand All ItNIf JLPenney n men ea®R2 Four' icluding 40OF - Jiris 450 $6 Sale 0 - OFF 25 w °c 25-35- )ur Reg a like comlortabie |