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negatively align in their joint discussion of a more objective topic. Negative
alignment is achieved through the proffering of individuated perspectives on the
discussion. Again, this is characteristic of alignment practices in German
sociable conversation.
Both these short examples of alignment in sociable episodes reflect the
prevailing conversation styles identified in Chapter 5. What is evidenced by
identifying the shifts in alignment made as part and parcel of their playing out, is
that such practices, both negative and positive, allow for the achievement and
sustaining of sociable conversation in each milieu. At a conversational level
though - i. e. at the level of conversational claims - alignment is realised
differently in what manifests itself as English and German sociable style.
Having initially indicated how both positive and negative alignments can
be sustained interactionally, I now want to consider in more detail both positive
and negative conversational claims respectively.
6.3 Positive and Negative Claims: Their Ratification and
Support
As I mentioned earlier (see Chapter 3), claims in talk require recognition,
ratification, and support to be successfully made. This requirement applies
equally to both positive and negative claims; in order to be successful, both
solidaric and individuated claims needs to be recognised as such by co-present
participants, and ratified through appropriate conversational alignment. I will talk
more later about conversational alignment (see Chapter 8) but first I want to
illustrate briefly moments were both positive and negative claims can be seen to
have been ratified (Cf. 6.4).
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