Ordinary talk is tightly organized even when it feels spontaneous. Conversation analysis is the empirical study of how everyday interaction is structured, based on detailed transcripts of recorded talk.

Researchers examine turn-taking, repair, sequence organization, and preference. Small features—pauses, overlaps, in-breaths—carry systematic meaning. The method grew from sociological interest in social order and now informs linguistics, anthropology, and communication studies.

Findings show how people negotiate meaning moment by moment. Applied work uses the approach in medicine, classrooms, and technology design. Commitment to naturally occurring data sets it apart from invented examples.

• Study of the organization of natural talk
• Based on closely transcribed recordings
• Analyzes turns, repair, and sequences
• Applied in everyday and institutional settings