Power in Discourse: The Case of Arguments on a British Talk Radio Show

Abstract

This article presents an approach to exploring the ways in which power functions in institutional discourse. The principal aim of the article is to show how the play of power in discourse can be analysed from the fundamentally local, sequential perspective of conversation analysis. I argue that power is best seen as a shifting distribution of resources which enable some participants locally to achieve interactional effects not available to others. Using calls to a British talk radio show as a case study, I show how these resources are linked to the interactional and technological organization of participation in the setting.