Topic 11 - Conversational structure and character (Session A) > Analysing Major Barbara > Task G > Answer

Analysing Major Barbara

Task G - Our answer

Lady Britomart initiates throughout and Stephen only attempts the occasional initiation.

In turn 11, after the preliminaries in which she mainly controls Stephen's non-verbal behaviour, Lady Britomart indicates that she wants to talk to him about a serious matter, and in 15 and 17 she reveals the topic as their respective roles in running the household. She goes on to indicate why he is ready to take on more responsibility. Even when Stephen says he knows too little about the family affairs he is talking in response to his mother's topic. He almost manages to bring up a new topic (his father) in turn 24, but he can't quite manage it and his mother has to introduce it for him in 25, the turn where she raises the topic of her daughters for the first time. Lady Britomart introduces Charles Lomax in 29, and even when Stephen tries to argue against what she says about him, in turn 30, he is following her topic. In the final turn she effectively tells him he is wrong, in any case.

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