On the Promise of Using Membership Categorization Analysis to Investigate Interactional Competence

Abstract Interactional Competence (IC) involves speakers’ ability to make social actions recognizable one another while taking into account individual identities and role relationships (Hall Pekarek Doehler 2011). Existing IC research, however, has foregrounded the sequential features of interaction paying less attention categorial resources speakers draw on. This study uses Membership Categorization Analysis (MCA) explicate employ in interaction. The dataset comes from 22 participants with a mixture first-language second-language Chinese speakers. They were audio-recorded undertaking roleplay task Chinese—assuming an employee complaining their manager about unfair practices at work. After analysing transcribed data using MCA procedure (Stokoe 2012), we present analyses that address three foundational questions how use (i) recognizable, (ii) respond interlocutors’ actions, (iii) orient moral order We argue can provide important insight nature research.