John Joseph Gumperz ((1972 & 1976))

A strong or weak rapport-building moment can be caused by various reasons depending on the context and speakers’ intention. For instance, the change of speech speed can implicate both speakers’ desire for attention or their interpretation of the listeners. An use of informal or emotional expression in a formal email can be read as signals for robust rapport building. Thus, situational frames (Goffman, 1974) and within its umbrella, the other two concepts — Gumperz’s (1972 & 1976) concept of contextualization cues and Goffman’s (1981) concept of footing (e.g., discourse type, personal directness, or involvement, emphasis, selection of the recipient) will be used to analyze and interpret strong and weak rapport-building moments among my data.

The concept of contextualization cues is used in my research to examine both verbal and non-verbal signs that language speakers use, and language listeners hear to give clues into relationships, the situation, and the environment of the conversation. Besides that, Brown & Levinson raised the concept of politeness theory in 1987, saying the interlocutors use particular strategies to achieve successful communication & create a maximally comfortable environment for communication.