CONVERSATIONS: SOFTWARE FOR THE SEMI-AUTOMATIC ANALYSIS OF CONVERSATIONAL STRUCTURE

Abstract

Interaction analysis is one of the structural features that can be measured in any dialogic discursive genre, regardless of the language or culture in which it occurs. To address this task, the Conversations software is presented as a tool designed to simplify and enrich the analysis of dialogic discourses. Based on the unit system of the Val.Es.Co. group (2003, 2014; Pons, 2022) and built upon the Interactive Visualization Tool (VIV) (Briz, 2006, 2007; Espinosa-Guerri, 2016, 2024), Conversations allows for the graphical representation, labeling, and semi-automatic quantification of interaction. In this article, we aim to present its key features, which include: (1) the creation of interactive analyses of any dialogic discourse in a simple and visual way that identifies both the type of intervention and the type of interactive structure in which they are inserted, and (2) the automatic counting of variables such as interventions, figures, and dialogues along with their classification. Although the software is still in beta phase, its features simplify the analysis of interactive patterns, facilitating the study of communicative organization in human dialogues. Consequently, Conversations is positioned as a tool that expands the possibilities for exploration and interpretation in the field of discourse analysis.