From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
«Convo» redirects here. For the mobile app, see Convoz.
Conversation is interactive communication between two or more people. The development of conversational skills and etiquette is an important part of socialization. The development of conversational skills in a new language is a frequent focus of language teaching and learning. Conversation analysis is a branch of sociology which studies the structure and organization of human interaction, with a more specific focus on conversational interaction.
Definition and characterization[edit]
No generally accepted definition of conversation exists, beyond the fact that a conversation involves at least two people talking together.[1] Consequently, the term is often defined by what it is not. A ritualized exchange such as a mutual greeting is not a conversation, and an interaction that includes a marked status differential (such as a boss giving orders) is also not a conversation.[2] An interaction with a tightly focused topic or purpose is also generally not considered a conversation.[3] Summarizing these properties, one authority writes that «Conversation is the kind of speech that happens informally, symmetrically, and for the purposes of establishing and maintaining social ties.»[4]
From a less technical perspective, a writer on etiquette in the early 20th century defined conversation as the polite give and take of subjects thought of by people talking with each other for company.[5]
Conversations follow rules of etiquette because conversations are social interactions, and therefore depend on social convention. Specific rules for conversation arise from the cooperative principle. Failure to adhere to these rules causes the conversation to deteriorate or eventually to end. Contributions to a conversation are responses to what has previously been said.
Conversations may be the optimal form of communication, depending on the participants’ intended ends. Conversations may be ideal when, for example, each party desires a relatively equal exchange of information, or when the parties desire to build social ties. On the other hand, if permanency or the ability to review such information is important, written communication may be ideal. Or if time-efficient communication is most important, a speech may be preferable.
Conversation involves a lot more nuanced and implied context that lies beneath just the words.[6]
Conversation is generally face-to-face person-to-person at the same time (synchronous) – possibly online with video applications such as Skype, but might also include audio-only phone calls. It would not generally include internet written communication which tends to be asynchronous (not same time – can read and respond later if at all) and does not fit the ‘con’=’with’ in ‘conversation’. In face to face conversation it has been suggested that 85% of the communication is non-verbal/body language – a smile, a frown, a shrug, tone of voice conveying much added meaning to the mere words. Short forms of written communication such as sms are thus frequently misunderstood.
Classification[edit]
Banter[edit]
Banter is short witty sentences that bounce back and forth between individuals. Often banter uses clever put-downs and witty insults similar to flyting, misunderstandings (often intentional), zippy wisecracks, zingers, flirtation, and puns. The idea is that each line of banter should «top» the one before it and be, in short, a verbal war of wit.
Films that have used banter as a way of structure in conversations are:
- Bringing Up Baby (1938)
- His Girl Friday (1940)
- The Big Sleep (1946)
- Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Important factors in delivering a banter is the subtext, situation and the rapport with the person. Every line in a banter should be able to evoke both an emotional response and ownership without hurting one’s feelings. Following a structure that the involved parties understand is important, even if the subject and structure is absurd, a certain level of progression should be kept in a manner that it connects with the involved parties.
Different methods of story telling could be used in delivering banter, like making an unexpected turn in the flow of structure (interrupting a comfortable structure), taking the conversation towards an expected crude form with evoking questions, doubts, self-conscientiousness (creating intentional misunderstandings), or layering the existing pattern with multiple anchors. It is important to quit the bantering with the sensibility of playground rules, both parties shouldn’t obsess on topping each other, continuously after a certain point of interest. It is as Shakespeare said «Brevity is the soul of wit.»[7]
Discussion[edit]
Discussion between two old friends
One element of conversation is discussion: sharing opinions on subjects that are thought of during the conversation. In polite society the subject changes before discussion becomes dispute or controversial. For example, if theology is being discussed, maybe no one is insisting a particular view be accepted.[8]
Subject[edit]
Many conversations can be divided into four categories according to their major subject content:
- Subjective ideas, which often serve to extend understanding and awareness.
- Objective facts, which may serve to consolidate a widely held view.
- Other people (usually absent), which may be either critical, competitive, or supportive. This includes gossip.
- Oneself, which sometimes indicate attention-seeking behavior or can provide relevant information about oneself to participants in the conversation.
The proportional distribution of any given conversation between the categories can offer useful psychological insights into the mind set of the participants. Practically, however, few conversations fall exclusively into one category. This is the reason that the majority of conversations are difficult to categorize.
Functions[edit]
Most conversations may be classified by their goal. Conversational ends may shift over the life of the conversation.
- Functional conversation is designed to convey information in order to help achieve an individual or group goal.
- Small talk is a type of conversation where the topic is less important than the social purpose of achieving bonding between people or managing personal distance, such as ‘how is the weather’ might be portrayed as an example, which conveys no practicality whatsoever.
Aspects[edit]
Differences between men and women[edit]
A study completed in July 2007 by Matthias Mehl of the University of Arizona shows that contrary to popular belief, there is little difference in the number of words used by men and women in conversation.[9] The study showed that on average each gender uses about 16,000 words per day.
Between strangers[edit]
There are certain situations, typically encountered while traveling, which result in strangers sharing what would ordinarily be an intimate social space such as sitting together on a bus or airplane. In such situations strangers are likely to share intimate personal information they would not ordinarily share with strangers. A special case emerges when one of the travelers is a mental health professional and the other party shares details of their personal life in the apparent hope of receiving help or advice.[10]
Narcissism[edit]
Conversational narcissism is a term used by sociologist Charles Derber in his book, The Pursuit of Attention: Power and Ego in Everyday Life.
Derber observed that the social support system in America is relatively weak, and this leads people to compete mightily for attention. In social situations, they tend to steer the conversation away from others and toward themselves. «Conversational narcissism is the key manifestation of the dominant attention-getting psychology in America,» he wrote. «It occurs in informal conversations among friends, family and coworkers. The profusion of popular literature about listening and the etiquette of managing those who talk constantly about themselves suggests its pervasiveness in everyday life.»[11]
What Derber describes as «conversational narcissism» often occurs subtly rather than overtly because it is prudent to avoid being judged an egotist.
Derber distinguishes the «shift-response» from the «support-response». A shift response takes the focus of attention away from the last speaker and refocuses on the new speaker, as in: «John: I’m feeling really starved. Mary: Oh, I just ate.» Whereas a support response maintains the focus on the last speaker, as in: «John: I’m feeling really starved. Mary: When was the last time you ate?»
Artificial intelligence[edit]
The ability to generate conversation that cannot be distinguished from a human participant has been one test of a successful artificial intelligence (the Turing test). A human judge engages in a natural-language conversation with one human and one machine, during which the machine tries to appear human (and the human does not try to appear other than human). If the judge cannot tell the machine from the human, the machine is said to have passed the test. One limitation of this test is that the conversation is by text as opposed to speech, not allowing tone to be shown.
One’s self[edit]
Also called intrapersonal communication, the act of conversing with oneself can help solve problems or serve therapeutic purposes like avoiding silence.
Literature[edit]
Authors who have written extensively on conversation and attempted to analyze its nature include:
- Milton Wright wrote The Art of Conversation, a comprehensive treatment of the subject, in 1936. The book deals with conversation both for its own sake, and for political, sales, or religious ends. Milton portrays conversation as an art or creation that people can play with and give life to.
- Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Al Switzler, and Ron McMillan have written two New York Times bestselling books on conversation. The first one, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High, McGraw-Hill, 2002, teaches skills for handling disagreement and high-stakes issues at work and at home. The second book, Crucial Accountability: Tools for Resolving Violated Expectations, Broken Commitments, and Bad Behavior, McGraw-Hill, 2013, teaches important skills for dealing with accountability issues.
- Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most (Viking Penguin, 1999), a book by Bruce Patton, Douglas Patterson and Sheila Heen was one of the work products from the Harvard Negotiation Project. This book built on, and extended the approach developed by Roger Fisher and William Ury in Getting To Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (Houghton Mifflin, 1981). The book introduced useful concepts such as the Three Conversations (The ‘What Happened’ Conversation, The Feelings Conversation, and The Identity Conversation), Creating a Learning Conversation, and Collaborative Problem Solving.
- Charles Blattberg has written two books defending an approach to politics that emphasizes conversation, in contrast to negotiation, as the preferred means of resolving conflict. His From Pluralist to Patriotic Politics: Putting Practice First, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2000, ISBN 0-19-829688-6, is a work of political philosophy; and his Shall We Dance? A Patriotic Politics for Canada, Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-7735-2596-3, applies that philosophy to the Canadian case.
- Paul Drew & John Heritage – Talk at Work, a study of how conversation changes in social and workplace situations.
- Neil Postman – Amusing Ourselves to Death (Conversation is not the book’s specific focus, but discourse in general gets good treatment here)
- Deborah Tannen
- The Argument Culture: Stopping America’s War of Words
- Conversational Style: Analyzing Talk Among Friends,
- Gender and Discourse
- I Only Say This Because I Love You
- Talking from 9 to 5: Women and Men at Work
- That’s Not What I Meant!
- You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation
- Daniel Menaker – A Good Talk: The Story and Skill of Conversation (published 2010)
In fiction[edit]
- Conversation in the Cathedral (1969) is one of the main novels by the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa.
In «Six Benefits of Better Conversation»[edit]
The benefits are:
- Being better understood
- Better understanding
- Better self-confidence
- Workplace value
- Better self-care
- Better relationships[12]
See also[edit]
- A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation (book)
- Aizuchi
- Awkward silence
- Bohm Dialogue
- Compulsive talking
- Conversation theory
- Conversational narcissism
- Conversational scoreboard
- «Conversation» Sharp MP – doyen of the Georgian period conversationalists
- Conversazione – a social gathering for conversation and discussion, especially about the arts, literature and science.
- Debate
- Dialogue
- Discourse
- King of Clubs – famous Whig conversation club
- Online chat
- Speech (public address)
References[edit]
- ^ Warren 2006, p. 8.
- ^ Warren 2006, pp. 8–9.
- ^ Warren 2006, p. 9.
- ^ Thornbury & Slade 2006, p. 25.
- ^ Conklin, Mary Greer (2011). Conversation: What to Say and How to Say It. New York City: Funk & Wagnalls Company. pp. 21–32. ISBN 978-1172838936.
- ^ Winograd, Terry (1972). «Understanding natural language». Cognitive Psychology. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. 3 (1): 1–191. doi:10.1016/0010-0285(72)90002-3.
- ^ William C. Martell, 2011[full citation needed]
- ^ Conklin, pp. 35–60
- ^ Mehl, M. R.; Vazire, S.; Ramirez-Esparza, N.; Slatcher, R. B.; Pennebaker, J. W. (2007). «Are Women Really More Talkative Than Men?». Science. 317 (5834): 82. Bibcode:2007Sci…317…82M. doi:10.1126/science.1139940. PMID 17615349. S2CID 41476180.
- Roxanne Khamsi (6 July 2007). «Men – the other talkative sex». New Scientist.
- ^ «Cornered: Therapists on Planes» Archived 14 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Liz Galst. The New York Times 27 September 2010, accessed 28 September 2010
- ^ Derber, Charles (2000). The Pursuit of Attention: Power and Ego in Everyday Life (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 19. ISBN 0195135504. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ Ekroth, Lauren. «Six Benefits of Better Conversation». Hodu. Archived from the original on 30 October 2006. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
Works cited[edit]
- Thornbury, Scott; Slade, Diana (2006). Conversation: From Description to Pedagogy. ISBN 978-0521814263.
- Warren, Martin (2006). Features of Naturalness in Conversation. ISBN 978-9027253958.
External links[edit]
- Empathic listening skills How to listen so others will feel heard, or listening first aid (University of California). Download a one-hour seminar on empathic listening and attending skills.
- «The art of conversation», Economist, 19 December 2006
1
a(1)
: oral exchange of sentiments, observations, opinions, or ideas
… we had talk enough but no conversation; there was nothing discussed.—
Samuel Johnson
(2)
: an instance of such exchange : talk
b
: an informal discussion of an issue by representatives of governments, institutions, or groups
conversations among the senators
c
: an exchange similar to conversation
We had a conversation by email.
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Do you remember our conversation about that new movie?
We got into a long conversation about his behavior.
They were engaged in a lengthy conversation about politics.
The topic came up in conversation.
They were so deep in conversation that they barely noticed me.
He kept trying to engage me in conversation.
She’s skilled in the art of conversation.
an interesting topic of conversation
We had a conversation by e-mail.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
But Wilson had no idea how illuminating the conversation would be.
—Norman Vanamee, Town & Country, 5 Apr. 2023
The Current LeBron is still active in his own portion of the GOAT conversation, presumably by virtue of his status as producer on Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2023
These side conversations are what keep games in the spotlight long after the final buzzer sounds, and ensure that interest in sports and the people who play them aren’t dependent upon a single game.
—Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2023
In his view, however, too much of the contemporary conversation about race traffics in self-flagellation and apology.
—Emma Green, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2023
The fact Counsell is in the final year of his contract has been another big topic of conversation, with both the manager and Arnold talking about it this spring.
—Todd Rosiak, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2023
By adding more nodes in the cellular network, Ring’s system would avoid becoming overloaded with users, keeping airwaves clear for an exponentially greater number of simultaneous conversations.
—Michelle Delgado, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2023
Below is the extended version of the conversation.
—ABC News, 2 Apr. 2023
One of the conversations appears to involve his mother, Vanessa Lampkin, referring to racial remarks used toward her son.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 2 Apr. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘conversation.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English conversacioun, from Anglo-French conversacion, from Latin conversation-, conversatio, from conversari to associate with, frequentative of convertere to turn around
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Time Traveler
The first known use of conversation was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near conversation
Cite this Entry
“Conversation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conversation. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
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Religious and philosophic conversation were ever-present in my home life, and the conversation was *always* that—a *conversation*. ❋ Unknown (2006)
Read also the following certificate of these men, which they gave to the public last spring; in which they admit some other conversation which they call _a free and unreserved conversation_, and protest against the ❋ An Elector (N/A)
I had that conversation only after just having a phone conversation with Shari — regarding the same nonsense.) (Oh and as a second aside: Shari is a secret-covert-spy on diaryland whom is a bit chicken and signs up as a guest (refusing to set up her own tag name) to read muah and others — as listed above oh my bubbles: in my proper PBS — drug-free — commercial tone ❋ Ugotsoul (2002)
Just remember, «conversation» comes from the Latin word for ❋ Unknown (2009)
One of my favorite responses when anything about conscious parenting, positive discipline, Non-Violent parenting etc. comes up in conversation is the “I turned out all right” statement. ❋ Unknown (2009)
The standout scene and most likely the one that will be brought up most in conversation is involving a mad chase scene with the killer and a very naked Irene (played with game enthusiasm by Rue). ❋ Unknown (2009)
The reason I think it does not come up in conversation is because most people do not get how important it is. ❋ Unknown (2008)
Anyone not engaged in conversation is hunched over a BlackBerry. ❋ Unknown (2007)
If I used the term conversation, it was in a very limited sense. ❋ Jonathan Kellerman (1987)
The healthful restraint always existing between boys and girls in conversation is apt to be relaxed with either sex alone. ❋ Unknown (1898)
In short: This should improve the Magic’s offense enough to get them back into the title conversation, assuming their defense keeps its form. ❋ Unknown (2010)
The term conversation has gone past just being two people talking to a blanket term for the interaction among all of us in social media.
On other progressive blogs, hell even the huffington post, the conversation is about ALL the issues and the truth is followed where ever it leads. ❋ Unknown (2010)
Would we be having this conversation is the potential foster parent was an Orthodox Jew? ❋ Unknown (2010)
Dan: So what were you guys doing?
Dave: Me and [Jaime] had a conversation in the back of my truck.
Dan: A conversation?
Dave: Yeah…..wait…[no we] weren’t [making out]! ❋ Tpkirk2k (2006)
[Political party]: «We want to engage in [the national] conversation»
Religious cult, to followers: «Are you [wondering] how you can participate in the online conversation about us? Just follow these steps.» ❋ Faraday (2009)
We had a conversation [all night long]. ❋ B-Drac (2003)
[Oh yeah], we had a great conversation. I [spoke] as hard as I could and he listened very [very well]. ❋ Disco_stu911 (2011)
Joe: What are you doing [fagon]?
[Mitch]: I’m doing [your mum] ❋ Jesus (2004)
[nigga bitch] ass mofo [muthafucka], learn [how to talk] with peeps in an educating conversation ❋ Nigga Nigga Nigga (2008)
Lame person: «Hey you can’t wear converse, those shoes are strictly for …..(insert [lame ass] [classification]).»
You in your fine ass kicks: «Get a life.» ([turn your back] on lame person and walk away) ❋ Jdaddict (2006)
trendy people hated the alternatives wearing them a year later they have 3 [pairs]
dont wear them in [the rain] or they tend to go [squeak squeak] ❋ Stephanie Dawn (2005)
[Converse] owns [yo bitch] asses. YEAH [NIGS]. ❋ Kkkkate Rocks It (2005)
«We had [nothing] in [common], nothing to [conversate] about» ❋ Hatfishing King (2018)
- conversation
- ˌkɔnvəˈseɪʃən сущ.
1) разговор, беседа;
речевое общение hold conversation make conversation Syn : chat, colloquy, dialogue, talk
2) об. мн. неформальные переговоры, обсуждение;
собеседование Syn : discourse, discussion
3) половые сношения, сексуальная близость criminal conversation ∙ conversation piece
разговор, беседа — * classes занятия по разговорной практике;
— to have a * with smb. вести разговор с кем-л.;
— to make * вести светскую беседу;
говорить, только чтобы не молчать;
— to enter into * вступить в разговор;
— to resume a * возобновить разговор;
— to give a * another turn перевести разговор на другую тему;
переменить тему разговора;
— to keep up a * поддерживать разговор;
— to conduct groups in * вести разговорные кружки неофициальные переговоры — I had several *s with him я имел с ним несколько неофициальных встреч жанровая картина (компьютерное) работа ЭВМ в режиме диалога
conversation вчт. диалог ~ жив. жанровая картина (тж. conversation piece) ~ неофициальные переговоры ~ pl переговоры ~ разговор, беседа;
to make conversation вести пустой разговор ~ разговор
~ разговор, беседа;
to make conversation вести пустой разговор
telephone ~ телефонный разговор
Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь.
2001.
Полезное
Смотреть что такое «conversation» в других словарях:
-
conversation — [ kɔ̃vɛrsasjɔ̃ ] n. f. • 1537; « relation, rapports, genre de vie » 1160; lat. conversatio « fréquentation » 1 ♦ Échange de propos (naturel, spontané); ce qui se dit dans un tel échange. ⇒ discussion, entretien, région. palabre. Conversation… … Encyclopédie Universelle
-
conversation — CONVERSATION. s. f. Entretien familier. Conversation agréable, douce, aisée, enjouée, badine, sérieuse, galance, intéressante. Conversation ennuyeuse, longue, sèche, aride. Entrer en conversation. Être en conversation. Lier conversation. Renouer… … Dictionnaire de l’Académie Française 1798
-
conversation — Conversation. subst. f. v. Entretien familier. Agreable, douce, aisée, enjoüée conversation. conversation ennuyeuse. longue conversation. seche, aride, guindée. entrer en conversation. estre en conversation lier, noüer conversation. se plaire à… … Dictionnaire de l’Académie française
-
Conversation — Con ver*sa tion, n. [OE. conversacio (in senses 1 & 2), OF. conversacion, F. conversation, fr. L. conversatio frequent abode in a place, intercourse, LL. also, manner of life.] 1. General course of conduct; behavior. [Archaic] [1913 Webster] Let… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
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Conversation — Conversation. In der seinen und gebildeten Gesellschaft ist die Conversation der Hauptreiz der Unterhaltung, das belebende Element derselben. In ihr findet der Austausch der Ideen Statt. sie ist der Kampfplatz, wo Meinungen, Ansichten, Maximen… … Damen Conversations Lexikon
-
conversation — UK US /ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃən/ noun [C] ► a discussion with someone about a particular subject: have a conversation »We believe the company has the resources it needs, but if more is needed, we ll have that conversation … Financial and business terms
-
conversation — (n.) mid 14c., living together, having dealings with others, also manner of conducting oneself in the world; from O.Fr. conversation, from L. conversationem (nom. conversatio) act of living with, from conversat , pp. stem of conversari to live… … Etymology dictionary
-
conversation — [kän΄vər sā′shən] n. [ME conversacioun < OFr conversation < L conversatio < pp. of conversari: see CONVERSE1] 1. the act or an instance of talking together; specif., a) familiar talk; verbal exchange of ideas, opinions, etc. b) an… … English World dictionary
-
conversation — I noun articulation, causerie, chat, collocution, colloquial discourse, colloquy, communication, confabulation, conloquium, consultation, conversing, deliberation, dialogue, discourse, discussion, dissertation, exchange, exchange of views,… … Law dictionary
-
conversation — conversation, converse communion, communication, *intercourse, commerce, traffic, dealings, correspondence Analogous words: conversing, talking or talk, speaking or speech (see corresponding verbs at SPEAK) converse vb talk, *speak Analogous… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
-
conversation — et familiarité, Consuetudo, Conuersatio, Vsus. Conversation ordinaire, Vsus quotidianus … Thresor de la langue françoyse
Other forms: conversations
A conversation occurs when people talk to each other, like a conversation with your friend about school or professional basketball.
The noun conversation comes from the Old French word of the same spelling, meaning «manner of conducting oneself in the world.» When you have a conversation with another person or a group of people, you listen closely and respond appropriately, so that your conversation is a true exchange of ideas, not just people waiting for their turn to talk. A good conversation makes you feel heard, satisfied, and maybe even more informed.
Definitions of conversation
-
noun
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
see moresee less-
types:
- show 26 types…
- hide 26 types…
-
crossfire
a lively or heated interchange of ideas and opinions
-
phatic communication, phatic speech
conversational speech used to communicate sociability more than information
-
exchange
a mutual expression of views (especially an unpleasant one)
-
chat, confab, confabulation, schmoose, schmooze
an informal conversation
-
gossiping, gossipmongering
a conversation that spreads personal information about other people
-
talk, talking
an exchange of ideas via conversation
-
nothings
inconsequential conversation
-
commerce
social exchange, especially of opinions, attitudes, etc.
-
colloquy
formal conversation
-
rap
voluble conversation
-
rap session
conversation in a situation where feelings can be expressed and criticized or supported
-
second-hand speech
overheard conversation (especially overheard cellphone conversation)
-
table talk
conversation during a meal
-
telephone conversation
a conversation over the telephone
-
tete-a-tete
a private conversation between two people
-
causerie, chin wag, chin wagging, chin-wag, chin-wagging, chit chat, chit-chat, chitchat, gab, gabfest, gossip, small talk, tittle-tattle
light informal conversation for social occasions
-
scandalmongering
spreading malicious gossip
-
cant, pious platitude
insincere talk about religion or morals
-
dialog, dialogue, duologue
a conversation between two persons
-
heart-to-heart
an intimate talk in private
-
shmooze
(Yiddish) a warm heart-to-heart talk
-
shop talk
talk about your business that only others in the same business can understand
-
idle words, jazz, malarkey, malarky, nothingness, wind
empty rhetoric or insincere or exaggerated talk
-
cackle, chatter, yack, yak, yakety-yak
noisy talk
-
honeyed words, sweet nothings
inconsequential expressions of affection
-
pillow talk
intimate conversation between lovers (typically occurring in bed)
-
type of:
-
language, oral communication, speech, speech communication, spoken communication, spoken language, voice communication
(language) communication by word of mouth
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘conversation’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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разговор, беседа, переговоры, жанровая картина
существительное ↓
- разговор, беседа
- неофициальные переговоры
I had several conversations with him — я имел с ним несколько неофициальных встреч 
- жив. жанровая картина (тж. conversation piece)
- вчт. работа ЭВМ в режиме диалога
Мои примеры
Словосочетания
the introduction of a new topic for conversation — введение новой темы для разговора
a brief lull in the conversation — небольшая пауза в разговоре
a verbatim account of our conversation — дословная запись нашего разговора
to hold conversation — вести беседу, разговаривать
to be deep in conversation — увлечься беседой
to dominate the conversation — контролировать ход беседы
heart-to-heart conversation — разговор по душам
to hold a conversation — вести разговор
to join in the conversation — вступить в разговор
conversation laced with sarcasm — разговор с некоторой долей сарказма
lull in the conversation — пауза в разговоре
a good conversation opener — хорошее начало беседы
Примеры с переводом
We had a pleasant conversation.
Мы славно побеседовали. / У нас состоялась приятная беседа.
Do you remember our conversation about that new movie?
Вы помните наш разговор о новом фильме?
We had a conversation by e-mail.
У нас был разговор по электронной почте. (Они обсудили дела в переписке по электронной почте)
He kept trying to engage me in conversation.
Он не оставлял попыток вовлечь меня в разговор.
We were engaged in conversation.
Мы были поглощены разговором.
She’s skilled in the art of conversation.
Она искусная собеседница.
He was lively in conversation.
В разговоре он очень оживлялся.
ещё 23 примера свернуть
Примеры, ожидающие перевода
The conversation meandered on for hours. 
Their conversation quickly became heated.
He’s always monopolizing the conversation.
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
Возможные однокоренные слова
conversational — разговорный, диалоговый, разговорчивый
conversationist — любитель поговорить, интересный собеседник, любитель поговорить, говорун
Формы слова
noun
ед. ч.(singular): conversation
мн. ч.(plural): conversations
- Afrikaans: gesprek (af)
- Albanian: llafosje f, bisedë (sq) f
- Arabic: مُحَادَثَة f (muḥādaṯa), (esp. on the phone) مُكَالَمَة f (mukālama), حِوَار (ar) m (ḥiwār)
- Armenian: խոսակցություն (hy) (xosakcʿutʿyun), զրույց (hy) (zruycʿ), երկխոսություն (hy) (erkxosutʿyun)
- Asturian: conversación f
- Azerbaijani: söhbət (az), qonuşma, danışıq (az)
- Basque: elkarrizketa (eu)
- Belarusian: размо́ва f (razmóva), гу́тарка f (hútarka)
- Bhojpuri: 𑂥𑂰𑂞𑂍𑂯𑂲 (bātkahī)
- Bulgarian: ра́зговор (bg) m (rázgovor), бесе́да (bg) f (beséda), диало́г (bg) m (dialóg), общу́ване (bg) n (obštúvane), разгова́ряне n (razgovárjane)
- Burmese: အပြော (my) (a.prau:)
- Catalan: conversa (ca) f, conversació (ca) f
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 會話／会话 (zh) (huìhuà), 談話／谈话 (zh) (tánhuà), 對話／对话 (zh) (duìhuà)
- Cornish: keskows m, keskowsow m pl
- Crimean Tatar: qonuşma, subet, musaabe
- Czech: konverzace (cs) f, rozhovor (cs) m
- Dalmatian: conversatiaun
- Danish: konversation c, samtale (da) c
- Dutch: gesprek (nl) n, conversatie (nl)
- Esperanto: konversacio, interparolo
- Estonian: vestlus (et)
- Faroese: samrøða f, prát n
- Finnish: keskustelu (fi)
- French: conversation (fr) f
- Galician: conversación (gl) f, conversa (gl) f
- Georgian: საუბარი (saubari), ლაპარაკი (laṗaraḳi)
- German: Gespräch (de) n, Unterhaltung (de) f, Konversation (de) f
- Alemannic German: Underhaltig f
- Greek: συνομιλία (el) (synomilía), συζήτηση (el) (syzítisi), συνδιάλλαξη (syndiállaxi), συνδιάλεξη (el) (syndiálexi), κουβέντα (el) (kouvénta)
- Ancient: διάλογος m (diálogos)
- Hausa: batu (ha)
- Hebrew: שִׂיחָה (he) f (sikhá)
- Hindi: बातचीत (hi) f (bātcīt)
- Hungarian: beszélgetés (hu), társalgás (hu)
- Icelandic: samtal (is) n
- Indonesian: percakapan (id)
- Irish: comhrá m
- Italian: conversazione (it) f, dialogo (it) m, discorso (it) m
- Japanese: 会話 (ja) (かいわ, kaiwa), 談話 (ja) (だんわ, danwa), 対話 (ja) (たいわ, taiwa), 話 (ja) (はなし, hanashi), カンバセーション (kanbāsēshon)
- Kannada: ಸಂಭಾಷಣೆ (kn) (sambhāṣaṇe)
- Kazakh: сөйлесім (kk) (söilesım), әңгіме (kk) (äñgıme)
- Khmer: សន្ទនា (km) (sɑntĕəʼniə)
- Korean: 대화(對話) (ko) (daehwa), 회화(會話) (ko) (hoehwa), 이야기 (ko) (iyagi)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: گفتوگۆ (giftugo), بارودۆخ (barudox)
- Kyrgyz: сүйлөшүү (ky) (süylöşüü)
- Ladino: kolokyo, charla, lakirdi
- Lao: ການສົນທະນາ (lo) (kān son tha nā)
- Latin: colloquium (la) n, sermō (la) m
- Latvian: saruna f
- Lithuanian: pokalbis m
- Luxembourgish: Gespréich n
- Macedonian: разговор (mk) m (razgovor)
- Magahi: 𑂏𑂪𑂥𑂰𑂞 (galbāt)
- Malay: perbualan (ms), percakapan
- Malayalam: സംഭാഷണം (ml) (sambhāṣaṇaṃ)
- Maori: reoreo
- Marathi: संवाद (mr) m (sauvād), संभाषण (mr) (sambhāṣaṇ)
- Mongolian:
- Cyrillic: яриа (mn) (jaria), үг (mn) (üg)
- Norman: convèrsâtion f
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: samtale (no) m, konversasjon m
- Nynorsk: samtale (no) m or f, konversasjon m
- Oromo: haasaa
- Persian: گفتگو (fa) (goftegu, goftogu, goftgu), صحبت (fa) (sohbat), مکالمه (fa) (mokâleme)
- Polish: rozmowa (pl) f, konwersacja (pl) f
- Portuguese: conversa (pt) f, conversação (pt) f
- Romanian: conversație (ro) f, convorbire (ro) f
- Russian: разгово́р (ru) m (razgovór), бесе́да (ru) f (beséda)
- Scottish Gaelic: còmhradh m, agallamh m
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: ра̏згово̄р m
- Roman: rȁzgovōr (sh) m
- Slovak: konverzácia f, rozhovor m
- Slovene: pogȏvor (sl) m
- Spanish: conversación (es) f
- Swahili: mazungumzo (sw)
- Swedish: samtal (sv) n, konversation (sv) c
- Tajik: гуфтугӯ (tg) (guftugü), сӯхбат (süxbat), муколама (mukolama)
- Telugu: సంభాషణ (te) (sambhāṣaṇa)
- Thai: การสนทนา (th) (gaan-sǒn-tá-naa)
- Tibetan: སྐད་ཆ (skad cha), བཀའ་མོལ (bka’ mol)
- Tok Pisin: toktok
- Turkish: sohbet (tr), konuşma (tr), muhabbet (tr), diyalog (tr)
- Turkmen: gürrüň, söhbet
- Ukrainian: розмо́ва f (rozmóva), бе́сіда (uk) f (bésida)
- Urdu: بات چیت (ur) f (bāt cīt)
- Uyghur: سۆھبەت (söhbet), سۆزلىشىش (sözlishish), دىئالوگ (di’alog), پاراڭلىشىش (paranglishish)
- Uzbek: suhbat (uz), gaplashish, gap (uz), soʻz (uz), mukolama (uz) (literary)
- Vietnamese: (cuộc) đối thoại (vi)
- Volapük: spikot (vo), spikotam
- Welsh: sgwrs (cy) f, ymddiddan (cy) m
- West Frisian: petear
- Yiddish: שמועס m (shmues), געשפּרעך n (geshprekh)
- Top Definitions
- Synonyms
- Quiz
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- Examples
- British
- Idioms And Phrases
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
[ kon-ver-sey-shuhn ]
/ ˌkɒn vərˈseɪ ʃən /
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
noun
- informal interchange of thoughts, information, etc., by spoken words; oral communication between persons; talk: how to master the art of conversation.
- such interchange by sign language, email, or other nonoral means of communication: I enjoy our time on the phone, but she prefers conversation by texting.
- an instance of this: I had a long phone conversation with my cousin in Florida.
an informal public exchange of ideas or opinions about a particular issue; a dialogue: It’s time for a global conversation about the epidemic.
association or social intercourse: a year’s conversation with him as his caregiver and friend.
the ability to talk socially with others: She writes well but has no conversation.
Obsolete.
- behavior or manner of living.
- close familiarity; intimate acquaintance, as from constant use or study.
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Origin of conversation
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English conversacio(u)n, from Latin conversātiōn- (stem of conversātiō ) “familiarity, conduct, behavior,” equivalent to conversāt(us), past participle of conversārī “to associate with” + -iōn- noun suffix; see origin at converse1, -ion
OTHER WORDS FROM conversation
pre·con·ver·sa·tion, noun
Words nearby conversation
convergent thinking, converging lens, conversable, conversant, conversate, conversation, conversational, conversational implicature, conversationalist, conversational quality, conversation chair
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Words related to conversation
chat, comment, communication, conference, consultation, debate, discussion, exchange, gossip, hearing, observation, questioning, remark, speech, talk, visit, colloquy, communion, confab, confabulation
How to use conversation in a sentence
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Personally, I’m happy for conversations that move things forward in helping us be ever-safer with online data usage and storage.
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Lorne Michaels, SNL’s producer, told Vulture in an interview that Carrey initiated the conversation about playing the part.
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They also were instructed to edit the beginning and ending of each snippet to differentiate the posts slightly, according to the notes from the recorded conversation with a participant.
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It became a very emotional experience for me, these conversations.
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While standing in line for food I struck up a conversation with the man in front of me.
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For many years afterward it was a never-ending topic of conversation, and is more or less talked of even to this day.
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Yet, for god knows what reason, his name is never brought up in the “Great American Filmmaker” conversation.
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Even though we were running late, Scott was jovial and candid in his conversation.
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A successful trend-maker might be able to steer a conversation, but virality remains extremely difficult to predict.
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In conversation, her ideas emerge at a roiling boil that often takes on a momentum of its own.
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A desultory conversation on politics, in which neither took the slightest interest, was a safe neutral ground.
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Cousin George’s position is such a happy one, that conversation is to him a thing superfluous.
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He insisted upon my staying a while, and we had the most amusing and entertaining conversation imaginable.
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It was the conversation of every circle; and discussed according to the dispositions, or views of the speakers.
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During this conversation Harry’s right hand was resting beneath his jacket, grasping the butt of his revolver.
British Dictionary definitions for conversation
noun
the interchange through speech of information, ideas, etc; spoken communication
make conversation to talk in an artificial way
Other words from conversation
Related adjective: colloquial
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with conversation
In addition to the idiom beginning with conversation
- conversation piece
also see:
- make conversation
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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When I was a senior, I got accepted into the Julliard School for Dance, but ultimately decided to move to L.A. to act, so that was a fun conversation with the parents. I truly have some of the greatest parents ever.
Jacob Artist
PRONUNCIATION OF CONVERSATION
GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF CONVERSATION
Conversation is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.
WHAT DOES CONVERSATION MEAN IN ENGLISH?
Conversation
Conversation is a form of interactive, spontaneous communication between two or more people who are following rules of etiquette. It is polite give and take of subjects thought of by people talking with each other for company. Conversation analysis is a branch of sociology which studies the structure and organization of human interaction, with a more specific focus on conversational interaction.
Definition of conversation in the English dictionary
The definition of conversation in the dictionary is the interchange through speech of information, ideas, etc; spoken communication.
WORDS THAT RHYME WITH CONVERSATION
Synonyms and antonyms of conversation in the English dictionary of synonyms
SYNONYMS OF «CONVERSATION»
The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «conversation» and belong to the same grammatical category.
Translation of «conversation» into 25 languages
TRANSLATION OF CONVERSATION
Find out the translation of conversation to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of conversation from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «conversation» in English.
Translator English — Chinese
会话
1,325 millions of speakers
Translator English — Spanish
conversación
570 millions of speakers
Translator English — Hindi
बातचीत
380 millions of speakers
Translator English — Arabic
مُحَادَثَة
280 millions of speakers
Translator English — Russian
разговор
278 millions of speakers
Translator English — Portuguese
conversa
270 millions of speakers
Translator English — Bengali
কথোপকথন
260 millions of speakers
Translator English — French
conversation
220 millions of speakers
Translator English — Malay
Perbualan
190 millions of speakers
Translator English — German
Unterhaltung
180 millions of speakers
Translator English — Japanese
会話
130 millions of speakers
Translator English — Korean
대화
85 millions of speakers
Translator English — Javanese
Obrolan
85 millions of speakers
Translator English — Vietnamese
cuộc nói chuyện
80 millions of speakers
Translator English — Tamil
உரையாடல்
75 millions of speakers
Translator English — Marathi
संभाषण
75 millions of speakers
Translator English — Turkish
konuşma
70 millions of speakers
Translator English — Italian
conversazione
65 millions of speakers
Translator English — Polish
rozmowa
50 millions of speakers
Translator English — Ukrainian
бесіда
40 millions of speakers
Translator English — Romanian
conversație
30 millions of speakers
Translator English — Greek
συνομιλία
15 millions of speakers
Translator English — Afrikaans
gesprek
14 millions of speakers
Translator English — Swedish
samtal
10 millions of speakers
Translator English — Norwegian
konversasjon
5 millions of speakers
Trends of use of conversation
TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «CONVERSATION»
The term «conversation» is very widely used and occupies the 4.100 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «conversation» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of conversation
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «conversation».
FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «CONVERSATION» OVER TIME
The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «conversation» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «conversation» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.
Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about conversation
10 QUOTES WITH «CONVERSATION»
Famous quotes and sentences with the word conversation.
To make a song is a gift, and once it’s done it keeps evolving and changing and becomes a tool to interact with other people. It’s like a conversation.
Debate is masculine, conversation is feminine.
I myself spent nine years in an insane asylum and I never had the obsession of suicide, but I know that each conversation with a psychiatrist, every morning at the time of his visit, made me want to hang myself, realizing that I would not be able to cut his throat.
When I was a senior, I got accepted into the Julliard School for Dance, but ultimately decided to move to L.A. to act, so that was a fun conversation with the parents. I truly have some of the greatest parents ever.
Thanksgiving, our eminent moral holiday, doesn’t have much for children. At its heart are conversation, food, drink, and fellowship — all perks of adulthood.
That’s the nice thing about collaborating with someone: Your work becomes a conversation.
An ideal day for me is a combination of a fun-exciting creative moment with work partners, some laughs and games with my kids, a good surf session, and great conversation with friends around a meal.
I didn’t necessarily want to be famous growing up, but I knew I would be a good famous person because I’m not offended if somebody comes up to me and knows things about me and wants to engage me in a conversation.
The chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives are accounting for potentially 80% of the total health care bill out there. There is going to have to be a very difficult democratic conversation that takes place. The decision is not whether or not we will ration care. The decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open.
Whenever anyone asks me if I’m from a TV show, I say yes — no matter whether I’ve ever been on it. It just makes the conversation that much easier.
10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «CONVERSATION»
Discover the use of conversation in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to conversation and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
Approaches the subject of conversation in a sophisticated, thought-provoking manner, explaining what kind of talk charmed and excited people in the past, why conversation is different today and what it could be like in the future.
2
How To Start A Conversation And Make Friends: Revised And …
Small-talk expert Don Gabor has completely revised and updated this definitive guide, showing how to combine essential techniques in the art of conversation with necessary skills for communicating in the twenty-first century.
«… Hopper’s aim is to begin to reveal to us the complex world of telephone conversation, and that is what he succeeds marvellously in doing.» —Discourse & Society «A guided tour through the interior world of phone interactions, …
4
Conversation: A History of a Declining Art
Essayist Stephen Miller pursues a lifelong interest in conversation by taking an historical and philosophical view of the subject.
5
Conversation: From Description to Pedagogy
This book provides a comprehensive account of conversation in English and its implications for the ELT classroom.
Scott Thornbury, Diana Slade, 2006
6
Joining the Conversation: Writing in College and Beyond
Meeting students where they are — working online and collaboratively — Joining the Conversation embraces the new realities of writing, without sacrificing the support that students need as they write for college and beyond.
7
Conversation: What to Say and How to Say It
If so, you need the comprehensive and straightforward advice that Mary Greer Conklin dispenses in Conversation: What to Say and How to Say It. A must-read for shy or socially challenged readers.
8
101 Conversation Starters for Couples SAMPLER
With 101 probing questions, couples will find their relationship enhanced, their intimacy deepened, and their romance ignited. 101 Conversation Starters for Couples is the perfect companion to the best-selling book, The 5 Love Languages.
Gary D Chapman, Ramon L. Presson, 2012
9
Conversation: An Interdisciplinary Perspective
This work focuses explicitly on the ways in which researchers from different disciplines investigate interpersonal communication.
Derek Roger, Peter Bull, 1989
10
Structure, Agency and the Internal Conversation
Explores the relationship between structure and agency through human reflexivity and the internal conversation.
Margaret Scotford Archer, 2003
10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «CONVERSATION»
Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term conversation is used in the context of the following news items.
‘Conversation: How to Make It in Black America’ Is Rough, Raw, and …
Conversation: How to Make It in Black America Pt. 1, a compelling new performance piece by Modesto «Flako» Jimenez, Saroya Marsh, and … «Village Voice, Jul 15»
A Conversation With the Psychologist Behind ‘Inside Out’
Emotions expert Dacher Keltner, who advised director Pete Docter throughout the making of the new Pixar hit, dives deep into the science of … «Pacific Standard, Jul 15»
A Conversation With Tobias Oriwol
Mr. Oriwol, 30, is a former Olympic swimmer and now a project developer at Monadnock Development, a Brooklyn company that specializes in … «New York Times, Jul 15»
Conversation: Third Quarter Forecast Preview 2015
David Judson: Hi, I’m David Judson, editor in chief at Stratfor. With me today is Reva Bhalla, our vice president of analysis. Thank you for … «STRATFOR, Jul 15»
Rethinking Russia: A Conversation With Russia Scholar Stephen F …
Last week I had the honor of interviewing Stephen F. Cohen, Professor Emeritus of Russian Studies and Politics at NYU and Princeton … «Huffington Post, Jul 15»
The magical, disappearing Scott Walker conversation
The chief economist at the Heritage Foundation is itself an awkward title – the Republican think tank has moved away from its pretense of … «MSNBC, Jul 15»
Astoria Police to host ‘Coffee with a Cop’ conversation
Astoria Police officers will host an informal community conversation, “Coffee with a Cop,” at 8:30 a.m. July 20 at 3 Cups Coffee House, 279 W. «Daily Astorian, Jul 15»
Conversation With Composer Jozef van Wissem
Below is an excerpt from our conversation via Skype on June 14, 2015. MN: Tell me a little bit about who you are and where you are from. «Huffington Post, Jul 15»
Fell By Leather: A Conversation Between Mark Kozelek and Anar …
The conversation plays out like one of Kozelek’s recent songs on Universal Themes. The seemingly meandering details help paint the scope of … «Consequence of Sound, Jul 15»
Bungie Day: Here’s a Destiny conversation between devs and Wil …
It’s hosted by Wil Wheaton and features Bungie co-founderJason Jones, design director Luke Smith, senior environment animator Jason … «VG247, Jul 15»
REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Conversation [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/conversation>. Apr 2023 ».
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