Language Use of a Salesclerk and Regular Customers in a Neighborhood Grocery Store: Focusing on Small Talk Following Greetings

Abstract

This study focuses on the discourse between the salesclerk and regular customers in a neighborhood grocery store that residents could access on foot or by bicycle. In the analysis, I explored the small talk that transpired after the greeting and examined the initiation and convergence in the dialog. I also examined the salesclerk-customer relationship that evolved as the small talk developed, based on the spatial location of the participants. After the initial greeting, the salesclerk’s reference to previous contact, references to daily routine, and jovial remarks by the customer were observed, confirming a sustained relationship between both parties. This small talk transpired due to the proximity of the salesclerk’s position to the entrance and the expected continuation of proximity based on the speed of the customers’ movements. The salesclerk and the customers participated in the conversational exchange on an equal footing, and the selection of goods by the customer indicated that the interaction was not based on a normative hierarchical relationship. Neighborhood stores, where the use of language as described above can be seen, are considered to be one of the places where communication in the local community is accumulated, as occurs in community associations and festivals.