Abstract
This study compared the natural conversations of six learners immediately after arriving in Japan to their conversations one year later, in order to investigate changes in learners' conversation management skills in contact situations. Our analysis found that in a high percentage of conversations immediately after arriving in Japan, native speakers asked questions to advance the conversation whereas learners only provided minimal information. In contrast, in conversations one year later, learners also advanced the conversation, and did so in a layered fashion, seeking further information from the other person. Through this analysis, it was found that their conversation management skills had changed.
