Informatie vragen over alcohol of drugs

Asking for information about alcohol or drugs: a conversation analysis of calls to a Dutch information service In this article I present a conversation analysis of openings of calls between callers and call-takers from a Dutch information helpline. In openings of institutional interactions, the participants present their situational identities, for example information provider and information seeker. In rare cases, the articulated identities do not fit together and the speakers’ turns are directed towards different interactional activities (projects). This has also been called interactional asynchronicity. The openings of the Dutch alcohol and drugs information service are characterized by project shifts and problems of alignment related to the caller’s question. These appear to be related to the difference between asking for general information versus information that is of personal relevance. Callers sometimes align with the call takers’ self-categorisation with “alcohol/drugs info line” with a question for general information. However, they frequently shift to a question with personal relevance for instance by using self-repair. When callers do ask for general information, call takers sometimes do not directly answer the question, but look for a personal motivation for the question from the caller. In case they don’t, this may lead to interactional asynchronicity. Information provision as the primary focus of the helpline does not seem to optimally support the service.