12
29
Liz:
mm I see quite good (.) they’re outside the shoes (.) the straps
FTAp + CEo
30
Sian: I don’t fancy them outside the shoes!
FTAp
31
Liz:
(pointing to Cathy’s scruffy shoes) I don’t fancy that either
FTAp +CEo
[
32
Cathy:
look
at me! (1.0) I tell you what (.) I went in
33
the one day to see her er to see one of the teachers … an this
(bends over to demonstrate that her trouser straps were over the outside of
34
her shoe) was out here an I bet she thought cor look at her but I was so late
35
getting up (starts to laugh)
CEs
Cathy draws attention to her own disorganization (lines 25-26) through a CEs remark
that focuses the other women’s attention on her physical appearance. She uses humor to
reduce the high risk to positive face, that her negative CEs move presents. Although a
potentially contentious area of good mothering, maintaining a 'neat and tidy' appearance
may be equated with being organized, and therefore implicates a social meaning that the
'neat and tidy' mother is a good manager of self and family. Cathy’s verbal CEs strategy
suggests she is aware she cannot sustain a valid claim to efficiency, but her self parody
appears to be a successful interactional move that allows Sian and Liz to safely contribute
to this topic line with no real risk to Cathy’s positive face (line 28-31). As Sian and Liz
are both well dressed on this occasion, they could be seen to represent an iconic face-
Convention