15
Sian responds to Sheila’s comment (line 54) with a CSC move that informs the
women she dealt with her ’domestic crisis’ immediately (line 56-57). Sian adopts the
voice of the 'organized mother' here by reflexively referring to herself ‘I said do it
straight away’. She offers a SE move that supports her claim to organized domesticity
(lines 57-58) in the face of a crisis but she also claims sympathy through her later remark
that admits to the stress this incident caused (L61). Sian's account of coping with her
domestic crisis prompts Sheila to compete for social capital in relation to the good mother
role by revealing her own efficiency in the home (Sheila's comments are said in a
straight-faced way, she was not presenting her CMA account in an ironic or humorous
manner).
This particular exchange shows Sian and Sheila to be competing for the role of
'most organized' mother through the use of CMA moves. Sheila’s repetition in her
announcement of having completed her washing by seven thirty (line 63) suggests she
feels this to be an achievement. Sheila appears to have usurped Sian’s claim to being an
‘efficient' mother. At this point Sian interrupts to reclaim both the conversational floor
and the claim to efficiency (64-65). This prompts a competitive sequence in which Sheila
claims that she was actually putting her washing in the machine and hanging out it out to
dry at the same time. Realizing her verbal slip is a gross exaggeration Sheila
reformulates her version of the story (66-67). In order to provide further discursive
evidence to substantiate her claim of being organized Sheila then recounts a potentially
chaotic scenario at her house that morning by revealing she also had to look after two
extra boys for a colleague (line 70). This CSC move enables her to claim further social
capital, not only is she 'doing being a good mother' to her own family efficiently, she is
Convention