"What's your name?"

"My name is Taro. And you?"

"My name is Caraculiambro. Where are you from?"

"I'm from Kanazawa. And you?"

"I'm from Spain."

etc.

Most speakers (of English and, I'm told, Japanese) usually don't have this type of conversation. The most common type of conversation is the storytelling type.

"I went to shopping yesterday with my mother and bought a pair of red boots. The price was right and they are really comfortable. My mother says the boots look good on me. I think I made the right choice."

"I went shopping yesterday, too, but I didn't buy anything. I couldn't find anything that I wanted to buy. After awhile, I went to a movie and ate too much popcorn. I had a stomachache all night. I couldn't sleep at all. I was really stupid."

This conversation between two Hokuriku University students is more common: conversational storytelling. Each person told a small story about their day. The main theme was 'Shopping' but each speaker had something to say about it. Neither asked questions.

Here are a few traits of conversational storytelling:

1. 'I' sentences. People talk about themselves.

2. No questions. Sometimes there are clarification questions (What did you say?) Usually there are not questions.

3. Somehow related. The speakers might have a general theme (shopping, in the above conversation.)

4. Changeable Topic. The original topic (shopping) easily changes to something else. Often within a sentence or two.

5. Endless. Because the topic can change easily - and everyone likes talk about themselves ('I' sentences), conversational storytelling is ENDLESS! You can never stop. And some people never do.

6. No silence. There is no silence in conversational storytelling.

Stories have a few parts:

1. Opening frame - usually with a time involved.

2. Narrative - what actually happened

3. Closing frame - the end

4. Comment - the speaker's thoughts on the story.

For example:

I went to shopping yesterday with my mother <<Opening frame>>and bought a pair of red boots. The price was right and they are really comfortable. <<Narrative>>My mother says the boots look good on me.<<Closing frame>>I think I made the right choice.<<Comment>>

For example:

I went shopping yesterday, too,<<Opening frame>> but I didn't buy anything. I couldn't find anything that I wanted to buy. After awhile, I went to a movie and ate too much popcorn.<<Narrative>> I had a stomachache all night. I couldn't sleep at all.<<Closing frame>> I was really stupid. <<Comment>>

Be warned: The part of stories that the English learner most frequently deletes is the Comment.

Notice all the 'I' sentences - sentences that start with 'I'. Five in the first conversation and seven in the second.