Constructing Meaning in Podcast Discourse: Speaking Strategies and Interactional Listening Practices in On Purpose with Jay Shetty

Rizky Anisah; Rahayu Puji Haryanti

doi:10.21580/rjtpd.v4i01.33833

Authors

Rizky Anisah Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia
Rahayu Puji Haryanti Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21580/rjtpd.v4i01.33833

Abstract

Video podcasts have emerged as prominent platforms for authentic spoken interaction, yet the micro-level mechanisms through which meaning is collaboratively constructed remain underexplored. This study aims to analyze how speaking-oriented strategies and interactional listening practices operate synergistically to construct meaning in the interview-based podcast On Purpose with Jay Shetty. Employing a qualitative discourse analysis design, the research examined the first six minutes of three purposively selected episodes, focusing on host-guest conversational exchanges. The results indicate that 1) speaking-oriented discourse strategies, primarily questioning, responding, elaboration, explanation, and exemplification, function synergistically to initiate, sustain, and deepen topical trajectories; 2) interactional listening practices, including backchanneling, paraphrasing, clarification, and confirmation, manifest not as passive reception but as active, observable co-constructive mechanisms that validate and scaffold guest utterances; and 3) meaning is constructed through a recursive sequential pattern comprising four interactive phases: topic initiation, response-elaboration, validation-reformulation, and collaborative development. These findings reconceptualize podcast listening as an active discursive practice and provide a robust empirical foundation for integrating authentic digital discourse into EFL speaking and listening pedagogy.

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