Teacher talk in the classroom: employing gambits in small talks / Kamisah Ariffin and Misyana Susanti Husin

Gambit is likened to an opening move in a game of chess to produce advantage for later moves. In speaking, gambit is mostly used to begin a conversation, which later brings advantage to the speaker in keeping the conversation going. There are special gambits that can be used for various situations. With the knowledge and mastery of gambits, speakers can strategize their speech to achieve their conversational goals. This paper looks into the types, forms and functions of gambits employed by teachers in their small talks at the beginning of the lesson. The discourse analysis shows that the most frequently used type of gambits were openers, links and responders. Analysis from the interview further reveals that gambits were mostly employed to enact student-teacher relationship, maintain student-teacher rapport and also manage class. Pedagogically, the findings can contribute to the knowledge of speeches used at the beginning of conversation. This can help teachers to start conversation effectively and perhaps promote and sustain active participation from the students. Students can also benefit from the exposure of different forms of gambits for different situations.