Conversation is the object of study of modern linguistic conversation analysis which examines conversation at the macro-level, mid-level and micro level. As the basic unit of human speech conversation (Henne and Rehbock 2001) belongs to an essential type of text in communicative-oriented foreign language teaching. The development of conversational competence is not influenced by the linguistic competence only but also by the targeted use of language in a situational context.

Brinker and Sager (2010) define conversation as a limited number of utterances which are dialogically constituted and possess a certain thematic orientation. Their typology of conversations is based on social criteria depending on whether the conversation is private (e.g. every day conversation, telephone conversation, etc.)  or work-oriented (e.g. sales conversation, conference, discussion, etc.). Each type of conversation possesses a certain typical constitution. According to Dijk (1980) at the macro-level conversations consist of an opening phase, which is usually realized by a greeting, an orientation phase during which a conversation partner is trying to start a topic and raise the listener´s interest, the topic itself which represents the pragmatic function of the conversation (e.g. a request, an order, etc.), the conclusion which is the summary of the topic and an ending during which the conversation partners evaluate the conversation and possibly agree on a future action. These phases can slightly vary across cultures and should be taken into account in foreign language textbooks.

At the mid-level conversation is realized through turns, turn-taking and conversational sequences. A turn is the basic unit of conversation which can consists of one or more clauses or even just words and is usually accompanied by certain back-channel-behaviour on the listener´s part. According to Rieger (2004) the category of turn-taking is most problematic for learners of a foreign language. It is necessary for both communication partners to correctly signal and recognize certain gaps in conversation during which they would like to say something or let the listener speak. A conversational sequence is a sequence of turns and basically stands for how a conversation is ordered. Typically they are adjacency pairs such as question-answer, offer-refusal, offer-acceptance, etc. At the micro-level conversations consist of lexical, syntactical and phonological structures which in turn constitute speech acts.

Important conclusions can be drawn from conversation analysis and applied on foreign language teaching which is nowadays dominated by communicative language competence. The communicative language competence is well integrated in the Common European Framework for languages (CEFR). It consists of three sub-competences: the linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic competence. The linguistic competence reflects exactly the micro-level in conversation analysis, namely the lexical, syntactical and phonological knowledge and skills of a speaker. In the past this competence dominated foreign language teaching and most attention was paid to linguistic forms and the rules of written language. The rise of pragmatics in linguistic disciplines also directly influenced language teaching. The sociolinguistic competence is a factor many learners are not aware of but the use of language is directly influenced by a given culture and society and certain social conventions. The pragmatic competence is a necessary component for every successful conversation. It is concerned primarily with the functions of language, its cohesion and coherence. All of these should receive adequate attention in foreign language textbooks.

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