Article published in:
Conversation Analysis in Chinese: Part II
Edited by Ni-Eng Lim
[Chinese Language and Discourse 10:2] 2019
► pp. 158–186

A study of repeat-formatted repair initiations in Mandarin Chinese conversation

| Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
| Xi’an Shiyou University

Using the methodology of Conversation Analysis (or CA), this study examines three types of other-initiated repair initiators (henceforth OIs) that repeats some element in the trouble-source (henceforth repeats) in Chinese conversation: repeats suffixed with question particles ma (吗), repeats suffixed with question particles a (啊), and question-intonated repeats. It attempts to explore the differences between these typical formats, in terms of their forms/functions and the epistemic stance of the speaker who initiates repair. The main research findings indicate that question-intonated repeat implements an understanding check while repeat suffixed with question particles (ma or a) tends to serve different functions, in that, ma-suffixed repeat is inquiry-implicated while a-suffixed repeat contributes to constructing surprise, (dis)agreement or (dis)belief.

Keywords: repair initiation, Mandarin Chinese, repeat, epistemic stance, social action
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Preliminary work on formats of OIs
  • 3.Data and analysis
    • 3.1The forms and functions of these OI formats
    • 3.2Differing epistemic stance displayed by repeat-formatted OIs
    • 3.3Repeat-formatted OIs as stance-alignment resources
  • 4.Conclusion and further discussion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 15 January 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/cld.18014.qua
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