Article In: Interactional Linguistics: Online-First Articles
Left and right dislocation with c’est ‘it’s’ in repair sequences in L2 French talk‑in‑interaction
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Abstract
This article investigates left and right dislocation (LD and RD) in sequences of other-initiated self-repair in spontaneous conversations between L2 speakers of French. While LD and RD have been widely investigated in L1 French, also from an interactional perspective ( (2015). Time and emergence in grammar: Dislocation, topicalization and hanging topic in French talk-in-interaction. Amsterdam: Benjamins. ), dislocation in interactions between L2 speakers remains a marginal topic in second language acquisition (SLA) research. Analyzing a corpus of 34 hours of video recordings of conversations between L2 speakers of French through the lens of Interactional Linguistics, I show that speakers use a particular dislocation format containing c’est ‘it’s’ to initiate repair, to resolve repair, or to reopen a sequence when uncertainty persists. This lexically fixed format allows L2 speakers to efficiently reestablish intersubjectivity. L2 speakers particularly exploit the structural ‘openness’ of LD: The format allows speakers to place the unknown word first, to refer back to it with c’est, and then project a verbal and/or embodied explanation, which emerges in a highly recipient-designed way. The systematic use of lexically fixed dislocations with c’est in repair sequences is yet another piece of evidence for the importance of conceptualizing an L2 grammar-for-interaction ( (2018). Elaborations on L2 interactional competence: the development of L2 grammar-for-interaction. Classroom Discourse, 9(1), 3–24. ) as part of interactional competence in SLA research.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.L2 grammar-for-interaction and interactional competence
- 3.Dislocation and repair sequences
- 4.Data and methodology
- 5.Left and right dislocation with c’est ‘it’s’ in sequences of other-initiated self-repair
- 6.Dislocation as a multimodal resource in sequences of lexical trouble
- 7.Conclusion
- Notes
- Symbols used in transcripts for verbal conduct
- Symbols used in transcripts for bodily conduct
- Glosses
References
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