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Article published In:
Pragmatics and Society
Vol. 8:2 (2017) ► pp.161–182

“Can I say something?”

Meta turn-taking in natural talk

| University of York

In English the organization of talk into turns is routinely accomplished through a complex system of implicit, non-lexical cues. However, explicit verbalizations, such as “I haven’t finished” or “Can I say something?” do exist. This paper investigates instances in which participants employ meta formulations to structure their interaction. It describes their forms, sequential locations and interactional relevance. Speakers are found to make meta references to turn beginnings, both their own and those of others; and turn completions, typically by others. Meta turn-taking actions are used as a last resort, after other, implicit turn-taking strategies have failed; as a strategy to secure turn space; as a way of eliciting specific next actions; as a practice for initiating repair; and as a more general strategy for committing to a specific course of action.

Keywords: Conversation Analysis, turn-taking, turn beginning, turn completion, speaker selection, meta talk, formulations
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Data
  • 3.Talking about talk
  • 4.Forms and functions of meta turn-taking
    • 4.1Meta self-starts: Securing and legitimizing turn space
    • 4.2Explicit prompts: Eliciting and facilitating next actions
    • 4.3Meta cut-offs: Managing turn transitions and repair initiation
      • 4.3.1Meta cut-offs with ‘wait’
      • 4.3.2Meta cut-offs with ‘shut up’ and its variants
  • 5.Summary and concluding remarks
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 10 August 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ps.8.2.01szc
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