Chapter published in:
Emergent Syntax for Conversation: Clausal patterns and the organization of action
Edited by Yael Maschler, Simona Pekarek Doehler, Jan Lindström and Leelo Keevallik
[Studies in Language and Social Interaction 32] 2020
► pp. 221–244

Chapter 8
Grammatical coordination of embodied action

The Estonian ja ‘and’ as a temporal organizer of Pilates moves

This paper looks at the Estonian coordinating conjunction ja ‘and’ in video-recorded Pilates classes, focusing on the instructors’ practical problem of making the students perform proper movement sequences. It shows how grammatical coordination emerges within a multimodal activity in which the instructor’s talk both directs and responds to student performance. As opposed to the frequent juxtaposition of clauses without connectors, explicit coordination with ja is used for the overall structuring of the class as well as the temporal extension of talk to achieve synchronicity of vocal and embodied behavior. In contrast to formal theories that consider grammar as a device for coherent expression of pre-planned propositions, this study argues that grammatical structure emerges as part of practical action across participants and modalities.
Keywords: coordination, conjunction, Estonian, synchronization
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The data
  • 3.Coordinating consecutive clauses and moves
  • 4.Clausal units and the organization of the activity: Ja-clauses launching the termination of an exercise
  • 5. Ja-prefacing and transition to the next sequence of similar exercise moves
  • 6. Ja as a device of cross-modal synchronization and a starting signal
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgment
  • Transcription conventions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 17 February 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/slsi.32.08kee
References
Barth-Weingarten, D., & Couper-Kuhlen, E.
(2011) Action, prosody and emergent constructions: The case of ‘and’. In P. Auer, & S. Pfänder (Eds.), Constructions: Emerging and emergent (pp.264–293). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Barth-Weingarten, D.
(2012) Of Ens ‘n’ Ands: Observations on the phonetic make-up of a coordinator and its uses in Talk-in-Interaction. Language and Speech 55(1), 35–36. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Broth, M., Cromdal, J., & Levin, L.
(2017) Starting out as a driver: Progression in instructed pedal work. In Å. Mäkitalo, P. Linell, & R. Säljö (Eds.), Memory practices and learning: Interactional, institutional and sociocultural perspectives (pp.115–152). Charlotte, N.C.: Information Age Publishing.Google Scholar
Broth, M., & Keevallik, L.
(2014) Getting ready to move as a couple. Accomplishing mobile formations in a dance class. Space and Culture 17(2), 107–121. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Deppermann, A.
(2018): Changes in turn-design over interactional histories – the case of instructions in driving school lessons. In A. Deppermann, & J. Streeck (Eds.), Time in embodied interaction: Synchronicity and sequentiality of multimodal resources (pp.293–324). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
EKSS
 – Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Comprehensive dictionary of Estonian]. http://​www​.eki​.ee​/dict​/ekss/ Retrieved 20.052018Google Scholar
Erelt, M., Kasik, R., Metslang, H., Rajandi, H., Ross, K., Saari, H., Tael, K., & Vare, S.
(1993) Eesti keele grammatika II (Estonian grammar II). Tallinn: Eesti Teaduste Akadeemia Eesti Keele Instituut.Google Scholar
Hakulinen, A., Vilkuna, M., Korhonen, R., Koivisto, V., Heinonen, T., & Alho, I.
(2004) Iso suomen kielioppi (The Comprehensive Grammar of Finnish). Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura.Google Scholar
Haspelmath, M.
(2007) Coordination. In T. Shopen (Ed.), Language typology and syntactic description, vol. II: Complex constructions (pp.1–51). 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Hennoste, T., Lindström, L., Rääbis, A., Toomet, P., & Vellerind, R.
(2000) Eesti suulise kõne korpus ja mõnede allkeelte võrdluse katse [The corpus of spoken Estonian and an attempt at comparing some varieties]. In T. Hennoste (Ed.), Arvutuslingvistikalt inimesele (pp.245–283). Tartu: Tartu ülikooli üldkeeleteadus õpetooli toimetised 1.Google Scholar
Heritage, J., & Sorjonen, M.-L.
(1994) Constituting and maintaining activities across sequences: And-prefacing as a feature of question design. Language in Society 23(1), 1–29. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Kalliokoski, J.
(1989) Ja: Rinnastus ja rinnastuskonjuktion käyttö [Ja. Coordination and the use of the coordinating conjunction in Finnish.]. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura.Google Scholar
Keevallik, L.
(2000) Keelendid et ja nii et vestluses. [Linguistic units et ‘that’ and nii et ‘so’ in conversation.] Keel ja Kirjandus 43(5), 344–358.Google Scholar
in press). Synchronizing instruction and compliance: The emergence of grammatical structure in a Pilates class. In C. Taleghani-Nikazm, E. Betz, & P. Golato Eds. Mobilizing others Grammar and lexis within larger activities Amsterdam, Philadelphia John Benjamins
Koivisto, A.
(2011) Sanomattakin selvää? Ja,mutta ja että puheenvuoron lopussa [Goes without saying? Finnish conjunctions ja, mutta and että in turn-final position]. Helsinki: Helsingin yliopiston suomen kielen, suomalais-ugrilaisten ja pohjoismaisten kielten ja kirjallisuuksien laitos.Google Scholar
Local, J.
(2004) Getting back to prior talk: And-uh(m) as a back-connecting device in British and American English. In E. Couper-Kuhlen, & C. Ford (Eds.), Sound patterns in interaction (pp.377–400). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Mazeland, H., & Huiskes, M.
(2001) Dutch ‘but’ as a sequential conjunction: Its use as a resumption marker. In M. Selting, & E. Couper-Kuhlen (Eds.), Studies in interactional linguistics (pp.141–169). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Mondada, L.
(2018) Driving instruction at high speed on a race circuit: Issues in action formation and sequence organization. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 28, 1–22. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Nevile, M.
(2006) Making sequentiality salient: And-prefacing in the talk of airline pilots. Discourse Studies 8(2), 309–332. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Payne, T. E.
(1997) Describing morphosyntax: A guide for field linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Schiffrin, D.
(1987) Discourse markers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Turk, M. J.
(2004) Using and in conversational interaction. Research on Language and Social Interaction 37(2), 219–250. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 4 other publications

Floyd, Simeon
2021. Conversation and Culture. Annual Review of Anthropology 50:1 ► pp. 219 ff. Crossref logo
Hopper, Paul J.
2021. “You turn your back and there’s somebody moving in”. Interactional Linguistics 1:1 ► pp. 64 ff. Crossref logo
Mushin, Ilana & Simona Pekarek Doehler
2021. Linguistic structures in social interaction. Interactional Linguistics 1:1 ► pp. 2 ff. Crossref logo
Stoenica, Ioana-Maria & Sophia Fiedler
2021. Multimodal Practice for Mobilizing Response: The Case of Turn-Final Tu Vois ‘You See’ in French Talk-in-Interaction. Frontiers in Psychology 12 Crossref logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 01 april 2022. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.