Betz2008

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Betz2008
BibType ARTICLE
Key Betz2008
Author(s) Emma M. Betz, Andrea Golato
Title Remembering relevant information and withholding relevant next actions: The German token achja
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, Conversation Analysis, German, Achja, Prosody
Publisher
Year 2008
Language
City
Month
Journal Research on Language and Social Interaction
Volume 41
Number 1
Pages 58–98
URL Link
DOI 10.1080/08351810701691164
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

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Abstract

Using conversation analytic methodology, in this article, we examine two prosodic variants of the German response token achja and their use in everyday interaction. Whereas achJA, with prosodic prominence (in form of higher amplitude) on the second syllable, is used to claim remembering of relevant but just now recalled information, ∧achja, with prosodic prominence (in form of a pitch peak) on the first syllable, serves as a placeholder in sequential slots in which the speaker is not in a position to provide the just-now-relevant response. Thus, whereas a speaker may use achJA to establish prior independent access to interactionally relevant information and mark its retrieval, ∧achja displays a significant lack of access to relevant sequential or contextual knowledge. ∧Achja is regularly recognized as an insufficient response by the coparticipant and followed by turn and sequence expansions, whereas achJA is closing relevant. In this article, we also discuss the component tokens ach and ja separately and outline implications for the study of response tokens, translation practices, and of prosody in interaction.

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