Insert expansion (sequence)
| Encyclopedia of Terminology for CA and IL: Insert expansion (sequence) | |
|---|---|
| Author(s): | Olivia H. Marrese (University of Colorado, Boulder) (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6162-267X) |
| To cite: | Marrese, Olivia H. (2023). Insert expansion (sequence). In Alexandra Gubina, Elliott M. Hoey & Chase Wesley Raymond (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Terminology for Conversation Analysis and Interactional Linguistics. International Society for Conversation Analysis (ISCA). DOI: [] |
An insert expansion (sequence), also called an insert sequence or insertion sequence, are turns that occur after a first-pair part has been produced, before the projected second-pair part, produced in service of collaboratively resolving some matter that is relevant to resolve prior to the production of a responsive action. Insert sequences are initiated by the recipient of the preceding first pair part” (Schegloff 2007: 97). They can be post-first or pre-second, both in service of resolving matter from the initial (base) first-pair part. For example, in the case below Betty asks Marcia a question (line 1), and Marcia subsequently asks a question (line 3) that is related to that first-pair part.
[SBL 2.1.8] (Schegloff 2007: 97; Schegloff, et al. 1977: 368) 01 Bet: Fb-> Was last night the first time you met Missiz Kelly? 02 (1.0) 03 Mar: Fins-> Met whom? 04 Bet: Sins-> Missez Kelly. 05 Mar: Sb-> Yes.
In this case, the insert sequence launched in line 3 is specifically a post-first insert sequence and a case of other-initiated repair. With the first-pair part of the insert sequence (labelled Fins in the transcript), Marcia targets for repair a trouble source within the base first-pair part (line 1, Fb). Additionally, although in the transcript we can see that insert sequences come before second-pair parts (Sins in line 4 and Sb in line 5), it is important to remember that for the participants, a second-pair part does not yet exist after a first-pair part has been produced. Therefore, insert sequences are understood as being produced in the service of a prospective second-pair part, specifically, to repair some issue that is preventing the production of the second-pair part (as is the case for post-first insert sequences), or to establish the conditions for the production of the second-pair part (for pre-second insert sequences). Due to their sequential placement, insert sequences necessarily interrupt the progressivity of the base sequence, and as such they “project the possibility of a dispreferred response” (Schegloff 2007: 100). Such sequences can thus constitute a form of delay within the organization of preference.
There are other kinds of talk produced after a first-pair part that are not necessarily insert sequences, for example, the “solicit of confirmation” (Schegloff 2007: 98), or an extended announcement or complaint. Insert sequences specifically are produced by the prospective speaker of the second-pair part, in service of that second-pair part.
Additional Related Entries:
- Adjacency pair
- Post-first insert expansion (sequence)
- Pre-second insert expansion (sequence)
- First-pair part
- Second-pair part
- Other-initiated repair
- Repair
- Sequence
Cited References:
Schegloff, E. A. (2007). Sequence Organization in Interaction: A Primer in Conversation Analysis (Vol. 1). Cambridge University Press.
Schegloff, E. A., Jefferson, G., & Sacks, H. (1977). The preference for self-correction in the organization of repair in conversation. Language, 53(2), 361–382.
Additional References:
Clift, R. (2016). Conversation Analysis. Cambridge University Press.
Mazeland, H. (2007). Parenthetical sequences. Journal of Pragmatics, 39(10), 1816–1869.
