Keevallik2018a

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Keevallik2018a
BibType ARTICLE
Key Keevallik2018a
Author(s) Leelo Keevallik
Title Sequence Initiation or Self-Talk? Commenting on the Surroundings While Mucking out a Sheep Stable
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, Sequence-initiating actions, Self-talk, Estonian
Publisher
Year 2018
Language English
City
Month
Journal Research on Language & Social Interaction
Volume 51
Number 3
Pages 313-328
URL Link
DOI 10.1080/08351813.2018.1485233
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

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Abstract

This study investigates comments on the physical surroundings while a group of people are shoveling dung in a sheep stable. In this setting, where the auditory space is mostly open for talk, some comments launch a conversational sequence, while others are treated as self-talk. The article discusses how the speaker’s body posture, speech volume, and gaze, as well as the nature of the referent, contribute to attracting a response. Comments treated as self-talk are typically uttered with low volume, while the speaker is bending forwards with his or her gaze toward the ground. Comments that launch a sequence and achieve a focused interaction are instead spoken out loud, with the speaker’s body oriented toward the other participants, and deploy the recipients’ current attention focus. Furthermore, the timing of the comment just before an upcoming activity junction from shoveling to a brief rest increases the chances of a conversational sequence being developed. The data are in Estonian with an English translation.

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