Progressional overlap onset

Encyclopedia of Terminology for CA and IL: Progressional overlap onset
Author(s):	Robert Prettner (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands) (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6446-9965)
To cite:	Prettner, Robert. (2023). Progressional overlap onset. 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: 10.17605/OSF.IO/F4KYS

Progressional overlap (also progressional overlap onset, or simply progressional onset) occurs when a next speaker initiates talk during an emerging problem in the progression of a current speaker’s turn. The onset of progressional overlap is therefore located at various types of dysfluencies or ‘hitches’ of ongoing talk. As such, progressional overlap is typically relatively distant from the transition-relevance place and is therefore categorized as a sub-type of interjacent overlap. Jefferson (1984) mentions two kinds of dysfluencies that may prompt a next speaker to interject:

(i) Mid-utterance silence or silence-fillers (such as “uh”), also called hesitations (Wells & McFarlane 1998). In the example below, some troubles arise in Nan’s turn (lines 1 & 2), as indicated by the pauses as well as silence fillers “oow”, “ah::m” and “uh::”. Subsequently, Barnaby interjects Nan’s turn mid-utterance in line 4.

[Her:OI:3:9] (adapted from Jefferson 1984: 34)

01  Nan:    It’s a bit oow (.) ah::m (.) bit’v a risk 
02       -> thou:gh tuh (.) presume thet uh[::	  [ih tis] ficti]tious
03  Bar: ->                                [We:ll [yes I ] know ]

Because this sub-type of onset is located at a point where speaker transition relevantly can, should and does occur, Jefferson (1984) portrays this overlap as byproduct of routine turn taking practices (cf. Sacks, et al. 1974). The placement of such overlap is best described as non-turn-competitive (Kurtic, et al. 2013; for prosodic-phonetic design of competitive turns, see overlap).

(ii) Mid-Utterance stuttering, such as recyclings, revisings or repeatings of a word. In line 6, Doreen repeats the word “they”, upon which Helen initiates an affirming response in line 7.

[Her:I:6:5] (adapted from Jefferson 1984: 35)

06  Dor: -> No well they fidget. Theh-: the[y
07  Hel: ->                                [Yes they do

According to Jefferson (1984), turns that feature mid-utterance silence or silence fillers are more likely to be relinquished than turns that feature mid-utterance stuttering. Therefore, talk initiated during mid-utterance stuttering may be portrayed as more turn incursive than talk initiated upon mid-utterance silence or silence fillers.

Additional Related Entries:

• Overlap
• Recognitional overlap onset
• Transitional overlap onset
• Turn-taking

Cited References:

Drew, P. (2009). Quit talking while I'm interrupting: a comparison between positions of overlap onset in conversation. In M. Haakana, M. Laakso & J. Lindström (Eds.) Talk in Interaction: Comparative Dimensions (pp. 70-93). Finnish Literature Society.

Jefferson, G. (1984). Notes on some orderlinesses of overlap onset. In V. D’Urso & P. Leonardi (Eds.), Discourse Analysis and Natural Rhetoric (pp. 11–38). Cleup Editore.

Jefferson, G. (1986). Notes on ‘latency’ in overlap onset. Human Studies, 9(2), 153–184.

Jefferson, G. (2004). A sketch of some orderly aspects of overlap in natural conversation. In G. H. Lerner (Ed.), Conversation Analysis: Studies from the First Generation (pp. 43–59). John Benjamins.

Kurtic, E., Brown, G. J. & Wells, B. (2013). Resources for turn competition in overlapping talk. Speech Communication, 55, 721–743.

Sacks, H., Schegloff, E. A., & Jefferson, G. (1974). A simplest systematics for the organization of turn-taking for conversation. Language, 50, 696–735.

Wells, B. & Macfarlane, S. (1998). Prosody as an interactional resource: turn-projection and overlap. Language and Speech, 41(3-4), 265–294.

Additional References:

French, P. & Local, J. (1983). Turn-competitive incomings. Journal of Pragmatics, 7, 17–38.

Local, J. & Walker, G. (2005). Methodological imperatives for investigating the phonetic organization and phonological structures of spontaneous speech. Phonetica, 62(2-4), 120-130.

Local, J. K., Kelly, J. & Wells, W. H. (1986). Towards a phonology of conversation: turn-taking in Tyneside English. Journal of Linguistics, 22, 411-437.

Lerner, G. H. (1989). Notes on overlap management in conversation: the case of delayed completion. Western Journal of Speech Communication, 53(2), 167–177.

Schegloff, E. A. (2000). Overlapping talk and the organization of turn-taking for conversation. Language in Society, 29(1), 1–63.