LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 20:9 September 2020
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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Turn-taking and Simultaneous Speech

Dnyaneshwar P. Suryawanshi, M.A., Ph.D.

Abstract

Turn-taking is the prominent feature of dyadic interaction. It is termed as an interchanging of utterance sequences between two or more speakers. Many a time, this turn-taking does not take place smoothly as it involves simultaneous speech namely interruption and overlap. Interruption is an indispensable aspect of conversational behavior. Therefore, it cannot be relegated as a rude and disaffiliative act harming the flow of conversation. Like interruption, overlap too is the essential ingredient of interaction as it helps enhancing conversation at hand. In short, our interaction itself necessitates interruption and overlap. The present paper aims at defining interaction and overlap in the line of their function, types, and differences.

Keywords: -taking, interruption, prosody of interruption, overlap, conversational floor, dyadic/triadic conversation, face, face-wants, negative face, face-saving/threatening strategies, deference, pause, pitch, tempo, non-verbal behavior, adjacency pair, TRP (transition relevance place), repair, backchannel, paralinguistic features, illocutionary force, hitches and perturbations.

1. Introduction

Turn-taking is the most important feature of dyadic (two-party) interaction. Our verbal interaction is realized in the form of turn-taking. As Goodwin (1981, p. 5) observes, turn in conversation requires action by at least two parties; one who changes his/her role from speaking to hearing and another who moves from hearing to speaking. Thus, turn is an interchanging sequence of utterance by two or more speakers.

The nature of conversation is of typical kind. In terms of turn-taking, conversation proceeds more or less orderly which includes smooth interchanges of the speaker-auditor roles. However, sometimes there occur simultaneous speech exchanges creating a little irregularity in conversational exchanges. These simultaneous speech activities do not have negative impact on the flow of speech. They are produced with certain immediate needs. This paper proposes to fathom into mainly two notions under simultaneous speech: interruptions and overlap along with their nature, types, and functions.

2. Turn-taking and Interruption

Interruption is an obvious feature of any conversation. It is generally implied that interruption makes a disruptive effect on the ongoing interaction. It seems that the interrupting person attempts to grab the floor by ignoring turn-taking rules.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Dnyaneshwar P. Suryawanshi, M.A., Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Head, Department of English
Vivekanand Arts, Sardar Dalipsingh Commerce & Science College
Aurangabad 431001
Maharashtra, India
dssurya@gmail.com
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