Turn-Taking

1
Turn-Taking

• Presented by Sarah Friedman
• April 4, 2005
• Based on
• Sacks, H., Schegloff, E.A., Jefferson, G. (1974).
  A Simplest Systematics for the Organization of
  Turn-Taking for Conversation. Language, 50,
  696- 735.

2
Introduction

• Report on turn-taking system for conversation
• Research using audio recording of naturally
  occuring conversations

3
Need for a New Turn-Taking Model

• Investigators of small group interaction have
  difficulty explaining behaviors using turn-taking
  systems
• Researchers of interview behavior are concerned
  with
• The distribution of talk among the parties
• Silences
• The way talk shifts from one speaker to another
• These researchers dealt with turn-taking
• questions, but unsatisfactorily because of
• weaknesses in turn-taking models

4
Reasons for Research

• Obvious that one party talks at a time, there are
  techniques for allocating turns, etc.
• Can be applied to many contexts

5
Turn Allocation

• Next turn is allocated by
• Current speaker
• Self-selection

6
Rules Governing Turn Construction

• 1. For any turn, at a transition-relevant place
• If current speaker selects next then the person
  selected is obligated to take the next turn.
• If not, self-selection may be instituted.
• Or, the current speaker may continue unless
  someone self-selects.
• 2. If 1c occurs, then rules a-c reapply at the
  next transition-relevant place

7
The System Accounts for

• Speaker change
• One party talking majority of the time
• Occcurrences of more than one speaker at a time
  are common but brief

8
Types of Overlap

• Accounted for by rule 1b (self-selection)
  Competing for next turn.
• Lil Berthas lost, on our scale, about
  fourteen pounds.
• Damora Ohno,
• Jean Twelve pounds I think wasnt it
  
• Daisy Can you believe it?
• Lil Twelve pounds on the Weight Watchers
  scale.

9
Types of Overlap (cont)

• Assume you know how the speaker will finish.
• A Well if you knew my argument why did you
  bother to ask.
• B Because Id like to defend my
  argument.
• The speaker added optional elements that can go
  after completion.
• A Uh you been down here before havenche,
• B Yeh.

10
Turn Order/Size

• Turn Order
• Not fixed yet its not random
• Bias Speaker before the current speaker is
  selected as the next speaker
• Turn Size
• Not fixed
• Why?
• Because of unit types (single-word turns, single
  phrase turns, etc.)
• Because of rule 1C (current speaker can continue)
  the speaker can produce more than one unit type

11
More on Turns

• The length and content of conversations are not
  specified in advance
• Anyone can be the next speaker
• Number of parties can vary.
• With 4 you can have multiple conversations
• Turns begin at possible completion points
• Repairs exist for errors
• Who me?
• Excuse me?

12
Continuous or Discontinuous

• Talk can be continuous or discontinuous
• Continuous minimum gap or overlap
• Discontinuous a current speaker has stopped and
  no speaker starts, and non-talk is a lapse.
• J Oh I could drive if you want me to.
• C Well no Ill drive (I don m//in).
• J hhh.
• (1.0)
• J I meant to offah.
• (16.0)
• J Those shoes look nice when you keep on putting
  stuff on em.
• C Yeah I ave to get another can cuz cuz it ran
  out.

13
Turn Allocation Techniques Select Next Speaker

• 1. Type of Sequence parts. (Adjacency pairs).
  
• Examples
• Complaint/denial
• Ken Hey yuh took my chair by the way ant I
  dont think that was very nice.
• Al I didn take yer chair, its my chair.
• Compliment/rejection
• A Im glad I have you for a friend.
• B Thats because you dont have any others.

14
Turn Allocation Techniques Select Next Speaker
(cont)

• 2. Repeat parts of prior utterance with a
  question intonation or one word question.
• Ben They gotta a garage sale
• Lori Where.
• Ben On Third Avenue.

15
Turn Allocation Techniques Select Next Speaker
(cont)

• 3. Tag question
• You know? Dont you agree?
• 4. Introduce social identities
• Two couples speaking. An invitation is made by a
  speaker to go to the movies. The next speaker
  should be a member of the other couple.

16
Turn Allocation Techniques Self-Selection

• 1. Starting First
• 2. Second Starters
• R Hey, the place looks different
• F Yeahhh.
• K Ya have to see all our new-
• D It does?
• R Oh yeah

17
Consequences of the Model

• Motivation for listening to all utterances in a
  conversation
• To see if you are the next speaker
• If you want to speak, make sure no one else was
  selected to speak
• When a new speaker is selected, the speaker has
  to perform the second part of the adjacency pair.
  
• Shows he understood the prior turns talk as the
  first part