Discourse Approach to Turn-taking

3.2.3

Data 2

As it is plausible that question-form and command-form utterances elicit any kind of

responses by the listener, the statement-form utterances that elicit turn-taking are

given focus. Table 3.3 indicates the relation between the first tone choice of the next

speaker’s response and the last tone choice of the speaker’s statement-form utterance

that elicits turn-taking. Tone functions are in accordance with Brazil’s intonation

system (see 2.3).

Table 3.3: Relation between the last tone choice of the speaker’s statement-form

utterance and the first tone choice of the next speaker’s response in turn-taking

Speaker’s utterance

Listener’s response

Tone choice

Function

Tone choice

Number

Proclaiming

34

Referring

15

Telling new

information

Level

6

Proclaiming

6

Referring

8

Proclaiming

*1

(divergence)

Finding out

information

Level

2

Proclaiming

1

Referring

3

Referring to shared

ground

Level

1

Proclaiming

10

Referring

6

Referring

*2

(convergence)

Making sure about

shared ground

Level

1

Proclaiming

4

Referring

1

Level (oblique direction)

Level

2

*1

: Proclaiming tone means a falling tone here, since there is no utterance with a

rise-fall tone that elicits turn-taking. The total number does not match the

number of the statement-form utterances with a falling tone in Table 3.1,

because the tone choice of the first tone unit of the listener’s response

(S6/T17-U1) to the speaker’s utterance // ! but this makes it even MORE

imPORtant // " that … // ! … we find SOME way // ! to subSTANtiate

your STOry … // ! … that you were AT the STAdium // ! at the TIme of the

CRIme // (S6/T16-U2) was difficult to be distinguished.

*2

: Referring tone includes both a fall-rise and rising tones.

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