Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

Repeating and recasting

89b

Under the pressure of real time, speakers may repeat words or phrases or recast

what they are saying. This is perfectly normal in spontaneous speech, and is not to

be taken as a sign of sloppy or lazy performance:

The = sign indicates an utterance which is cut short

The + sign indicates an interrupted turn which continues at the next + sign

[speaker is an insurance salesperson explaining different kinds of cover]

A: With third party fire and theft in fact if you’d had that cover+

B: Mm. 

A: +in the event of an accident erm you you wouldn’t have to pay anything. But

erm you’d ha= I mean you’d have You wouldn’t have to pay anything towards

the claim but you’d have to sort your own damage to your car out. 

B: Right. 

A: Whereas we’d pay for the third party, like, the other others involved. 

B: I see right yeah. 

(despite hesitations and recasting, the message is clearly comprehensible to the

listener)

Repeats are one way in which speakers may buy more time for thought. Repetition

often occurs at the beginning of an utterance or clause:

I, I’m, I’m not sure he’ll he’ll be able to arrange that at such short notice.

I can’t tell you, I’m afraid. 

It, it … would cause too much emotional damage.

Recasting is another feature of real-time communication. Sometimes speakers say

things too quickly and need to backtrack, in the process reformulating words and

phrases; sometimes they need to qualify what was said previously:

That’s such a limited attitude, 

well, okay, I know it’s cautious and sensible and

not just limited but I think we’ve got to take more risks. 

(rephrasing and modifying the word limited)

[OHP = overhead projector]

Before we start … 

before we go into that level of detail, I’m going to write it on

the OHP. 

(rephrasing the subordinate clause)