Published In

Language in Society

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2003

Subjects

Second language learning, Interpersonal communication

Abstract

This article examines the interactive import of prosody from a perspective of participants' orientation to talk in interaction, taking advantage of data from institutional discourse to focus on the prosodic packaging of recurring turn sequences of the same discourse activity. The analysis focuses on the third slot of a ubiquitous three-part classroom discourse sequence, the IRF exchange (Sinclair & Coulthard 1975), a site in which teachers make repetitive feedback moves following student responses. Examination of more than 25 hours of classroom discourse and more than 300 third-turn teacher feedback types uncovered a systematic use of prosody for these teacher repetitions that coincides with a teacher's positive assessment of the student response. Further analysis shows that more complex prosodic packaging is used by teachers in their repetitive feedback turns to index other interactive functions.

Rights

Copyrighted by Cambridge University Press.

Description

This is the publisher's final PDF. The original publication is available at http://journals.cambridge.org

DOI

10.10170S0047404503321049

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/10960

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