Resuming a telling: well-prefaced turns after a parenthetical sequence

• In Event: Top Four Papers in Language and Social Interaction

Abstract

This paper examines "well" in the beginning of a turn that follows a parenthetical question-answer sequence. By examining this practice, it demonstrates how prior turns and the beginning of a turn become resources for speakers to project an action that will be carried out in the turn. Analysis demonstrates that well-preface marks the turn as ‘the-aimed-for’ and ‘arrived-at’ and projects to the recipient that the speaker is resuming the telling that was temporarily stalled.

Author

• H. Stephanie Kim, University of California, Los Angeles