The Body as a Resource for Other-Initiation of Repair: Cupping the Hand Behind the Ear. Issue 1 (2nd January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mortensen, Kristian
• Is Part Of: Research on language and social interaction. Volume 49:Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 34
• Page End: 57
• Publication Date: 2016-01-02
• Subjects: Linguistics -- Periodicals; Sociolinguistics -- Periodicals; Communication -- Periodicals; 401.4105
• DOI: 10.1080/08351813.2016.1126450
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0835-1813

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This article analyzes how the human body serves as a resource for other-initiation of repair. It describes how a hand gesture, a cupped hand behind the ear, is oriented to as a repair initiation in a foreign language classroom. The gesture typically occurs in the absence of speech and is treated as a hearing problem. The article argues that "hearing" does not refer to the acoustic reception but rather to the recipient's hearing as displayed conduct and relates to the recipient's lack of displayed orientation to the speaker during the trouble source turn. When the repair initiation is accomplished by co-occurring speech and gesture, the speech specifically marks the trouble as not a hearing problem. Data in English as a second language.