Abstract
This paper is an adaptation of one section in the theoretical part of a MA thesis on ‘The conversational role of silence in Moroccan Arabic’ obtained in 1990, and aims to account for attributable silence (Schegloff & Sacks, 1973) within the conversation analysis approach based on the turn-taking model advanced by Sacks, Schegloff, and Gefferson (1974). Attributable silence occurs when a speaker is selected to speak upon the completion of an utterance that solicits a particular response but chooses, for one reason or another, to remain silent. Systematic and comprehensive as the model has often been claimed to be, it does not deal with this category of silence, which is highly significant to conversation partners in daily interaction. Hence, we attempt to provide an account for it using some of the turn-taking mechanisms developed within the model itself. This silence is characterized as a violation of the turn-taking rule involving the current speaker selects next technique, and the repair of the violation is provided through the suggestion of a rule stipulating that if a selected speaker fails to start a next turn, then the current speaker has the right to pursue a response until he obtains one; otherwise, the conversation may discontinue. Features that reveal the significance of this silence are also discussed–namely noticeability, attributability, accountability, and reportability. The examples used to discuss and illustrate these points are taken from the observational and experimental data collected for the thesis.
Highlights
Silence is “as intrinsic to human existence as is speech” (Kenny, 2011, p. 12)
This paper is an adaptation of one section in the theoretical part of a MA thesis on ‘The conversational role of silence in Moroccan Arabic’ obtained in 1990, and aims to account for attributable silence (Schegloff & Sacks, 1973) within the conversation analysis approach based on the turn-taking model advanced by Sacks, Schegloff, and Gefferson (1974)
We have examined attributable silence (AS) within conversation analysis providing examples from the Moroccan context
Summary
Silence is “as intrinsic to human existence as is speech” (Kenny, 2011, p. 12). It is not merely the absence of sound. Suffice it to look at a culture’s verbal heritage such as idiomatic expressions and proverbs to realise the myriad of meanings this absence of sound conveys This variety may be attributed to different factors. We examine attributable silence (AS) within the conversation analysis framework using Sacks et al.’s model (1974) One advantage of the latter is that it does not view silence as one phenomenon; it, instead, considers it as an interactional event the nature and significance of which is determined by its placement in the ongoing talk. It identifies different types of silence–pauses, gaps, and lapses; it does not handle AS. We provide our extension and expose major features of this category of silence
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