An exploration of linguistic mediation activities in repair sequences: The case of a plurilingual youth participant in an after-school digital storytelling project

Abstract

This article uses Conversation Analysis (CA) to explore the linguistic mediation activities carried out by a plurilingual teenager in interaction with a linguistically and culturally diverse peer group, with a focus on repair sequences. The analysis centres on: 1) the placement of repair, that is, repair that is forward-oriented or backward-oriented; 2) the object of repair, focusing on repair directed at the code and repair directed at the message; 3) procedures by which the linguistic mediator is selected, that is by other-selection or self-selection; 4) interactional procedures for completing repair, focusing on translation and collaborative turn sequences. This study contributes to enhancing understandings of the mechanics of linguistic mediation in contexts of linguistic and cultural diversity from an interactional perspective, and among youth, in the context of an after-school educational program.