Differentiated use of Japanese interjective items 'eeto', 'sonoo' and 'anoo' in self-initiated, same-turn repair

Abstract

This study examines the intricacies of Japanese interjective tokens eeto, anoo, and sonoo from a conversation analytic perspective, particularly focusing on their role in self-initiated, same-turn self-repair. This study reveals that these tokens can serve as repair prefaces, projecting the quintessence of the impending repair operation. Depending on the specific interactional concerns at any given juncture, distinct variations in self-initiated, same-turn repair operations emerge, and Japanese speakers adeptly indicate how their orientation toward specific interactional aspects of the upcoming repair solution should be heard at that particular conversational juncture by prefacing their self-repair operations with these tokens, each signaling a different nature for the repair. Furthermore, this study argues that the differentiated use of eeto, anoo, and sonoo as repair prefaces correlates with and extends findings from our previous studies, thereby establishing congruence between their varied workings across multiple situations.