Multimodal Try-marking for Securing Recipient Understanding of Codeswitched Lexical Items in Everyday ELF Conversations

Abstract

In this paper I analyse sequences where multilingual English as lingua franca (ELF) speakers codeswitch single lexical items from their native language in an attempt to resolve a word search or when displaying hesitancy. The main focus of the paper is on try-marking used by the speakers as a technique for securing recipient understanding of the codeswitched items. The analysis shows that try-marking does not only comprise rising intonation but also specific embodied resources that highlight and prolong the relevance of recipient response beyond prosodic marking. The analysis also presents a single case in which the speaker invites recipient confirmation of understanding without using rising intonation but by relying mainly on the end positioning of the target word near the transition relevance place in combination with response-mobilising embodied cues. The results add to our knowledge of how participants pre-empt trouble and achieve mutual understanding in linguistically diverse ELF settings.