Position and Function of Pre-repair-initiator so in Korean EFL Learners' Conversation

Abstract

This paper attempts to observe and describe how Korean speakers of English use so along with repair initiators in their conversation. By transcribing recordings of the conversation among Korean learners of English, the present study reveals three findings: (i) learners use repair- initiators such as uh, gaps, or repetition in the same turn repair to earn time for a word search as native speakers of English do (Schegloff, 1979) (ii) learners put so before these repair initiators in the same turn repair to earn more time for a word search, and (iii) learners put this "pre-repair-initiator" so only in a position where turn-taking is relevant. This consistent position of so functions to secure not only extra time but also a speakership of a current speaker to compensate their disfluency in English conversation.