Some interactional uses of Shi ba in Mandarin conversation

Abstract

Adopting the methodology of conversation analysis and interactional linguistics, this study explores some fine-grained interactional uses of shi ba in Mandarin conversation. An investigation of the data reveals that shi ba recurrently works as a tag expression in initiating turns, requesting confirmation or seeking affiliation from the recipient. Additionally, shi ba in responsive turns can function as a Newsmark or display affiliation on an independent position. The specific function that shi ba performs in talk-in-interaction is tied to two decisive factors—its position in specific turns and sequences as well as the relative epistemic status of interlocutors. It is also suggested that there lies a common motivation for the emergence of various interactional functions of shi ba—the demand for an on-line alignment, which reflects the cross-fertilization between language and interaction.