Turn-Continuation by Self and by Other

Abstract

At the possible completion of a turn constructional unit (TCU) that has not selected a next speaker, a speaker has two available options: either begin a new TCU or continue the one that has just come to a point of possible completion. This article describes some of the complex turns that result from exercising the second option. These can be seen to consist of at least two components: a host and a continuation. This article focuses, in particular, on cases in which these are produced by different speakers. Although a basic distinction between reverse- and same-directionality continuations can account for many instances, other cases are more complicated. This article suggests that such cases encourage us to consider the variety of footings a speaker can adopt vis-à-vis the prior talk by continuing another participant's turn.