Word repetitions in Japanese spontaneous speech

This paper examines several hypotheses based on a ‘strategic’ view of word repetitions in English. We test whether these hypotheses also apply to Japanese with its fundamentally different syntax. Analyses of 10 task-oriented Japanese dialogues reveal two effects. First, pauses are more frequent before and just after a word at a suspension of the speech than after a repetition of that word. Second, the first token of the repeated word is abnormally prolonged. These results support the ‘strategic’ view of repetitions. Speakers often suspend speaking after making a preliminary commitment to a constituent, but they prefer to produce that constituent with a continuous delivery. These findings suggest the generality of these strategies across languages.