On the organization of corrective exchanges in conversation

Abstract This essay investigates how conversationalists accomplish corrections on one another's talk. It shows that they negotiate such corrective sequences from one context to the next based on their respective abilities to complete the correction, rather than adhering to the so-called ‘preference for self-correction’ proposed by Schegloff et al. (1977). Investigation of settings favoring corrections by a second speaker reveals a shared perception that he or she is better able to complete the exchange, either because of greater familiarity with the topic, the language in use, or simply the intended contribution. Interactions between parents and children, teachers and students, and native and nonnative speakers provide appropriate examples. Approximately equal background information and language facility together leave only knowledge of the turn in progress as a differentiating factor, so the current speaker naturally assumes responsibility for any corrections in it, resulting in the predominance of self-correction in conversation between adult native speakers. Thus the analysis proposed here includes the earlier account as a sub-case.

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