Maintaining and achieving shared understanding

The focus now is on the maintenance of shared understanding throughout and following the TCU completion, i.e. the management of steps 2 and 3 in the proposed

124 sequence in Table 5.A. Re-using example 5.1 and 5.2 above, the presented analysis will highlight how the use of anticipatory nodding facilitates turn completion, while

displaying shared understanding, which is then confirmed at TCU completion with a differentiated response.

As we saw in example 5.1 in the introduction of this chapter, Tor’s displayed understanding is relevant as Lars contests Tor’s argument made earlier. Details, including Tor’s gaze, are given in transcript 5.1b below.

(5.1b) KTH-NO, TL, 10:10/730 “nosebleed” HEAD-NOD AND GAZE ANNOTATION 2

((In 01/04 Lars explains how he manages well at a technical university, despite not having an engineering degree. This is done in response to Tor, who prior to the excerpt argued that it is important if not necessary to have some

engineering background in order to do research in this institution)) 01 L: den `TEKniske greia så—

that technical thing

STEP 2 3

02-06 HN(T) //^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^/^v^v^v^v^v^v^// 02-06 HN(L) //^^^^^^^^// //^^^^^^^^^^^^// 02-06 Gz(T) ___________________________________________, , ,DL

02-06 T: mm, (--0.5--)= =mm, (---1.1---) (0.4) 04 L: =`FUNker det likevel(m)=

it still works 07 Gz(T) DL

07 T: °pth ja jˀ je:gˀ (-) jeg ´FÅR en assosiasjon til han eh: °pth yeah I- I (-) I get an association to (that one) uhm:

This example shows how the interactants collaboratively display the achievement of shared understanding, on the basis of anticipatory nodding. Two parallel activities demonstrate this. First, by nodding throughout Lars’ turn Tor contextualises his

alignment as contingent on Lars’ talk. Second, Lars actively uses this as an environment to accept Tor’s alignment, (i) by nodding in response to Tor’s (first) mm + nod, and (ii) by completing his compound construction. Furthermore, by intensifying his nodding at the end of Lars’ turn, Tor marks that this is the point at which he does not expect any further turn development from Lars, i.e. he confirms that Lars’ turn and their shared

125 understanding is for all practical purposes achieved. In response to Tor’s intensified nod and an mm, Lars nods a second time, as if ratifying their achievement.

Notice the use of the particle så (01) in this example. This particle is also found elsewhere in the data, prior to a mid-TCU pause. In example 5.1 there are no clear prolongations in the production of this particle, nor a silence portion preceding Bengt’s response. Still, this particle is oriented to as the point where a mid-TCU response is relevant, and it is possible that the så is a highly recognisable mid-TCU item in

Norwegian, for which prolongations are not needed. However, the other accompanying features are intact, i.e. there is mutual gaze, and the phonetic production of så neither indicates turn-finality, nor projection of a next speech sound.

Below (transcript 5.2b) example 5.2 is re-visited as a second, slightly different

illustration of this process. In this example step 3 takes a different form than in example 5.1. As in example 5.1, the hearer (Bengt) produces a second verbal response (mm) to mark turn completion. However, unlike 5.1, the TCU-final mm is not accompanied by a differentiated head-nod.

(5.2b) KTH-NO, BL, 04:20, “aleine” HEAD-NOD AND GAZE ANNOTATION 02 Gz(L) , , , , , x________________________ 02 L: jeg ikke skulle ha ¯SEtt:— (0.3) om je:g— (eh)

I wouldn’t have seen: (0.3) if I: (uh)

STEP 2 3

03-06 Gz(L) ___________________________, , , DR

03-06 HN(B) //^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^//

03-05 B: mm, = [mm; ]

04-06 L: = hadde gått a`LEIne? [<<all >for ekse]mp>el: (eh) had gone on my own for example (uh)

This difference suggests that a differentiated head-nod at the end of the TCU is not essential as a step 3 achievement, as long as there is some other form of confirmation (e.g. verbal). Alternatively, the lack of head-nod in this case might be related to the fact that Lars continues speaking (for eksempel/“for example” in 06) at the same time as Bengt produces his TCU-final response. As further support for this claim, Lars shifts his

126 gaze away from Bengt as soon as his TCU is complete, and this way initiates and

contextualises for eksempel/“for example” (06) as a transition away from the matters of the previous turn. Furthermore, Lars produces for eksempel faster than previous talk, and in this way quickly secures the hearable initiation of a next turn. In sum, Lars shows that he does not need any further confirmation of shared understanding, and Bengt displays his orientation to this as he stops nodding simultaneously with Lars’ gaze-shift and next turn-initiation (I was not able to determine whether Lars’ gaze-shift or Bengt’s nod-stop occurred first).

In context of the preceding chapter on phonetic resources for ‘doing the same’, it is interesting to note that the phonetic relationship between the two mm’s in both 5.1 and 5.2, corresponds to the phonetic characteristics for ‘doing the same’ (see chapter 4). Also, observations about what happens next confirm the findings on what the interactional relevance of ‘doing the same’ is. First, in example 5.1 Tor proceeds on a next turn (07), tangentially related to Lars’ talk (which he projects with a gaze-shift during the gap in 06). This observation fits with the claim in chapter 4 about how similar responses are used in connection with a topic shift. In this way, at the interface

between the current study and the previous one, Tor might be doing two things at the same time: (i) displaying shared understanding, and (ii) not projecting further on-topic engagement. Correspondingly, in example 5.2 Lars projects a next turn as Bengt’s understanding is secured and he does not project an on-topic engagement (in fact, he hardly gets the opportunity to).

5.3.3 Summary

This section has demonstrated how speakers use mid-TCU pauses to attract hearer alignment/understanding, and how shared understanding is displayed and confirmed during and after a turn production.

In context of an incomplete TCU, a range of resources are relevant in inviting a mid-TCU response, including:

127

 Prolonged speech sounds, followed by a pause

 Mutual gaze

 Linking particles like så

 Definite article (which in Norwegian occurs word-finally)

 Phonetically not projecting a next speech sound, i.e. no glottalisation or coarticulatory features prior to mid-TCU pause

Hearers display their understanding following the mid-TCU pause and throughout the rest of the TCU, which constitutes shared understanding. The achievement of shared understanding is confirmed by providing a differentiated head-nod, and/or a verbal response. The confirmation is sensitive to the emerging interaction: Nodding does not continue any longer than until shared understanding is confirmed.

5.4 Negative evidence for the interactants’ orientations to