The phonetics of sequence organization: An investigation of lexical repetition in other-initiated repair sequences in American English

This thesis investigates the interrelationship of phonetic structure and sequence organization in talk-in-interaction. It integrates the methodology of Conversation Analysis and impressionistic and instrumental phonetics to show how activities in a conversation are managed and oriented to by the participants.; The study examines the phonetic characteristics of repetition in other-initiated repair sequences in American English. In these sequences, speakers repeat their immediately prior talk after prompting (e.g., what?; huh?). Phonetic analysis of the repairs contradicts published accounts of the phonetic correlates of clear speech, and descriptions of the phonetics of repetitions.; The combination of sequential and phonetic analysis reveals a relationship between the phonetic realization of the repetition, and the trouble source turn it repairs. Trouble source turns which are fitted in sequence are repaired with repetitions that are louder, have expanded pitch ranges, longer durations, and long-domain changes to the articulatory settings (compared to the trouble source turns)—the ‘upgraded’ structure where they occur are repaired with repetitions that are quieter, have non-expanded pitch ranges, shorter durations, and no major differences in articulation when compared to the trouble source turns—the ‘non-upgraded’ phonetic pattern.; It appears that speakers manipulate clusters of phonetic parameters to negotiate who is ‘at fault’ for a conversational breakdown. Repetitions with the ‘non-upgraded’ phonetic pattern may be displays of the understanding that turns treated as trouble sources were indeed disjunct and problematic for the sequence-so-far. Conversely, repetitions with the ‘upgraded’ phonetic pattern may be displays that turns treated as trouble sources were fitted and appropriate next actions, and thus did not warrant repair initiation.; This thesis highlights the indispensable role of the phonetic level of organization in the collaborative resolution of problematic sequences of talk. It shows that systematic differences in the phonetic realization of repetition repairs co-occur with differences in the turn-taking properties and sequential relevance of the original utterance. It emphasizes the importance of combining attention to phonetic detail with sequential analysis to fully understand the orderliness in everyday talk-in-interaction.