In talk-in-interaction, a display of understanding includes both claiming and demonstrating understanding (Sacks, 1992: II). Participants can claim understanding in the form of repeating the prior talk of the other speaker (Svennevig, 2003, 2004), or demonstrate understanding in the act of formulating the prior talk (Bolden, 2010). This study explores interactional functions of the conjunction suoyi ‘so’ and particularly its role in prefacing a display of understanding in Mandarin conversation.

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Suoyi ‘so’ is a conjunction indicating results and conclusions in Mandarin. Previous research has sketched its function as a discourse marker based on the data of TV shows in foregrounding information, topic organization, and turn-taking (Fang, 2000; Yao, 2009). Its interactional functions in naturally occurring Mandarin conversation are largely unexplored.

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Adopting the methodology of conversation analysis and interactional linguistics, this study examines the intricate interactional work performed by suoyi in Mandarin conversation. The data for this study are 12 hours of naturally occurring Mandarin face-to-face conversation. An examination of the data shows that in addition to indicating results and conclusions, suoyi is also used to preface a display of understanding. Specifically, a suoyi-prefaced turn may be used to claim or demonstrate the speaker’s understanding about a B-event (Labov & Fanshel, 1977). First, speakers may deploy a suoyi-prefaced turn to claim their understanding of the other’s prior talk. In the suoyi-prefaced turn, the speaker tends to repeat/paraphrase part of the addressee’s prior informing turn. Second, speakers may use a suoyi-prefaced turn to demonstrate their understanding of the informing turns. The suoyi-prefaced turn usually involves some elements which have not been mentioned in the prior talk. When being used to preface the display of understanding, the suoyi-prefaced turns tend to be in the form of declarative assertion, and make confirmation (or disconfirmation) relevant.

This study analyzes a previously undocumented usage of suoyi, that is, it can be used to preface the display of understanding. It contributes to our understanding of the interactional uses of discourse markers from a cross-linguistic perspective.

 

Selected References

Bolden, G. (2010). ‘Articulating the unsaid’ via and-prefaced formulations of others’ talk. Discourse Studies 12.1: 1-32.

Labov, W. & Fanshel, D. (1977). Therapeutic discourse. New York: Academic Press.

Sacks, H. (1992). Lectures on Conversation, 2 vols, ed. G. Jefferson, with Introductions by E. A. Schegloff. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

Svennevig, J. (2003). ‘Echo Answers in Native/Non-Native Interaction’, Pragmatics 13(2): 285-310.

Svennevig, J. (2004). Other-repetition as display of hearing, understanding and emotional stance. Discourse Studies, 6(4), 489-516.