Turn-taking

One man and three women in military fatigues converse while standing
Individuals involved in a conversation take turns speaking

Turn-taking is a type of organization in conversation and discourse where participants speak one at a time in alternating turns. In practice, it involves processes for constructing contributions, responding to previous comments, and transitioning to a different speaker, using a variety of linguistic and non-linguistic cues.[1]

While the structure is generally universal,[2] that is, overlapping talk is generally avoided and silence between turns is minimized, turn-taking conventions vary by culture and community.[3] Conventions vary in many ways, such as how turns are distributed, how transitions are signaled, or how long the average gap is between turns.

In many contexts, conversation turns are a valuable means to participate in social life and have been subject to competition.[4] It is often thought that turn-taking strategies differ by gender; consequently, turn-taking has been a topic of intense examination in gender studies. While early studies supported gendered stereotypes, such as men interrupting more than women and women talking more than men,[5] recent research has found mixed evidence of gender-specific conversational strategies, and few overarching patterns have emerged.[6]

  1. ^ Drew, Paul; Heritage, John (2006). Drew, Paul; Heritage, John (eds.). Conversation Analysis. Vol. I. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. pp. xxxiv. ISBN 978-1-4129-1848-0.
  2. ^ Stivers, Tanya; Enfield, N. J.; Brown, Penelope; Englert, Christina; Hayashi, Makoto; Heinemann, Trine; Hoymann, Gertie; Rossano, Federico; de Ruiter, Jan Peter (2009-06-30). "Universals and cultural variation in turn-taking in conversation". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 106 (26): 10587–10592. Bibcode:2009PNAS..10610587S. doi:10.1073/pnas.0903616106. PMC 2705608. PMID 19553212.
  3. ^ Sidnell, Jack (2007-01-01). "Comparative Studies in Conversation Analysis". Annual Review of Anthropology. 36: 229–244. doi:10.1146/annurev.anthro.36.081406.094313. JSTOR 25064954.
  4. ^ Hayashi, Makoto (2012-01-01). "Turn Allocation and Turn Sharing". In Sidnell, Jack; Stivers, Tanya (eds.). The Handbook of Conversation Analysis. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. pp. 167–190. doi:10.1002/9781118325001.ch9. ISBN 9781118325001.
  5. ^ Eckert, Penelope; McConnell-Ginet, Sally (2013), Language and Gender, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 58–60, ISBN 9781107029057.
  6. ^ Eckert & McConnell-Ginet 2013, pp. 95–101.