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Achieving multi-unit turns

The versatile token khob in Persian extended tellings

 | Ulster University
 | The Ohio State University
 | University of Washington
 | Purdue University
Published online: 21 January 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/il.24005.afs
Abstract
This paper provides a conversation analytical and multimodal examination of a highly ubiquitous Persian token, khob, in everyday Persian multi-unit tellings. Based upon corpora of daily interactions between family members and friends over phone and face-to-face, three functions of khob are identified: (a) khob can be used by the recipient to a telling as a response functioning as a continuer and acknowledgement token, passing the opportunity for speakership, prompting the next unit of telling, and acknowledging the delivered prior turn. In this function, khob can carry a rising or falling final pitch movement; (b) the token can also be used as a tag by the speaker of a telling to elicit recipiency and check the recipient’s understanding of the turn so far. As a tag, khob may or may not solicit a response. Response soliciting and non-soliciting khobs differ in terms of the participants’ gaze behaviour and the coparticipants’ level of engagement in the storytelling, but both types only appear with a final rise in our corpora. Finally, (c) khob can be used as a resumption marker, managing a return to storytelling after it is suspended with an intervening action. Interactions were recorded in Iran.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1Continuers
    • 2.2Tags
    • 2.3Story resumption markers
  • 3.Data and methodology
  • 4.Analysis
    • 4.1Khob: Continuer
    • 4.2Khob: Tag
      • 4.2.1Response soliciting khob
      • 4.2.2Non-soliciting khob
    • 4.3Khob: Story resumption marker
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgement
  • Notes
  • References
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