Production and understanding of change‑of‑state tokens in English talk‑in‑interaction among L1 and L2 speakers

Min-Chang Sung and Sun-Young Oh
Gyeongin National University of Education | Seoul National University

This study investigates the production and understanding of change-of-state tokens like oh and ah in English conversations among one L1 speaker and three L2 speakers. Using conversation analysis, it examines how these speakers do interactional work to achieve shared understanding through these tokens. The L1 speaker produces oh to signal changes of state (Heritage 1984), which L2 speakers respond to appropriately. On the other hand, the L2 speakers often use ah, apparently influenced by its usage in their native language (Korean), which the L1 speaker also understands as indicating a change of state. While these discourse particles help achieve intersubjectivity, the study identifies moments of potential misalignment in orientations, as L2 speakers sometimes use ah in ways the L1 speaker does not fully grasp. The findings highlight the importance of the situated adaptability in multilingual interactions and the mutual responsibility to embrace interactional variations between L1 and L2 speakers.

Publication history

Date received: 12 September 2024

Date accepted: 6 December 2024

Published online: 1 August 2025

Table of contents

Interlocutors utilize various interactional devices during talk-in-interaction to accomplish both micro- and macro-level tasks within ongoing communication. Among these devices, the change-of-state token, such as oh and ah, notably signifies a shift in the speaker’s mental state from ignorance or misinformation to being informed (Bolden 2006; Heritage 1984, 1998, 2002; Kim 2003). Researchers have underscored how the change-of-state token can signal that the speaker has been informed by the preceding turn(s) and organizes the subsequent discourse (Aijmer 1987; Heritage 1984, 1998, 2002, 2016). The finding that the change-of-state token is deeply associated with varying mental states of interactants and the dynamics of talk-in-interaction indicates the importance for interlocutors to effectively produce and understand these tokens within conversations.

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