Epistemics and Recipient Design in Other-Initiated Repair Sequences: A Closer Look at Repeats and Paraphrases

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of repetitions and paraphrases as repair initiations in conversation, emphasizing the importance of epistemics in shaping discourse sequences. Focusing on repeats and paraphrases that offer candidate repair solutions, the study asserts that speakers strategically manage their epistemic domains through these mechanisms, contributing to recipient design for clear interpretations. The data suggests that epistemic tension arises from both the given knowledge status and turn-by-turnshaped epistemic stance, influencing the direction of repair sequences towards a gradient outcome. The findings highlight the cooperative efforts of participants in achieving intersubjectivity, actively referencing common ground to construct and interpret utterances in conversation.