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Chapter 3. Bueno -, pues -, and bueno-pues -prefacing in Spanish conversation

Abstract

This chapter reports on two turn-initial particles in Spanish: bueno and pues. While previous research has equated both of these to well-prefacing in English in that they project “unexpectedness”, here the aim is to explicate the distinct interactional work that each particle performs. Focusing on responses to questions, I show that bueno-prefaced responses do not overtly problematize the prior utterance, but rather accept its terms before departing from them, and thereby acquiesce to the prior turn’s design. Pues-prefaced responses, by contrast, are directly addressed to the prior turn, but they cast that prior turn’s action or design as problematic in some way. I conclude by illustrating how these two uses are not mutually exclusive by examining the compound preface bueno-pues.

Abstract

This chapter reports on two turn-initial particles in Spanish: bueno and pues. While previous research has equated both of these to well-prefacing in English in that they project “unexpectedness”, here the aim is to explicate the distinct interactional work that each particle performs. Focusing on responses to questions, I show that bueno-prefaced responses do not overtly problematize the prior utterance, but rather accept its terms before departing from them, and thereby acquiesce to the prior turn’s design. Pues-prefaced responses, by contrast, are directly addressed to the prior turn, but they cast that prior turn’s action or design as problematic in some way. I conclude by illustrating how these two uses are not mutually exclusive by examining the compound preface bueno-pues.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Chapter 1. Introduction 1
  5. Sequential departures
  6. Chapter 2. Nu -prefaced responses in Russian conversation 25
  7. Chapter 3. Bueno -, pues -, and bueno-pues -prefacing in Spanish conversation 59
  8. Chapter 4. Two types of trouble with questions 97
  9. Chapter 5. Diverging from ‘business as usual’ 119
  10. Chapter 6. Turn-initial particles in English 155
  11. Epistemic and Related Issues
  12. Chapter 7. A -prefaced responses to inquiry in Japanese 193
  13. Chapter 8. Treating something as self-evident 225
  14. Chapter 9. Reformulating prior speaker’s turn in Finnish 251
  15. Chapter 10. Turn design and progression 287
  16. Chapter 11. Making up one’s mind in second position 315
  17. Sequence Management
  18. Chapter 12. Calibrating an agnostic epistemic stance in Swedish conversation 341
  19. Chapter 13. Turn-initial voilà in closings in French 371
  20. Chapter 14. Turn-initial naja in German 413
  21. Chapter 15. Justifying departures from progressivity 445
  22. Appendix 477
  23. Author Index 481
  24. Subject index 485
Between Turn and Sequence
This chapter is in the book Between Turn and Sequence
https://doi.org/10.1075/slsi.31.03ray

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Chapter 1. Introduction 1
  5. Sequential departures
  6. Chapter 2. Nu -prefaced responses in Russian conversation 25
  7. Chapter 3. Bueno -, pues -, and bueno-pues -prefacing in Spanish conversation 59
  8. Chapter 4. Two types of trouble with questions 97
  9. Chapter 5. Diverging from ‘business as usual’ 119
  10. Chapter 6. Turn-initial particles in English 155
  11. Epistemic and Related Issues
  12. Chapter 7. A -prefaced responses to inquiry in Japanese 193
  13. Chapter 8. Treating something as self-evident 225
  14. Chapter 9. Reformulating prior speaker’s turn in Finnish 251
  15. Chapter 10. Turn design and progression 287
  16. Chapter 11. Making up one’s mind in second position 315
  17. Sequence Management
  18. Chapter 12. Calibrating an agnostic epistemic stance in Swedish conversation 341
  19. Chapter 13. Turn-initial voilà in closings in French 371
  20. Chapter 14. Turn-initial naja in German 413
  21. Chapter 15. Justifying departures from progressivity 445
  22. Appendix 477
  23. Author Index 481
  24. Subject index 485
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