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Chapter 12. Calibrating an agnostic epistemic stance in Swedish conversation

The case of okej-prefacing in calls to the Swedish Board for study support
  • Anna Lindström
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Between Turn and Sequence
This chapter is in the book Between Turn and Sequence

Abstract

Conversation analytic research on turn-initial particles has by and large examined turn-initial items that are language (or language family) specific such as the English well, the Finnish niin, the French voilà, and the German naja. This chapter by contrast, explores the turn-initial use of a word that was imported as a loan from English to Swedish, namely okay, in Swedish okej. The data is drawn from interactions between clients and administrators at the Swedish Board for Study Support. I have analyzed telephone calls where clients are inquiring about how to apply for a new loan or negotiating the payback of an existing loan. The discourse marker okej ‘okay’ is recurrent in these materials. Okej can be used by itself as a first pair part, a second pair part, or a sequence closing third. It can also be embedded within larger turns. This chapter is based on a collection where okej is used as a turn preface. By analysing the sequential context, action implementation, and sequential trajectory of okej-prefaced turns, I show that okej-prefacing is used by call takers as an agnostic marker by registering the information provided by the caller without either endorsing it as true or dismissing it as false.

Abstract

Conversation analytic research on turn-initial particles has by and large examined turn-initial items that are language (or language family) specific such as the English well, the Finnish niin, the French voilà, and the German naja. This chapter by contrast, explores the turn-initial use of a word that was imported as a loan from English to Swedish, namely okay, in Swedish okej. The data is drawn from interactions between clients and administrators at the Swedish Board for Study Support. I have analyzed telephone calls where clients are inquiring about how to apply for a new loan or negotiating the payback of an existing loan. The discourse marker okej ‘okay’ is recurrent in these materials. Okej can be used by itself as a first pair part, a second pair part, or a sequence closing third. It can also be embedded within larger turns. This chapter is based on a collection where okej is used as a turn preface. By analysing the sequential context, action implementation, and sequential trajectory of okej-prefaced turns, I show that okej-prefacing is used by call takers as an agnostic marker by registering the information provided by the caller without either endorsing it as true or dismissing it as false.

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
https://doi.org/10.1075/slsi.31.12lin

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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