Cultural Meanings of Utterance Repetitions

Abstract

The use and different forms of repetititions in interpersonal interactions have been evaluated in several languages (Rieger 2003; Svennevig, 2004; Fujimura-Wilson, 2007; Huang, 2010) as well as in Turkish (Iekdemir 2007). The aim of this study is to examine the repetitions in more detail especially focusing on determining the functions of repetitions in conversations in Turkish. The data consisted of records of conversations among friends and the repetitions were analyzed in terms of the structural characteristics and interactional functions of repetition. The results revealed that the preference for other-repetitions were more frequent than self-repetitions. Self-repetitions were used mainly for repair in conversations. The functions of other-repetitions were acknowledgement, agreement, disagreement, rejection, request for clarification/confirmation and humor The results of the study have been discussed with respect to the relationships between use of linguistic forms and cultural characteristics.