A speaker asks 'Would you like to come to dinner on Friday?' and the recipient responds after a two-second pause: 'Oh, Friday... um, I actually have something on that evening, I'm afraid.' According to CA's preference organization, what does this response structure signal?
AThe recipient didn't hear the question clearly and is initiating a repair sequence
BThis is a dispreferred second pair-part (a rejection), signaled by the delay, hesitation, and account
CThe recipient is enthusiastically accepting but taking time to check their calendar
DThe pause indicates a transition-relevance place where the recipient is selecting themselves as next speaker
In preference organization, acceptances (preferred responses) are delivered promptly and without qualification; rejections (dispreferred responses) are typically delayed, hedged, and accompanied by accounts or explanations. The two-second pause, 'um,' the vague excuse ('something on'), and 'I'm afraid' are all structural features of a dispreferred turn. Importantly, this 'preference' is structural and observable in the transcript — not about what the speaker personally wants to say.
Question 2 Multiple Choice
Two speakers' voices overlap briefly for about one syllable as the first speaker finishes a sentence. According to CA, what is the most likely interpretation?
AThe second speaker is rudely interrupting the first speaker before they have finished their turn
BBoth speakers are confused about the turn-taking rules in this conversation
CThe overlap likely occurs at a transition-relevance place, reflecting finely tuned coordination as the second speaker anticipates the end of the first speaker's turn
DThe overlap indicates a repair sequence is needed to resolve the conflict
CA research shows that most overlaps in conversation occur precisely at transition-relevance places (TRPs) — points where the current turn could be complete. The second speaker projects the upcoming TRP from syntax, prosody, and pragmatics, and times their entry accordingly. A brief overlap at this point is evidence of coordination, not disorder. Overlap ≠ interruption: true interruptions (entering well before a TRP) are much rarer and are treated as violations by participants.
Question 3 True / False
In conversation analysis, 'preference' refers to what speakers personally want to say — a preferred response is the one the speaker privately wishes to give.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
This is the most common misconception about CA's concept of preference. In CA, preference is a structural concept describing the typical format of response types, not a psychological description of speaker desires. A dispreferred response (a rejection or disagreement) is delivered with delay, hedging, and accounts regardless of whether the speaker has any private reluctance. The structural asymmetry between preferred and dispreferred formats is observable in transcripts; speakers' internal states are irrelevant to the analysis.
Question 4 True / False
An adjacency pair's conditional relevance means that if the expected second pair-part is absent, participants treat it as 'noticeably absent' rather than simply ignoring the gap.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: True
Conditional relevance is the normative force of adjacency pairs: once a first pair-part is produced (a question, invitation, or greeting), a fitted second pair-part becomes expected. Its absence is not neutral — it requires interpretation. If you greet someone and they say nothing, that silence is treated as significant: a snub, a failure to hear, or an implicit rejection. The normative expectation created by the first pair-part makes absence as meaningful as presence.
Question 5 Short Answer
Explain the difference between 'overlap' and 'interruption' in conversation analysis, and why this distinction matters for understanding turn-taking.
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: In CA, overlap is when two voices are briefly simultaneous, while interruption is when a new speaker enters well before the current speaker has reached a transition-relevance place (TRP). Most overlaps occur precisely at TRPs — points where the current turn could be complete — and reflect successful coordination: the incoming speaker has correctly projected when the current turn will end. Interruptions occur mid-turn and are treated as violations. The distinction matters because it shows that apparent 'disorder' in conversation is actually evidence of exquisite coordination — participants are continuously projecting TRPs and timing their entry, and the rarity of gaps and true interruptions is proof of this shared system.
Treating all overlap as interruption misses the central finding of CA's turn-taking research: conversation is highly ordered, and that order is achieved moment by moment through participants who share finely calibrated expectations about turn shape. Overlap at TRPs is coordination working correctly, not breaking down.