Lerner-etal2012
| Lerner-etal2012 | |
|---|---|
| BibType | ARTICLE |
| Key | Lerner-etal2012 |
| Author(s) | Gene H. Lerner, Galina B. Bolden, Alexa Hepburn, Jenny Mandelbaum |
| Title | Reference recalibration repairs: Adjusting the precision of formulations for the task at hand |
| Editor(s) | |
| Tag(s) | EMCA, Reference, Repair |
| Publisher | |
| Year | 2012 |
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| Journal | Research on Language and Social Interaction |
| Volume | 45 |
| Number | 2 |
| Pages | 191–212 |
| URL | Link |
| DOI | 10.1080/08351813.2012.674190 |
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Abstract
This report examines what is involved when a speaker overtly selects one formulation over another by employing a repair operation that reformulates a reference in a way that adjusts or recalibrates it, rather than abandons the original referent altogether. Focusing primarily on references to persons, we show that, beyond the narrowing of a reference—increasing its precision—that results in an improved fit between a person reference and other components of a turn at talk, these reference recalibration repairs can be used to do such things as meeting the requirements of a story's telling, upgrading the credibility of an information source, and justifying a rejection. This ties speakers' overt concern with calibrating a categorical reference to the formation of action in their turn at talk. By contrast, we then show how broadening a reference—decreasing its precision—can be used as a method for displaying uncertainty and, thereby, recalibrating a reference to fit the manifest knowledge state of the speaker (or a recipient).
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