Error Correction as an Interactional Resource Copyright, 1996 © Dale Carnegie & Associates, Inc.

Thesis The utterance ‚Uh‘ is not communicative incompetence BUT a competence required in the conduct of an interaction. ( G.Jefferson )

Error Types n Production errors –incoherent speech –grammatically incorrect n Interactional errors –use of inappropriate terms –impoliteness

Correction types n Error correction –e.g. I went down thuh left ‚ -uh thuh right lane. n Error cancellation –e.g. I asked the guy if it was his y-older brother. –People tend to adjust their talk accordingly to the interactional environment In a court room people prefer ‚officer‘ instead of ‚cop‘ e.g.: When thuh ku-officer came up... n Error avoidance –e.g....and I turned into thuh- uh left lane.

Error Correction Format n In an interaction it is negotiable if an uttering is regarded as merely a noise or a word beginning. n Error correction format [WORD1+HESITATION+WORD2] n Correct procedure for interpreting: [cut off+pause],e.g. I made my left uh... (hearer can offer ‚turn‘, ‚signal‘ etc.) in alternation to [cut off+correction] e.g.:I made my left-uh-right turn

‚Thuh‘ versus ‚Thee‘ n Grammar rule –‚The‘ pronounced ‚thuh‘ when preceding a word beginning with a consonant –‚The‘ pronounced ‚thee‘ when preceding a word beginning with a vowel n Cognitive meaning –‚The‘ pronounced ‚thee‘ is used to express uniqueness or significance

‚Thuh‘ vesus ‚Thee‘ => Consequences n Using either ‚Thuh‘ or ‚Thee‘ partly predicts the following word, it even explicitly states how the next word will beginn n The hearer expects either a vowel- begun or a consonant- begun word following This information serves as a resource for conversational interaction

The interjection ‚Uh‘ - word or utterance n Assuming ‚Uh‘ is only an utterance, the preceding ‚the‘ would be determined by the following word –Example: I turned into thuh ‚Uh‘ - left lane. n Assuming ‚Uh is a word of ist own right, ‚the‘ would be pronounced according to the grammatical rule as ‚thee‘ –Example: I turned into thee ‚Uh‘ - left lane.

Rudeness and intimacy n Rudeness, blasphemy and obscenity can indicate intimacy. n It is important to use the appropriate code for each social group => relationships are constructed and characterized through the grade of intimacy

Summary n The inquiry into the word ‚Uh‘ showed its rule- governed properties n Standardized devices, such as error correction and avoidance format, help to interpret interactional distance or closeness n,Uh‘ is to be ‚understood as deeply implicated in the competence required for and displayed in the conduct of interaction‘.