Do frequency and frequency-related measures signal turn completion? An exploratory corpus study.

ABSTRACT: Speakers in conversation have access to word frequency information stored in the mental lexicon. This article examines whether word frequencies play a role as a turn-completion cue in conversation. Based on the Freiburg Multimodal Interaction Corpus (FreMIC), frequencies and frequency-related measures are compared in turn-constructional units (TCUs) from two types of action/turns that are systematically complementary with regard to turn transition: question TCUs, which exert pressure for the next speaker to take over, and storytelling TCUs, which largely resist transition. Based on these systematic tendencies, the focus is on question TCUs that result in speaker change and story TCUs that result in speaker continuation, thereby tying turn-transition inevitably to social action.</

SUBMITTER: Ruhlemann C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12713358 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature