ABSTRACT

This study examines the uses of interpersonal touch in everyday interaction. An examination of everyday interactions among adult Mandarin Chinese speakers shows that sustained touch recurs in conversational jokings in two interactional and sequential environments: sequentially disaligned jokings (i.e., jokings that disrupt the speaker’s ongoing turn- and activity-in-progress) and jokings after extended disagreement. Sustained touch seems to perform several functions in the two environments. In sequentially disaligned jokings, the initiation of touch displays the speaker’s orientation to the concurrent talk as disaligned with the projected talk- and activity-in-progress. Sustained touch secures the recipient’s continuous participation in the sequentially disaligned jokings and requests the recipient’s appreciation of the jokings. After extended disagreement, sustained touch displays intimacy and invites the recipient into intimate interaction with the speaker. In both environments, sustained touch seems to delimit the boundaries of a joking. The data are in Mandarin Chinese with English translation.

摘要

这项研究探讨了人际交往在日常互动中的用途。对成年汉语普通话说话者之间日常互动的研究表明，在两个互动和顺序环境中，对话中的笑话会持续发生触摸：顺序失调的笑话（即打扰演讲者正在进行的转身和进行中的活动的笑话）和长时间后的笑话意见分歧。持续触摸似乎可以在两种环境中执行多种功能。在相继开玩笑的笑话中，触摸的开始显示了说话者对并发讲话的取向，这与预计的讲话和进行中的活动不符。持续的触摸确保接收者继续参与顺序错开的笑话，并要求接收者对笑话表示赞赏。在长时间的分歧之后，持续的触摸会显示亲密关系，并邀请接收者与说话者进行亲密互动。在这两种环境中，持续的触摸似乎限制了玩笑的界限。数据为中文普通话和英语翻译。