Multiple repair solutions in response to open class repair initiators (OCRIs) in next turn

Abstract

The study examines repair practices of speakers following an open class repair initiator (OCRI) in next turn in hospitality and tourism (HT) service encounters mediated through English as a lingua franca (ELF). The data comprise fifteen hours of naturally occurring ELF service encounters recorded at three HT sites in Thailand. Using conversation analytic procedures, the analysis reveals that speakers may offer multiple repair solutions following an OCRI, which appear oriented to a potential problem of understanding rather than one of hearing. The participants combine repetition of the trouble-source turn with comprehension-enhancing techniques such as lexical replacement, rephrasing of prior talk and explication of potentially problematic words. As it is pertinent that messages are accurately relayed and received, speakers adopt a proactive stance and combine repair practices to raise explicitness and improve communicative clarity. In ELF HT service encounters, the principle of increased collaborative effort prevails and underlies communicative effectiveness.