Requesting an object or information is a basic and ubiquitous activity in human interactions, but the sequential organization of this activity varies considerably across speech communities. In line with Language Socialization approach, this paper inquires into (1) how children formulate their acceptance of object requests made by caregivers, (2) the role of requested object in request-accept sequences, and (3) the distinctive features of object requests in Japanese caregiver-child interactions (CCIs). Based on video data of Japanese caregiver-child (aged 0-5 years) interactions, we conducted an interaction analysis of conversations involving object transfer. The results revealed that the features of requestacceptance sequence are shaped by (1) the trigger of object request, (2) the features of the requested object, (3) timing, location, and manners to transfer the requested object. By engaging in object request sequences, caregivers not only made reciprocal communication more effective but also set and modified the frame of their activity. The study also revealed that object request sequence is the place of negotiation for both children and caregivers with respect to (re)constructing the appropriate morality of Japanese culture.
The human ability to anticipate upcoming behavior not only enables smooth turn transitions but also makes early responses possible, as respondents use a variety of cues that provide for early projection of the type of action that is being performed. This article examines resources for projection in interaction in three unrelated languages-Finnish, Japanese, and Mandarin-in sequences where speakers make evaluative assertions on a topic. The focus is on independently agreeing responses initiated in early overlap. Our crosslinguistic analysis reveals that while projection based on the ongoing turnconstructional unit relies on language-specific grammatical constructions, projection based on the larger context seems to be less languagedependent. A crucial finding is that in the target sequences, stances taken toward the topic already during earlier talk, as well as other structural patterns, are among the resources that recipients use for projecting how and when the ongoing turn will end.
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