Discourse ok revisited: default organization in verbal interaction

• Published in: Journal of pragmatics 2001-04, Vol.33 (4), p.491-513
• Main Author: Condon, Sherri L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Decision-making; Default; Discourse; Interaction; Markedness; Pragmatics
• ISSN: 0378-2166; 1879-1387
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-2166(00)00039-4

It is proposed that the association of ok with expected transitions in interaction reflects a fundamental organization of language behavior based on default understandings. The behavior of discourse ok and two additional examples of default organization in interaction are presented. Default verification, the assumption that participants in conversation mutually comprehend the discourse, contrasts with the verification potential of discourse ok. Ok can be used to show understanding in the sense of Schegloff (1982) by marking a mutually verifiable property of the discourse. By marking the current state of the talk as a routine transition, discourse ok is maximally informative and broadly applicable to many contexts, while requiring few linguistic and cognitive resources. Another example of default organization is the default sequencing of functions in discourse routines. Quantitative evidence is presented for the claim that discourse ok occurs at the boundaries of decision routines in decision making interactions. Evidence is also presented for the claim that the orientation of ok to expected events contrasts with the occurrence of well at transitions that are not expected. It is concluded that discourse ok participates in a default organization of language behavior that distinguishes unmarked, routine sequences and marked, nonroutine departures from expected events.