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<Paper uid="W04-2308">
  <Title>Other-Initiated Self-Repairs in Estonian Information Dialogues: Solving Communication Problems in Cooperation</Title>
  <Section position="3" start_page="0" end_page="0" type="metho">
    <SectionTitle>
2 Other-Initiated Self-Repair
</SectionTitle>
    <Paragraph position="0"> In the case of clarification and non-understanding the hearer initiates the repair and the partner solves the problem. Non-understanding means that hearer didn't hear or didn't understand something in speaker's previous utterance. There are two main possibilities to initiate repair: general question which only indicates that there was a problem (e.g. mida/what, kuidas/pardon), or wh-questions to localise the problem exactly. The problem is solved by repeating, elaborating or explicating the problematic information.</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="1"> In our dialogues, the non-understanding is initiated mostly to indicate non-hearing (6 examples from 7) by using general questions kuidas/ pardon or utterance ei kuule/I don't hear. The problem is solved by repeating the problematic information, either exactly or with modifications.1 1 In examples, the participants are C (client) and O (information officer). Simplified transcription is used (see Ap-C: aga kallis see tooluba on. (0.5) how much does this work permit cost &gt;O: kuidas |PPE: NON-UNDERSTANDING| pardon &gt;C: kallis tooluba on. |PPJ: REPAIR| null how much does the work permit cost O: ei, to- tooluba ei ole vaja.</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="2"> no work permit is needed Clarification means that hearer is not sure whether she has understood some partner's utterance correctly. Repeating of the problematic part of utterance + tag-question particle (e.g. jah/yes) are used to initiate the repair. The problem is solved by agreeing with it or rejecting it.</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="3"> Clarification is initiated in two ways in our data:  - a phrase or declarative sentence that repeats the problematic part (70%) - the same + a question-particle jah/yes, va/or,</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="5"> The problems are solved mostly by using - jah, jaa /yes, mhmh (60%) - the same + repeating or adjusting the previous turn (12%).</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="6"> O: nii on pakkuda (0.5) kumme kakskumend.(.) null I can propose (0.5) ten twenty &gt;C: kumme kakskumend. |PPE: CLARIFICATION| null ten twenty &gt;O: jah. |PPJ: REPAIR| yes In reformulation the hearer initiates the repair and suggests her own interpretation of the problematic issue. The partner agrees with it or rejects this inter- null pretation. The most frequent ways for repair initiation are: - word, phrase, sentence (22% of cases) - the same + a questioning particle siis/then, jah/ yes, eks/eh, va/or (30%) - et/that, tahendab/it means that + word, phrase, sentence (33%).</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="7"> The problem is solved by - jah, jaa / yes, mhmh / yes (41%) - jah, jaa / yes + repeat or explanation (33%) - explanation (22%).</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="8"> O: ja m praegu no utleme keskmine hind on oleneb nuud hotellist eksopendix). Only repair acts are marked. Repair initiations are marked by PPE: NON-UNDERSTANDING / CLARIFI-CATION / REFORMULATION, problem solving acts are marked by PPJ: REPAIR.</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="9"> le see on kuskil oheksa (.) tuhat (.) keskmine hind.</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="10"> and now let's say the average price is it depends of hotel it is about nine (.) thousand (.) average price &gt;C: nadal. |PPE: REFORMULATION| [for] a week &gt;O: jaa. |PPJ: REPAIR| yes</Paragraph>
  </Section>
  <Section position="4" start_page="0" end_page="0" type="metho">
    <SectionTitle>
3 The Structure of Repair Sequence
</SectionTitle>
    <Paragraph position="0"/>
    <Section position="1" start_page="0" end_page="0" type="sub_section">
      <SectionTitle>
3.1 Prototypical Repair Sequences
</SectionTitle>
      <Paragraph position="0"> In the prototype case, the client asks and the officer answers in information dialogues (the roles can be reversed in some cases, e.g. when the officer asks client's personal data). There are two prototypical locations of repair sequence: after client's question/request and officer's answer. They give us two prototypical repair sequences.</Paragraph>
      <Paragraph position="1">  to prototype A. This forms 14% from all repairs. 44% of repairs regarding answer belong to prototype B. This makes up 27% of all the repairs (75% of them are clarifications). In sum, 71% of non-understandings, 40% clarifications and 33% reformulations are prototypical.</Paragraph>
    </Section>
    <Section position="2" start_page="0" end_page="0" type="sub_section">
      <SectionTitle>
3.2 Untypical Repair Sequences
</SectionTitle>
      <Paragraph position="0"> First, there exist peripheral variants of prototypical repair structures. The remaining examples in group A do not constitute clear sub-groups. In group B there are some more clearly deviating repair sub-groups.</Paragraph>
      <Paragraph position="1">  1. A participant initiates repair regarding information  in some earlier turn.</Paragraph>
      <Paragraph position="2"> Repairs are initiated regarding the immediately previous turn in 90% of cases, but there are some examples, where client clarifies information which (s)he got earlier in the conversation and breaks the process of giving information by consultant, as in the following example. After repair C gives response by continuer mhmh. Only after this O continues to give information.</Paragraph>
      <Paragraph position="3"> O: kolmkummend viis ruutmeetrit dushsh on seal olemas, (.) mooturid on seal olemas (1.0) [korras] it has got thirty five square meters, a shower, it has got water  not the client, as it is in prototypical B type repair. For example, the client initiates a repair regarding the beginning of an e-mail address and breaks the officer's dictation of the address. In this case, the officer (O) must return to the main line, not the client (C). There are two possibilities to do this: - O carries out a repair and continues giving information in the same turn - O carries out a repair, C gives back the turn using particle mhmh and O continues to give information. Therefore, there are two structures:  3. Some turns are added after the repair before return null ing to the main line (8 cases).</Paragraph>
      <Paragraph position="4"> The problem is that officer believes that his/her answer given before repair initiation was finished, but client does not. So the client does not return to the main line after problem solving but sends the turn back by using jah/yes or mhmh/yes. Then the officer sends turn back again and only after that the client returns to the main line. The structure is as follows: O: answer (giving information) &gt;C: initiation of repair &gt;O: problem solving C: jah / mhmh O: jah / mhmh / adjusting or repeat C: (mhmh +) new question / finishing conversation / adjusting or justifying the request Second, there are some repair sequences with reversed roles - the officer asks questions and the client answers.</Paragraph>
      <Paragraph position="5"> 4. Simple structures with reversed roles Such repairs occur first of all at the end of conversation where the client and the officer negotiate the next meeting and the officer asks client's address or phone number. Two types occurred.</Paragraph>
      <Paragraph position="6"> First, conversation continues with reversed roles after repair, the officer asks a new question:  C: ja nimi on Saabas. (.) and the name is Saabas &gt;O: Saabas jah? |PPE: CLARIFICA-</Paragraph>
    </Section>
    <Section position="3" start_page="0" end_page="0" type="sub_section">
      <SectionTitle>
TION|
Saabas yes
</SectionTitle>
      <Paragraph position="0"> &gt;C: jah. (.) |PPJ: REPAIR| yes O: Saabas. a ku- kus te asute (0.8) see on Tartus jah? Saabas. where do you live (0.8) it is in Tartu yes? Second, officer wants to return to normal roles and gives the turn back to client using the particle mhmh or repeating earlier information:  C new question / finishing conversation O: ja nimi on and the name is C: Saabas, Arvo. Saabas Arvo (6.5) ((O writes down the name)) &gt;O: Arvo jah? |PPE: CLARIFICATION| Arvo yes &gt;C: jah. |PPJ: REPAIR| yes O: teeme siis nimodi et kumme kakskumend. (0.5)| let's do so that (let's meet) at ten twenty C: aitah? thank you 5. The second group are sequences where officer cannot answer the client's question immediately but needs some additional information (6 examples). So he/she uses one or two adjusting questions at first and then initiates repair. Client solves the problem. And then the answer to the client's question follows. The structure is as follows:</Paragraph>
    </Section>
  </Section>
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