An Analysis of Possible Completion Points of Turn Construction Unit in Japanese Sign Language Tellings: Focusing on the Signer's Behaviors Following the Recipient's Reactions

Abstract

This study examines how signers elicit responses from recipients at a possible completion point of turn constitutional unit (TCU) during a telling in Japanese Sign Language (JSL) conversations. The analysis focuses on the recipients' responses at possible completion of TCUs and how the signers' behaviors differ depending on whether such responses, such as nods, are displayed before the TCU reaches its completion. The findings reveal that when the recipient has already responded before the possible end of the TCU, the signer proceeds directly to the next TCU. In contrast, when no response has been given, the signer tends to hold the final handshape of the TCU and only releases it to begin the next TCU after the recipient displays a response. This suggests that in JSL, the holding of a handshape at the end of a TCU can serve as a means for prompting a recipient's response.