Turn-taking features

There are features that accompany the turn taking process and affect the exchange of turns among participants in conversation. These features either facilitate the conversation to pass smoothly or hinder the flow of speech. The most widely known features in conversation are overlaps, back-channel, interruption and gaps.

I. Overlap

One of the main of objectives of turn-taking is conversation with the minimal gaps and overlaps, a question must be raised here, what is meant by both gap and overlap and how they affect the conversation and turn taking system. Although participants generally abide by the rules of turn taking system, brief overlap may occur when two participants compete for the floor. A self-selecting speaker overlaps with a current speaker at a TRP and one of them has to leave the floor, thereby acknowledging the other right to the turn (Pöhacker, 15.Feb.2010). When overlap happens the current speaker does not yield the floor, but rather he rejects the interruption by speaking more loudly, more quickly and in a higher pitch (Coulthard, p58).Thus, Overlap happens spontaneously by self-selection when a current speaker does not select next speaker and a self-selecting speaker begins at a possible completion point may overlap with current speaker current speaker who decides to continue or with a second self-selecting speaker at a TRP. For example:
(1) A: Mary's invited us to lunch. Do ya wanna go?
(2) B: Sure. I'm not busy right now.
(3) A: Good.
(4) B: Think we oughta bring anything?

(Pöhacker, 15. Feb.2010)

In this example, in line three speakers A expects that Speaker B finishes his turn at the first TRP and Speaker A self-selects himself, but the speaker B does not and continues his turn, so the next speaker overlaps with the current speaker. Speaker A gives the floor the speaker B in line four and stop talking in order to repair the error in conversation.
Overlap occurs unintentionally and at the transition relevance place. It is considered to be supportive and does not violate the turn taking norms. It is different from the concept of interruption. Interruptions "refer to simultaneous talk that does not occur at or near a TRP" (Nofsinger, p102). In interruption a participant interrupts the speaker intentionally and turn is cut off before reaching the TRP. Interruption occurs when a participant during a conversation interrupts the speaker because he wants to say something at the moment. So, he interrupts the speaker and forces him to stop before reaching TRP.