What is an adjacency pair?

Definition
	An adjacency pair is a unit of conversation that contains an exchange of one turn each by two speakers. The turns are functionally related to each other in such a fashion that the first turn requires a certain type or range of types of second turn.

Examples
	A greeting–greeting pair A question–answer pair

Generic
	An adjacency pair is a kind of
	What is a sequence?

Sources
	Levinson 1983 303–304
	Crystal 1987 415

Context for this page:

Concept module: adjacency pair
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): A
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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