What is an echo question?

Definition
	An echo question is a question that
	occurs in the turn after a repairable utterance, and repeats the portion felt by the speaker to need repair.

Example (English)
	B’s question in the following exchange is an echo question: A: I need a new bolt for my oil filter. B: A BOLT? A: I mean for my oil pan.

Generic
	An echo question is a kind of
	What is a next turn repair initiator?

Source
	Hartmann and Stork 1972 74

Context for this page:

Concept module: echo question
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): E
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: 18 September 1998

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