Teacher-oriented address terms in students’ reproach turns

This article demonstrates, using conversation analysis, how students use address terms when reproaching the teacher. The data consist of videotaped lessons of Finnish as a second language in secondary school. The analyses show, first of all, that teacher-oriented address terms can be used separately as reproaches, in which case they are marked with a recognisable prosodical pattern. Secondly, the teacher-oriented address terms can be embedded in humorous reproach turns. In synergy with other contextualisation cues, the address terms serve in these turns as signals of distance, allowing an interpretation of the reproach turn as doing, for example, entertainment or relational work. Whether used on its own with a marked prosody or embedded in a humorous turn, the use of the address term brings ambiguity to the reproach turn: in the first case, by leaving the explicit criticism unexpressed, and in the second case, by framing the reproach as humour.

► Address terms are a resource for students to display stance towards the teacher.
► The use of address terms allows expressing disagreement in an indirect way.
► Students use prosodically marked address terms separately to express disaffection.
► Students use address terms in humorous reproach turns.
► The use of address terms adds ambiguity to students’ reproach turns.