Transitioning to a new topic in American English conversation: A multi-level and mixed-methods account

- A mixed-methods analysis of topic transition in interaction is proposed.
- Linguistic analysis sets topic transition apart as a distinct interactional action.
- New topics are signaled by a combination of verbal and prosodic cues.
- Pitch span, discourse markers and questions are mobilized at topic transition.
- Participants typically mobilize more than one type of cue for their transitions.

In talk-in-interaction, transitioning to a new (discourse) topic is an interactional action which involves the mobilization of a number of linguistic cues. This paper presents a holistic analysis of the design of topic transition in spontaneous conversation by combining qualitative analysis, instrumental prosody, and statistical modeling. To investigate the grammatical patterns that participants routinely mobilize for their turns initiating topic transitions, three types of cues are taken into account: pitch register, discourse markers, and questions. Each type of cue is analyzed for its individual contribution to topic transition design, as well as for the way it can combine with other cues. Analyzing different types of cues - verbal and prosodic - creates a composite picture of the various ways in which the topic trajectory of a conversation shapes its grammar - including its prosody.