Do continuing states of incipient talk exist?

We present results from a content analysis of 113 papers that use the phrase 'incipient talk' and show that multiple, disparate usages and definitions exist. We then discuss some of the uses and compare 'incipient talk' to possibly related concepts 'open state of talk', 'unfocused interaction', and 'islands of talk'/'Gesprächsinseln'. We provide suggestions for future research in clarifying whether 'incipient talk' exists and what it might be.