Interactive significance of simultaneous discourse or overlap in everyday conversations among |Gui former foragers

The turn-taking system (TTS), the central theory underpinning conversation analysis, predicts that simultaneous discourse can occur near the transition-relevance place but tends to be ephemeral. However, the most conspicuous feature of daily conversations among the |Gui former foragers in southern Africa concerns frequent prolonged simultaneous discourse or overlaps. These overlaps can be classified into three types according to the context in which they occur: (a) antagonistic, (b) cooperative, and (c) parallel. Although the TTS is appropriate for analyzing many examples of |Gui conversation, it cannot explain a specific interactional mode that sometimes characterizes |Gui conversation. A distinction must be made between opposing motives that may underlie conversational overlaps, namely (1) an orientation towards the “mutual entrainment” of speaking activities and (2) an orientation towards the ego-centric perspective of the speaker. The first motive is embodied in various cooperative behaviors including speaking in unison, echoing the words of the other, and completing the sentences of the other; the second leads to a divergence in contextual relatedness and allows parallel discussions of different topics. We conclude that simultaneous discourse among the |Gui is suffused with a specific form of interaction that has deep roots in the egalitarian nature of this culture.