Marking pedagogical saliency with <i>honh</i> in Taiwan Mandarin interaction

Abstract

Abstract Honh is a pervasive particle in Taiwan Mandarin interaction. While prior pragmatic research has identified honh as “signaling negotiation invitation” ( Li 1999 , p. 90) in Taiwanese Southern Min and Hakka, its specific interactional functions in Taiwan Mandarin remain underexplored. This paper addresses this gap by exploring the interactional imports of honh in Taiwan Mandarin instructional settings. Using conversation analysis (CA; Sacks et al. 1974 ) and interactional linguistics (IL; Couper-Kuhlen &amp; Selting 2018 ; Selting &amp; Couper-Kuhlen 2001 ), we analyzed 15.5 hours of video-recorded interactions from a self-discovery art facilitator training workshop and a cooking class. While honh is found to exhibit a multitude of interactional functions, in this paper, we focus particularly on how it is used as an emphatic device in reformulated or repeated instructions (45 cases). Findings reveal teachers predominantly attach honh to reformulated elements in TCU-final or TCU-independent positions to emphasize a prior instructional point (31 cases), while 14 cases occur in repeated instructions when an important pedagogical point is first introduced. Accompanying embodiment (e.g., raising eyebrows or pointing to relevant objects) further contributes to highlighting the honh -marked points as pedagogically salient. Through detailing the multimodal practices and sequential organization of honh , our findings expand the limited literature on Taiwan Mandarin particles.

Affiliated Institutions

• Hawaii Pacific University US
• Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center US
• University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa US

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