Projecting Trajectories and Regulating Relations: Address Terms in Mandarin Initiating Actions

Abstract

This study employs Conversation Analysis (CA) to explore the usage patterns and interactional functions of address terms in initiating actions in Mandarin Chinese telephone conversations. Based on naturally occurring audio recordings and transcriptions, the research focuses on the deployment of address terms at turn-initial, mid-turn, and turn-final positions, analyzing their roles in managing conversation progression, expressing stance and emotion, and regulating interpersonal relationships. The analysis reveals that at the turn-initial position, address terms are often used to project a shift in the sequence trajectory, indicating disalignment with the prior action. At the mid-turn position, address terms primarily function to intensify the speaker’s affective stance and regulate the emotional tone. At the turn-final position, they are frequently used to construct specific identities and consolidate interpersonal solidarity. These findings reveal that address terms serve as complex interactional resources in Mandarin conversation. This study contributes to the interactional study of Mandarin address terms based on naturally occurring data, enriching the literature in CA and providing practical implications for cross-cultural communication and language teaching.