What is the term for a pattern in conversation where an utterance is followed by a linked response, such as a question followed by an answer?

What is the term for a pattern in conversation where an utterance is followed by a linked response, such as a question followed by an answer?

• A. Adjacency Pairs
• B. Turn-taking
• C. Minimal pairs
• D. Echoic pairs

Answer: (A)

Adjacency pairs describe two consecutive utterances by two speakers where the first part elicits a linked second part. In everyday talk, a question invites an answer, a greeting invites a return greeting, a request invites a response, and these two turns form a recognizable unit because the second move is socially appropriate given the first. This linkage and expected pairing is what makes this pattern a distinct conversational phenomenon. Turn-taking is about who speaks when and how speaking roles alternate, not the specific linked action between two turns. Minimal pairs is a phonological concept about two words that differ by only one sound. Echoic pairs involve repeating or echoing what the other person said, which is a different type of interaction than a standard question-and-answer sequence.

Adjacency pairs describe two consecutive utterances by two speakers where the first part elicits a linked second part. In everyday talk, a question invites an answer, a greeting invites a return greeting, a request invites a response, and these two turns form a recognizable unit because the second move is socially appropriate given the first. This linkage and expected pairing is what makes this pattern a distinct conversational phenomenon.

Turn-taking is about who speaks when and how speaking roles alternate, not the specific linked action between two turns. Minimal pairs is a phonological concept about two words that differ by only one sound. Echoic pairs involve repeating or echoing what the other person said, which is a different type of interaction than a standard question-and-answer sequence.