What is a preface?

Definition
	A preface is an audible device, such as one of the following, used within a turn to put off a dispreferred response:
	Items like well Token agreement Indications of appreciation, apology, or qualification Self-repair

Examples (English)
	There are prefaces of token agreement, appreciation, self-repair, and so forth in the following sentence: Um, yes, thanks, but you--I mean, I’ll just do it myself.

Generic
	A preface is a kind of
	What is a delay?

Source
	Levinson 1983 334–336

Context for this page:

Concept module: preface
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): P
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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