Linguistics ETDs

Publication Date

Summer 7-28-2026

Abstract

Common ground between two people consists of the things they both know, that they know they both know. This body of knowledge grows in conversation, through both verbal and nonverbal responses. Responses communicate whether what has been said was accepted into the common ground, and return responses acknowledge this acceptance in turn (H. H. Clark, 1996). In addition to the semantic content of utterances, stance is communicated through a variety of means, and alignment with that stance is also communicated through responses.

This study explores ways in which responses are used in American Sign Language (ASL) conversation to co-construct the common ground. Signers use nods and verbal responses to accept propositional content. Head shakes, facial displays and verbal assessments, and shrugs project stance alignment. Interactive gestures such as pointing and palm-up gestures manage the conversational floor and acknowledge the contributions of their interlocutor. As necessary, conversational repair is used to negotiate the content of the common ground. These intersubjective processes display the understanding the conversational partners have that allows them to jointly construct the body of knowledge they have in common.

Language

English

Keywords

ASL, common ground, conversation anaylysis

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Linguistics

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Department of Linguistics

First Committee Member (Chair)

Barbara Shaffer

Second Committee Member

Melissa Axelrod

Third Committee Member

Erin Wilkinson

Fourth Committee Member

Terry Janzen

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