“Was heißt x?” A contingent resource in non-topic-initial positions in L2 German classroom interaction

Early studies of teacher questioning practices revealed the common distinction between display and referential questions (Long & Sato, 1983; Mehan, 1979; Searle, 1969). Some researchers pointed out that referential questions are more efficient in order to enhance authentic and genuine language use in L2-pedagogy (e.g. Long & Sato, 1983), while others show the importance of display questions. Koshik (2002a, 2002b, 2003, 2005, 2010), in particular, revealed many subtle types of display questions with their significant pedagogical functions. The importance of analysing display questions in relation to their sequential contexts and local contingencies has also been highlighted for showing their different pedagogical and social actions (Lee, 2006). This study thus analyses a distinct form of display questions in its sequential context using conversation analysis as research methodology. Drawing on video-recordings of an oral communication course (16 hours) in German language teacher education program in Turkey, we found out that the teacher largely resorts to typical defining display questions like „was heißt x? / what does x mean?“ or their variations („was ist x?/what is x“?, „was heißt das?/what does that mean?“ etc.) in order to manage teacher-led classroom speaking activities. These questions appear in non-topic-initial positions as resources for actions other than (just) questioning (actions as vehicles for other actions, Schegloff, 2007, S. 76). The analysis revealed four recurrent types of “what is x”-questions in non-topic-initial positions: (1) narrowing questions (2) focused repetition (3) ambigious questions after dispreferred learner turns and (4) knowledge checking questions. The findings provide implications for L2 classroom discourse research and teaching of oral communication skills.