Definition:
A transition-relevance place (TRP) is the point in conversation at which a turn-construction unit is recognizably complete and speaker change becomes relevant — not required, but possible. TRPs are where another speaker may self-select to take the next turn, the current speaker may select the next speaker, or the current speaker may continue with another TCU.
In-Depth Explanation
TRPs are the beating heart of conversation’s turn-taking system. They determine when interruption is rude (mid-TCU) vs. when starting to speak is natural (at a TRP).
What happens at a TRP:
According to Sacks, Schegloff, and Jefferson’s (1974) turn-taking rules, at each TRP:
- If the current speaker has selected a next speaker → that person should speak
- If no next speaker is selected → any participant may self-select (first starter gets the turn)
- If no one self-selects → the current speaker may continue
How listeners recognize TRPs:
| Cue Type | Signal | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Syntactic | Grammatical completion | “I went to the store.” (complete sentence) |
| Prosodic | Falling or rising final intonation | Falling pitch = statement complete |
| Pragmatic | Action completion | Answer to a question has been given |
| Gaze | Speaker looks at listener at turn completion | Eye contact signals “your turn” |
Overlap and interruption:
Most conversational overlap happens at or near TRPs — both speakers legitimately start at the same moment. This is normal and not considered rude. Interruption (starting mid-TCU, before a TRP) is different — it violates the turn-taking system and is typically noticed as problematic.
TRPs in Japanese conversation:
Japanese’s verb-final structure means that syntactic TRP signals come later in the utterance than in English. Japanese speakers rely heavily on:
- Particles at clause boundaries: ね (ne), よ (yo), けど (kedo)
- Backchanneling: Listeners give frequent backchannel signals — うん (un), ええ (ee), そうですね (sou desu ne) — that are NOT attempts to take the turn but acknowledgments
- Aizuchi (相槌): The Japanese backchanneling system is much more frequent than in English conversation. Silence from the listener is interpreted as disengagement, not politeness.
This difference causes cross-cultural communication issues: English speakers may interpret Japanese backchanneling as interruption, while Japanese speakers may interpret English-style silence as disinterest.
Related Terms
See Also
Research
- Sacks, H., Schegloff, E. A., & Jefferson, G. (1974). A simplest systematics for the organization of turn-taking for conversation. Language, 50(4), 696–735. — Defines TRPs and the turn-allocation rules.
- Hayashi, M. (2013). Turn allocation and turn sharing. In J. Sidnell & T. Stivers (Eds.), The Handbook of Conversation Analysis (pp. 167–190). Wiley-Blackwell. — Covers turn-taking with attention to Japanese and cross-linguistic variation.