Variations of Understanding Checks Prefaced with <i>Jiushishuo</i>: As Affiliative/Disaffiliative Listener Behaviors

This study employs conversation analysis to examine understanding checks prefaced with jiushishuo (就是说) when there are no issues with hearing or understanding the preceding conversation. The results indicate that these understanding checks can be categorized into affiliative and disaffiliative types. The former occurs in the middle of a telling, where the telling may be disfluent or redundant. It precisely articulates what the speaker intended to say and makes confirmation relevant, thereby facilitating the telling’s progression. The latter occurs at a possible completion of a telling. It serves as a harbinger of disagreement or disaffiliation or a vehicle for other actions.