On some functions of points during word searches for existing places in Mandarin conversations

Abstract This study examines speakers’ points during word searches in Mandarin-speaking daily interaction, specifically when searching for place references. It investigates whether these points are directed toward the referent and what functions they serve in local contexts. The dataset comprises 67 points from 303 minutes of video recordings, analyzed using multimodal conversation analysis. Findings show that points occur in both solitary and joint word searches. When the sought-after TCU component refers to a nearby location, points are more likely to be accurate, whereas accuracy decreases significantly for distant locations. Accurate points provide spatial deixis that is precise in direction yet abstract in reference, facilitating the retrieval of place references independently or collaboratively. They not only indicate the location of the referent but also invoke participants’ shared knowledge about it. Inaccurate points, by contrast, index the absence of the particular TCU component while displaying the speaker’s commitment to completing the word search.