Managing progressivity and solidarity with nage shenme ‘that what’ in Mandarin interaction

Abstract

Nage shenme ‘that what’ is a fixed pronoun phrase commonly used as a “filler” in Mandarin. This study examines the interactional functions of nage shenmes (NSs) in face-to-face Mandarin interaction. An examination of the data shows that NSs appear in a variety of turn positions. This study focuses on the usages of TCU-medial and turn-final NSs. I argue that TCU-medial NSs are used as placeholders to deal with problems of progressivity of the TCU- and action-in-progress. Turn-final NSs in disagreement talk serve as mitigation markers to mitigate the force of discordant actions. They are employed by the speaker to seek reconciliation with coparticipants and to promote social solidarity.