Sequence-initial pointing: Spotlighting what just happened as a cause of a new sequence

Abstract

Drawing on microanalysis of interaction, this study examines the practice a pointing gesture accomplishes in initiating a new sequence in relation to what just happened when another line of interaction is still developing. Specifically, it is an investigation of the cases in which a participant points at a current or adjacent prior speaker with their index finger, comments on their current or adjacent prior action, and laughs. Such pointing spotlights what the target is currently doing or just did and locates them as a cause of the laughter. The pointing participant then invites laughter from others by shifting their gaze toward others while continuing to point. The analysis shows that such practice presents new participation statuses of the recipients and enables the producer of the pointing to initiate a teasing sequence; the gaze shift can invite laughter from others while the pointing indicates the target of the teasing. The study thus reveals interactional tasks of pointing gestures beyond their referential function.