Mobilizing talk through ‘current speaker continues’ turns: a conversation analysis study of topic development and L2 interactional competence in group speaking tests

Abstract

Second language (L2) group speaking tests require test-takers (TTs) to organize interaction and sustain talk for a fixed period. Existing research shows that TTs use turn-taking practices to manage participation, maintain progressivity, and create opportunities to display L2 interactional competence (L2-IC). This Conversation Analysis study examines what happens when one TT’s extended turn receives only minimal uptake and is followed by silence with time remaining. Drawing on video-recorded group speaking tests at a Japanese university, the analysis shows how the same speaker may produce a Current Speaker Continues (CSC) turn. These turns occur within CSC environments through which topic-organizational work is accomplished. Specifically, TTs implement CSC turns by producing four recurring topic-development action formats: follow-up questions, counter-points, upshots, and reformulations. These action formats re-mobilize uptake, sustain participation, and develop the current topical line by creating new opportunities for co-participants to contribute. The study contributes to L2-IC assessment research by showing how turn-taking and topic organization intersect in multiparty group tests and create publicly observable opportunities for displaying interactional competence.