Tracing Multiple Repairs in L2 Interactions: From Lexical Trouble to Meaning Negotiation

The study examines how multiple repair sequences unfold in second language (L2) interactions, focusing on other-initiated repairs of lexical troubles. Drawing on Conversation Analysis (CA), the research analyzes transcribed storytelling data from four groups of adult L2 English speakers. While prior studies have described repairs mainly as a form-focused mechanism, this study shows that repair trajectories often extend beyond simple correction, evolving into complex negotiations of understanding. The analysis identifies three interactional pathways: (1) form-focused pursuit, where recipients persist in fixing lexical forms, (2) resolution through uptake, where original speakers demonstrate learning by incorporating corrected forms. and (3) meaning-focused transformation, where recipients’ lexical trouble is bypassed by the speaker to achieve shared understanding. These findings highlight participants’ contingent decisions to pursue, abandon, or transform repairs as part of meaning-making. By tracing the entire sequences of interaction rather than isolated fragments, the study contributes to CA-for-SLA by reconceptualizing repair as an emergent, co-constructed process that reveals L2 interactional competence beyond formal accuracy.