Simple Interruption Types of Interruption in
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speech
overlap with each other in which the interrupters’
initial utterances are said simultaneously with the current speakers
’ fin
al utterances. The interruption results in the current speakers completing their sentences while the interrupters obtaining
the floor. One of the examples of overlap interruption in the movie series is presented below.
Gabriella :
My mom’s company transferred her here to Albuquerque.
I
can’t believe you live here. I looked for you at the lodge on
New
Year’s Day
. Troy
: We had to leave first thing. lowering his voice
5100:11:38-00:11:40 In the conversation, Troy utters his speech too early when Gabriella is still
managing to complete her idea. As the result, simultaneous speech happens since some elements of their utterances are spoken at once. When Gabriella mentions
New Year’s Day
, Troy concurrently says his words We had to. Despite the interruption, Gabriella is able to make up her turn completely. In another case,
Troy succeeds to express his idea although Gabriella manages to finish her utterance. This is an instance of overlap interruption since Gabriella as the current
speaker can convey her idea completely even though Troy interrupts her before she completes her speech.
The conversation occurs when Gabriella and Troy coincidentally meet for the second time in East High on the first day of school after previously meeting in
a Teen Party over Christmas break. When they end up sharing their surprise to each other, Gabriella tells Troy about how she finally studies at the East High
S chool. Initially, Gabriella says that she has to transfer school to East High since
her mother is assigned to work at Albuquerque. Unexpectedly, her explanation
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goes on with a topic about the Christmas break about which Troy does not actually want to talk. Troy is afraid that Gabriella will discuss their singing
contest at the party since he is too shy to tell about it to his friends. Therefore, when Gabriella has not reached completion of her speech, Troy responds to her
statement hastily even by whispering in order that no one hears their talk. In the following dialogue, another example of overlap interruption is
reflected
in Troy and Ryan’s conversation
. Ryan : But the dessert afterwards had to be the best part. Her mom makes
the best brownies in the en tire world.
Troy : Yeah, I know
. I’ve had them.
38201:14:18-01:14:19 The case above is an example of overlap interruption because Troy begins
his utterance when Ryan almost finishes speaking. The overlap interruption is indicated by the presence of simultaneous s
peech at the end of Ryan’s speech …
tire world
and the beginning of Troy’s
utterance Yeah, I know. Even though the interruption is started before Ryan completes his sentence, Ryan can somehow
maintain the floor until his turn is done. Troy, in the similar way, also succeeds to take the floor to state his idea.
Prior to the interruption, Ryan and Gabriella tell about their moment together in the staff baseball game to Troy. Troy is actually uncomfortable
listening to their story since he cannot attend the game. He must take part in a close basketball practice with the Redhawks at exactly the same time. Ryan who
does not realize
Troy’s uneasiness
continues to talk about the brownies they eat
after the game. Feeling really irritated at Ryan’s statement, Troy coldly interrupts
Ryan. In fact, Troy has ever tasted the same brownies before. Therefore, the
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moment Ryan comments on the brownies, Troy speedily jumps in stating that he has been familiar with the brownies that Ryan mentions.
In addition to the prior examples, the researcher can detect an instance of interruption belonging to the overlap type that involves speakers with different
status andor age. The interruption takes place in the conversation between Troy and his father, Mr Bolton. In that situation, in spite of his age and status, Troy
dares to interrupt Mr Bolton when he rushes to articulate his opposition to his
father’s statement. The c
lear case of the interruption is displayed below. Mr Bolton : Weve been going to U of A games since you were a little kid.
You talk
ed about wearing a Redhawk’s
uniform .
Troy :
But Im not a little
kid anymore, Dad. . You raised me to make my own choices and I need to make them. . Not you or Chad or
anybody else. Me.
53301:08:30-01:08:32 When returning home after rehearsing for the prom night show at school,
Troy inadvertently sees his father still play basketball in the yard late at night. They have a relaxed chat afterwards, but their conversation suddenly turns into a
debate when Mr Bolton brings up the Juilliard scholarship. Mr Bolton wonders why Troy never tells him that he has been enrolled as one of the candidates for the
scholarship. For Troy, it is unnecessary to talk about the scholarship to his father since he has the right to make his choices. Joining the Redhawks club at
Albuquerque University has been Troy’s dream
since he was a child so Mr Bolton inspires him with the story. However, Troy does not want to stick to that
childhood dream as he has grown up now. Annoyed at what his father says, Troy
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expresses a strong disagreement about it. Through an interruption, Troy states that he is no longer a little boy and thus deserves to determine his own future.
In reference to the dialogue above, it can be known that the interruption that Troy performs is an overlap interruption. The interruption is easily identified
since it comes near the end of Mr
Bolton’s utterance
and overlaps with its last word. In this case,
Troy’s initial utterance But I’m not…
. is uttered at the same time as Mr
Bolton’s final speech …
uniform. That is to say, simultaneous speech which becomes the key feature of overlap interruption occurs. Moreover, as the
person who is interrupted, Mr Bolton can still accomplish a full utterance. Likewise, Troy as the interrupter is also able to convey his thought completely
since he gains the floor successfully.