Repair of claimed non-understanding of word meaning in online discussion forum interaction

Jenny Myrendal


Abstract
This article describes how participants in online discussion forums manage claimed non-understanding of word meaning, specifically when one participant displays insufficient understanding by requesting meta-linguistic clarification. Claimed non-understanding refers to cases where a participant signals a lack of understanding in a way that invites repair. By engaging in a short word meaning negotiation sequence, the participants collaboratively repair the issue of claimed non-understanding and can move on with the discussion on topic. In some cases, however, participants behave in ways that break the normative pattern of interaction and do not enter into the anticipated sequence of repair dealing with the lack of understanding. The analysis of these deviant cases reveals the participants’ own normative orientations in repair of claimed non-understanding of word meaning, and thus provide evidence that there is an underlying organization of repair dealing with such issues in online discussion forum interaction.
Anthology ID:
2025.dnd-16.2
Volume:
Dialogue Discourse Volume 16
Month:
May
Year:
2025
Address:
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Editors:
Amir Zeldes, Manfred Stede, Patrick G.T. Healey, and Hendrik Buschmeier
Venue:
DND
SIG:
SIGDIAL
Publisher:
University of Illinois Chicago
Note:
Pages:
91–113
Language:
URL:
https://aclanthology.org/2025.dnd-16.2/
DOI:
10.5210/dad.2025.104
Bibkey:
Cite (ACL):
Jenny Myrendal. 2025. Repair of claimed non-understanding of word meaning in online discussion forum interaction. Dialogue & Discourse, 16:91–113.
Cite (Informal):
Repair of claimed non-understanding of word meaning in online discussion forum interaction (Myrendal, DND 2025)
Copy Citation:
PDF:
https://aclanthology.org/2025.dnd-16.2.pdf