Error Handling in Spoken Dialogue Systems August 28-31, 2003 Château d'Oex, Vaud, Switzerland

When to Start Speaking, When to Stop, and How

Herbert H. Clark

Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford CA, USA

Timing is essential in dialogue. When people speak, they choose not only what to say, but when to say what they say. They cannot speak until they have something to say - until they have formulated a word, phrase, or sentence. Nor can they speak beyond what they have formulated. Still, once they have a bit formulated, they can produce it whenever they want - within limits. And they can suspend speaking whenever they want - also within limits. The proposal is that speakers often mean things by their choice of timing.

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Bibliographic reference.  Clark, Herbert H. (2003): "When to start speaking, when to stop, and how", In EHSD-2003, 1-4.