Marking an impasse: The use of anyway as a sequence-closing device

Based on a conversation analytic study of ordinary telephone conversations, the paper examines the use of anyway as a sequence-closing device in context in which the participants face an interactional impasse. The study suggests that the closure-relevant anyway, both as a stand-alone turn constructional unit (TCU) and a TCU initial component, has distinctive features. In contrast to ordinary methods of maintaining conversational coherence, the...