‘In An Aeroplane,Yes,In An Aeroplane’: Within-Unit Repetitions in Classroom Discourse

This paper looks at the functions of repetition of lexical items which fall within a single T-unit. Examining data from a foundation English course at a Thai university, transcripts of eliciting transactions from 12 lessons were divided into T-units. Within-unit repetitions were identi-fied and categorized. Categories of repetition found, in order of frequency, were emphasis, clarification, affirmation, left-fronting, choral units, re-initiation, and pedagogic reformulation. These functions were found to be related to the discourse move the repetition occurs in and to the type of repetition, but were not related to individual teachers. The findings suggest that within-unit repetition is primarily used to aid students’ comprehension of teacher talk.