Glossary of Linguistic Terms

Dispreferred Second Part

Definition: 

A dispreferred second part is a second part of an adjacency pair that

  • consists of a response to the first part that is generally to be avoided, and
  • is likely to be marked by such features as
    • delays
    • prefaces, and
    • accounts.
Examples: 

(English)

  • A refusal in response to a request, offer, or invitation
  • A disagreement in response to an assessment
  • An unexpected answer in response to a question
  • An admission in response to blame
Source: 
333–336