Definition
Plain language
The close study of how people actually take turns and respond to each other in real talk.
As stated in the literature
A field examining the structure of naturally occurring interaction, including notions like preferred responses to statement-plus-tag constructions.
Why it matters: It matters because understanding the hidden rules of real dialogue helps explain why people—and chatbots—respond the way they do.
For example, a researcher might examine recordings of phone calls to see exactly how one person's pause invites the other to jump in.