The CATESOL Journal

Listener responses are essential to the progress and intelligibility of conversation. Learners of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) have only rarely been taught the forms and functions of these conversational particles. This paper offers a simple taxonomy of the most common listener responses; compares English listener responses with those of Spanish, German, Japanese, and Chinese; and discusses the pragmatics and interpretation of listener responses. It examines the placement and interpretations of three types of listener responses: minimal responses, the most common of backchannels, continuers (e.g., uh-huh), and reactive expressions (e.g., o.k.). Pedagogical tools for raising awareness, eliciting intuitions, and using listener responses are recommended.