Acknowledge

Definition

Used when: the source argument is a back-channel/continuer which communicates that the speaker is listening and processing the information in the target argument, without necessarily agreeing or disagreeing with it. Accept, Appreciation, and Reject include the act of acknowledgement, so it does not need to be labeled explicitly in those cases.

Some example continuers and their frequency in SWBD-DAMSL:

38%  uh-huh
34%  yeah
9%   right
3%   oh
2%   yes
2%   okay
2%   oh yeah
1%   huh
1%   sure
1%   um
1%   huh-uh
1%   uh

Unlike SWBD-DAMSL, we do not distinguish between the back-channels b and the back-channels which take the form of a question bh. These are all considered as Acknowledgement.

Examples

(131) A: Click on basic.
(132) A: Click on that.
(133) B: yup
---
(133) -- Acknowledge --> (131)

(555) Messenger: Watchtower
(556) Messenger: Misty Marsh and Temple of the Sun.
(557) Messenger: And Watchtower
(558) Messenger: This one.
(559) Pilot: Ok so any suggestions?
---
(559) -- Acknowledge --> (555)

Acknowledgement ("Ok") can be contained in an utterance which includes further acts, such as a question in (559).

(1) A: I've been volunteering at the animal shelter every weekend.
(2) B: Oh, really?
---
(2) -- Acknowledge --> (1)

(1) A: They decided to move the deadline up by a whole week.
(2) B: Is that right?
---
(2) -- Acknowledge --> (1)

(1) A: Turns out he grew up just a few blocks from where I did.
(2) B: Oh, yeah?
---
(2) -- Acknowledge --> (1)

(1) H: I'm Harry, Sir. Harry Potter.
(2) A: Good lord. Are you really?
---
(2) -- Acknowledge --> (1)