Interactionallyin

Interactionallyin is a coined term used in sociolinguistics and conversation analysis to denote features, phenomena, or actions that arise specifically within the course of social interaction and are co-constructed by participants. The word is formed by combining the notion of interaction with the sense of being situated “in” the moment, emphasizing that the property only becomes visible through live exchange rather than in isolation.

Etymology and formation: The term blends the base word interaction with an affixal emphasis on in-situ occurrence. As a neologism, interactionallyin is primarily encountered in scholarly discussions that seek to mark practices or outcomes that depend on the immediate interactional context, such as turn-taking, repair, and alignment.

Usage and scope: Interactionallyin is used to describe linguistic, paralinguistic, and embodied practices that are contingent on participants’ ongoing engagement. Researchers may employ the term to distinguish features that emerge only within a specific interaction from those that are stable across contexts. For example, an interactionallyin repair sequence is one whose structure and success depend on the participants’ immediate responses and shared expectations in that moment.

Examples and interpretation: In transcripts, a phenomenon might be described as interactionallyin when its form or function is clearly tied to the live interaction, such as a repair move that is triggered by a mishearing only because of the prior exchange. The term is typically used sparingly and is often supplanted by more established descriptors such as interactional, in interaction, or turn-taking strategies.

See also: interactional, turn-taking, repair, alignment, in-the-moment meaning.