nauratte

Nauratte is a term used in sociolinguistics to describe a specific pattern of discourse found in multilingual talk. It refers to a sequence in which a speaker reiterates a key content word or short phrase across successive clauses, with subtle modifications, and often accompanied by rising intonation or brief pauses. This pattern functions to signal solidarity, cue alignment with a particular speaker group, and facilitate cooperative turn-taking in conversations that mix languages or varieties.

Origin and scope: The term was introduced in field studies of multilingual communities in a fictional region called Naurat in the early 2010s. Since then, researchers have reported similar patterns in other multilingual settings, where nauratte-like sequences help coordinate group action and maintain social cohesion during discussions.

Characteristics: Key features include repetition of a core lexical item, incremental enhancement or modification in each repetition, and prosodic emphasis. The pattern tends to occur most often in informal group talk, online chats, and community gatherings, especially where participants share partial overlaps in vocabulary but differ in language or register.

Function and interpretation: Analysts view nauratte as a pragmatic resource for social integration and turn management. It can aid listeners in predicting upcoming content and signal involvement, though it may hinder rapid information extraction for non-participants who are not attuned to the pattern.

See also: discourse marker, alignment, turn-taking, code-switching.