Initiating a Complaint: Change Over Time in French L2 Speakers’ Practices

This study documents change over time and across proficiency levels in French second-language (L2) speakers’ practices for initiating complaints. Prior research has shown that speakers typically initiate complaints a stepwise manner indexes the contingent, moral, delicate nature of activity. Although elementary my data often launch complaint sequences straightforward way, they sometimes embodiedly foreshadow verbal expressions negative stance or delay talk through brief positively valenced prefaces. More advanced part rely on same initiation as speakers. In addition, recurrently use extensive prefatory work accounts legitimizes upcoming complaint, regularly jointly with coparticipants progressive escalation expressions. I document interactional resources involved this discuss findings terms development L2 competence. Data are English translations.