Abstract This paper presents the first detailed attempt to analyse the interactional functions of a turn-initial particle in an Australian Aboriginal language. The Garrwa particle ngala has grammatical properties of a clause connector that sets up a contrast between two simultaneous but distinct events (similar to English while). In this paper I show that ngala is used in conversation turn-initially to simultaneously connect the upcoming talk with the prior turn and to project that the upcoming turn diverges in trajectory from the prior talk or course of action. I also show how the clause connecting and turn-initial functions of ngala are characterised by distinct syntactic and prosodic shapes.
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