Learning to say grace

On November 28, 2015 Tim Greer presented data taken from around a dinner table at a homestay in Australia in which the hosts begin the meal by saying a prayer. Over the course of three weeks the Japanese homestay student was gradually acculturated into this practice to the point where he was able to say a form of grace himself when called upon. Our analysis looked at four instances of this speech event, focusing on how the various participants readied themselves for the prayer and how they demonstrated they understood the event to have ended. Fifteen people attended the data session, including a number of novices, which made for an enjoyable and stimulating conversation. The session was followed by the group's annual Bonenkai at a Turkish restaurant in Umeda.