Fighting for the floor: overlap as a rhetorical strategy of power and urgency in geopolitical debate

Sari, Intan Permata and Djuharie, Otong Setiawan and Fauzi, Erfan Muhamad (2026) Fighting for the floor: overlap as a rhetorical strategy of power and urgency in geopolitical debate. Jurnal LINGUA SUSASTRA, 7 (1). pp. 220-232. ISSN 2746-704X

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Abstract

ENGLISH: Overlap in geopolitical debates, particularly the Israel-Palestine conflict, remains underexplored in conversation analysis research. This study addresses that gap through the case of “Can Israel Make Peace with Hamas?”, a debate on the Open to Debate YouTube channel marked by confrontation between speakers holding opposing positions. Using Jefferson's (1983) overlap onset framework and Schegloff's (2000) resolution mechanisms, this qualitative case study analyzes 133 turns of talk produced by two debaters, Cenk Uygur and Mosab Hassan Yousef, and moderator John Donvan, to identify overlap types and how speakers manage simultaneous talk. The findings reveal 24 instances of overlap onset (18.04%), with recognitional onset as the most dominant type, accounting for 16 instances (12.03%), followed by transitional onset with 8 instances (6.01%), and no progressional onset observed. As for resolution, 22 instances were identified (16.54%), with withdrawal as the most frequent mechanism, accounting for 10 instances (7.52%), followed by persistence with 8 instances (6.02%) and acoustic upgrade with 4 instances (3.01%). These findings demonstrate that overlap functioned as a deliberate rhetorical strategy reflecting power, urgency, and argumentative control in this case, not as a generalizable claim about geopolitical debate. INDONESIA: Tumpang tindih dalam debat geopolitik, khususnya yang berkaitan dengan konflik Israel Palestina, masih kurang dibahas dalam penelitian analisis percakapan. Penelitian ini mengisi celah tersebut melalui debat “Can Israel Make Peace with Hamas?” di kanal YouTube Open to Debate, yang ditandai dengan konfrontasi antara penutur yang berposisi berlawanan. Menggunakan kerangka overlap onset Jefferson (1983) serta mekanisme penyelesaian Schegloff (2000), studi kasus kualitatif ini menganalisis 133 giliran bicara yang diproduksi oleh dua pembicara, Cenk Uygur dan Mosab Hassan Yousef, serta moderator John Donvan, untuk mengidentifikasi jenis-jenis tumpang tindih dan cara penutur mengelola tuturan secara simultan. Penelitian ini menemukan total 24 instansi onset tumpang tindih (18,04%), di mana onset rekognisional merupakan jenis paling dominan dengan 16 instansi (12,03%), diikuti oleh onset transisional sebanyak 8 instansi (6,01%), tanpa ditemukan onset progresional. Adapun resolusi tumpang tindih, sebanyak 22 instansi teridentifikasi (16,54%), dengan penarikan diri sebagai mekanisme paling sering dengan 10 instansi (7,52%), diikuti persistensi dengan 8 instansi (6,02%) dan peningkatan akustik dengan 4 instansi (3,01%). Temuan ini menunjukkan bahwa tumpang tindih berfungsi sebagai strategi retoris yang disengaja yang mencerminkan kekuasaan, urgensi, dan kontrol argumentatif dalam kasus ini, bukan sebagai klaim yang berlaku umum untuk debat geopolitik.

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