Failure of the parent to respond to a child's action: a violation or an interactional display?

It is well documented in the literature on developmental pragmatics that parents are highly responsive to a child's initiating action, be it a vocalisation or a gestural action (for example, Bruner 1983; Harding 1984). However, in analysing toddler/parent interaction it has also become apparent that there are recurring instances of a parent's failure to respond to such actions. In the study to be reported in this paper, Conversation Analysis was used to analyse the interactions between three toddlers and their parents in everyday activities. Six environments where a parent failed to respond to the child's pointing gesture were identified. An attempt is made to show what is being achieved through such an action and how this is consequential for the ensuing talk.