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tape-recorded conversations. In excerpt (4), for instance, there are a number of markings which are inconsistent with standard Hindi, such as when Sulekha treats the feminine noun bat [‘conversation’] as mas-culine, modifying it with the postposition ka^m instead of kf^f. These agreement inconsistencies are related to the fact that the Hindi of most of the hijras referred to in this article was influenced by various regional dialects, particularly Bhojpuri. The transcription conventions we have used in the transliterated Hindi passages are adapted from Jefferson (see Atkinson and Heritage 1984: ix-xvi); they include the notable additions of a superscripted ‘f* or ‘m’ to designate feminine and masculine morphological marking, and an asterisk to designate the flat-palmed clap used by the hijras for emphasis. (We have not used these same conventions in the English translations, sińce extralinguistic features like intonation and emphasis are not parallel.) Other transcription conventions include the following: