Two speech events, narration and joking conversation, are analyzed from a sample of speech data recorded from Hawaiian children 5–7 years old, in a peer group setting. An underlying routine, which is transferable from one genre of speech event to another, is identified in both narration and joking. This routine is iterative, and allows for both stories and joking to be produced jointly in a contrapuntal style. Some social rules governing the use of the routine are discussed. (Linguistic routines, narration, joking, conversation, Hawaiian talk story.)