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Positionally-sensitive action-ascription. Uses of Kannst du X? ‘can you X?’ in their sequential and multimodal context

  • Schegloff (1996) has argued that grammars are “positionally-sensitive”, implying that the situated use and understanding of linguistic formats depends on their sequential position. Analyzing the German format Kannst du X? (corresponding to English Can you X?) based on 82 instances from a large corpus of talk-in-interaction (FOLK), this paper shows how different action-ascriptions to turns using the same format depend on various orders of context. We show that not only sequential position, but also epistemic status, interactional histories, multimodal conduct, and linguistic devices co-occurring in the same turn are decisive for the action implemented by the format. The range of actions performed with Kannst du X? and their close interpretive interrelationship suggest that they should not be viewed as a fixed inventory of context-dependent interpretations of the format. Rather, the format provides for a root-interpretation that can be adapted to local contextual contingencies, yielding situated action-ascriptions that depend on constraints created by contexts of use.

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Metadaten
Author:Arnulf DeppermannORCiDGND, Alexandra GubinaORCiDGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:bsz:mh39-107652
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1075/il.21005.dep
ISSN:2666-4232
Parent Title (English):Interactional Linguistics
Publisher:Benjamins
Place of publication:Amsterdam
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Year of first Publication:2021
Publishing Institution:Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache (IDS)
Publicationstate:Veröffentlichungsversion
Reviewstate:Peer-Review
Tag:Conversation Analysis; German; Interactional Linguistics; action-ascription; modal verbs; positionally-sensitive grammar; question; request
GND Keyword:Aufforderung; Deutsch; Frage; Grammatik; Interaktion; Konversationsanalyse; Korpus <Linguistik>; Modalverb
Volume:1
Issue:2
First Page:183
Last Page:215
DDC classes:400 Sprache / 400 Sprache, Linguistik
Open Access?:ja
Linguistics-Classification:Pragmalinguistik / Kommunikationsforschung
Program areas:P1: Interaktion
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - CC BY-NC - Namensnennung - Nicht kommerziell 4.0 International