Journal article

On the road again: Displaying knowledge of place in multiparty conversations in the remote Australian outback

L Stirling, R Gardner, I Mushin, J Blythe, F Possemato

Journal of Pragmatics | Elsevier | Published : 2022

Abstract

In this article we examine displays of epistemic status and stance among long-term Anglo-Australian residents of remote communities through a case study of a 2-h interaction by four men who have demonstrated sophisticated knowledge of locations in their region. We show how equal access to knowledge of places is oriented to, as well as how differences in rights to authoritatively claim knowledge emerge in disputes over details of locations which are resolved when it is established that one member can provide more specific or up-to-date knowledge. This study not only contributes to understanding epistemic management practices in contexts where there is a high degree of shared knowledge, but al..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by Australian Research Council


Funding Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Australian Research Council (DP180100515) . We are grateful to the participants who allowed us to videorecord their conversations and subject them to detailed analysis. This work was presented at the 16th International Pragmatics Conference in Hong Kong in 2019, and we appreciate the comments we received then from members of the audience. We also thank two anonymous reviewers of this article for their very helpful comments.