Talk and practical epistemology : the social life of knowledge in a Caribbean community / Jack Sidnell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sidnell, Jack.

Series:

Pragmatics & beyond ; new ser., 142.

Pragmatics & beyond, 0922-842X ; new ser., 142

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Conversation analysis.

Knowledge, Theory of.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (272 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam ; Philadelphia : J. Benjamins, 2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Drawing on the methods of conversation analysis and ethnography, this book sets out to examine the epistemological practices of Indo-Guyanese villagers as these are revealed in their talk and daily conduct. Based on over eighty-five hours of conversation recorded during twelve months of ethnographic fieldwork, the book describes both the social distribution of knowledge and the villagers' methods for distinguishing between fact and fancy, knowledge and belief through close analyses of particular encounters. The various chapters consider uncertainty and expertise in advice-giving, the cultivation of ignorance in an attempt to avoid scandal, and the organization of peer groups through the display of knowledge in the activity of reminiscing local history. An orienting chapter on questions and an appendix provide an introduction to conversation analysis. The book makes a contribution to linguistic anthropology, conversation analysis and cross-cultural pragmatics. The conclusion discusses the implications of the analysis for current understanding of practice, knowledge and social organization in anthropology and neighboring disciplines.

Contents:

Talk and Practical Epistemology

Editorial page

Title page

LCC data

Table of contents

Acknowledgements

What is a transcript?

Interactive aspects of the talk and speech delivery

Malinowski's complaint

Introduction

Talk-in-interaction

Practical epistemology

Knowledge and talk-in-interaction

Linguistic anthropology

Evidentiality and epistemic stance

Footing and reported speech

Conclusion

The "anthropology of knowledge''

Knowledge of culture

Knowledge and power

Knowledge in practice

Knowledge in interaction

Story telling, witnessing, recipient design

Knowledge in the organization of turns and sequences

Practical epistemology in calls to the police

Epistemic issues implicated in the production of question-answer and assessment sequences

Plan of the book

The village

The patrilocal group and the organization of labour

Post-marital residence and village exogamy

The road

House and yard

The rumshop

The social organization of knowledge in the village

The vernacular

The verb phrase

Participant deictics

The noun phrase

Answering questions

The concept of a language game

Learning to talk is learning to act'': The genealogical account of language games

The interactional organization of questions and answers

Earliest sequences: The proto-language game

Elaborations of the language-game

Whereabouts: News, location and accountability in a small community

Elaboration: Doubt and skepticism

Conclusion: Proto-games and universal customs

Uncertainty and expertise in advice

Locating and displaying uncertainty in advice-initiation

Certainty and advice closure

Blocking advice: Finding an alternate warrant.

The interactional locus of exteriority and constraint

Ritual procedure, advise and the finite clause

Conclusions

Cultivated ignorance

A visit to Shanka's house

Formulating persons

The conversation analytic approach to person reference: Identification and recognition

Questions and answers

Evidence and practical epistemology

Reminiscing local history

Constructing and managing male-exclusivity in the rumshop

Reminiscing as a situated activity

Establishing activity-relevant alignments

Maintaining and displaying alignments across the telling

Concluding, evaluating and following up the story

Policing knowledge

Locating the story-teller in past events

Knowledge and the turn-at-talk: The case of anticipatory completion

Challenging claims to knowledge

Being there: Age and entitlement to know

Post-marital residence and the epistemics of telling local history

Bhatgaon: A point of ethnographic comparison

The priority of practice

Of "practices'' and "theories''

Glossing and therapeutic analysis

Knowledge, belief and anthropological confusion

Conversation analysis

Notes

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Appendix

References

Index

The Pragmatics &amp

Beyond New Series.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612156380

9781282156388

1282156381

9789027294098

9027294097

OCLC:

191937303