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

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

Journal of Pragmatics

• Author(s): Stirling, Lesley, Gardner, Rod, Mushin, Ilana, Blythe, Joe, Possemato, Francesco
• Published: 2022
• Volume: 187
• ISBN: 0378-2166

Link to resource Report broken link

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 also grounds the exploration of new insights into the ways in which the epistemics of referring to places appear to diverge from what has been described for referring to persons.

• Urls: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378216621003660
• Keywords: Australian English, Conversation, Epistemic status, Place reference, Territories of information