Assertive content questions in Yurakaré conversations: Using indisputable facts to justify disputable claims, actions, and stances

Abstract

In Yurakaré (isolate, Bolivia) conversations, content questions containing question words based on the pro-form ama ‘who, which’ are frequently recruited for functions other than seeking information, among them the expression of strong assertions with reversed polarity. Assertive uses of content questions with the question word amaja ‘who, which (topic)’ present the information contained in the utterance as an indisputable fact rather than a subjective claim by the speaker. They are often employed in interaction to provide a justification for a potentially disputable claim, action, or stance. By connecting two utterances in this way, assertive questions with amaja contribute to textual connectivity in conversation.