The interactional accomplishment of changing codes in immigrant mother-child interactions: Orienting to epistemics

An interactional participant's epistemic status relies on their access to “epistemic domains” which exist beyond the unfolding interaction in which they are expressed. Heritage argues that comparative access and epistemic status can be described along an “epistemic gradient” and that it is the expression of this status which, in the interaction, exists as the taking, aligning to, and challenging of epistemic stance. This paper describes some of the resources musicians use in interaction to encode the epistemic domains from which knowledge comes during orchestral rehearsal. As “sound-hearing” and “instrument-playing” are central to the work of musicians, the discussion will focus on how perceptions of auditory and corporeal experience are deployed as part of musicians' epistemic stance taking. I will argue that these epistemic stances, as expressions of graded and differential access to epistemic domains, form part of the construction of authority in orchestral rehearsal.

We explore how patients with the behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) display different degrees of understanding when reporting on their experience of being ill. Using the methods of conversation analysis, we examine the video-recordings of bvFTD patients who had participated in clinical follow-up interviews with a doctor. Patient responses to the doctor’s questions were analyzed with respect to the action undertaken (i.e., confirmation vs. denial) and the epistemic stance (i.e., certainty vs. uncertainty) that was conveyed. We found that although patient denials of being ill were conveyed with certainty, these patients were unable to elaborate on their denials, thus generating an implication that they are not aware of their illness and its effects on their lives. By contrast, patients who confirmed being ill tended to produce expanded responses that either revealed the patient’s primary access to knowledge or the patient’s difficulty in understanding the doctor’s question.

In foreign language learning, students are commonly encouraged to share their experiences, opinions and beliefs. Such actions position the teacher as an interactant with no access to this knowledge unless the student makes it publicly available. At the same time, it is normatively expected that teachers have primary access to knowledge related to their responsibilities as language experts. Such contextual constraints shape classroom interaction within which moments of epistemic incongruence may arise as, for example, when an epistemic stance is not in line with the assumed epistemic status. Taking a conversation analytic approach, this study aims to investigate teacher epistemic stance as a source of trouble that emerges during episodes of meaning-and-fluency foreign language classroom interaction. The analysis reveals that incongruent teacher epistemic stance unfolds in two ways: 1) when students have initiated a word-search that must be repaired by the teacher, and 2) when the teacher inaccurately anticipates some information pertaining to the students' territory of knowledge. In both cases, the teacher displays an epistemic stance that is seen to be incongruent with the participants’ epistemic statuses. Findings also indicate that these episodes require certain repair work to resolve the resulting dissonance to which the interactants orient.

The acquisition of second-person knowledge in first encounters is a relatively unexplored area of investigation. In this study, we aim to shed light on this topic by systematically reviewing published research articles that describe the strategies and patterns observed when people seek to gain knowledge about one another in first encounters. Drawing on the framework of second-person knowledge and epistemics in conversation, we extracted relevant findings from the selected studies and explained the patterns of interactions in different interactional settings. Our findings showed that there are differences in the way second-person knowledge is acquired in both institutional and mundane settings. In institutional settings, the process is often asymmetrical and initiated by the party with institutional power to achieve institutional goals. Participants’ professional roles and expertise are emphasized through the display of their epistemic stance and status. Although the party with a lower authority position mostly provides information within their personal experience domain, there are attempts to gain knowledge about their conversational partner using certain conversational strategies. Whereas in mundane settings, second-person knowledge exchange is reciprocal between conversational partners, and this knowledge serves as both a topic and a facilitator for the continuation of conversations. Sometimes, speakers trespass on their partners’ epistemic territories to show an inclination toward creating a common ground. The findings of this review provide a better understanding of how people gain, disclose, withhold, and display knowledge about one another during the first encounter, which is an important communication event in everyday interaction.

The German second person personal pronounduis commonly described as a deictic “shifter” or a T-address term, which is incorporated as an argument of a predicate. Exploring the ways in which participants use pronouns in everyday interaction, however, shows that these are not the only uses ofdu. In this paper, we examine vocative uses ofduin German everyday interaction. Drawing on methods of Conversation Analysis and Interactional Linguistics, we will show that speakers use vocativedufor the management of being ‘with’ the other in terms of alignment as well as affiliation. Whatdulocally accomplishes, however, is sensitive to its positioning within the temporal unfolding of turns and sequences as well as to the sequential environments in which it is used. Our findings demonstrate the context-sensitivity ofduand underscore the importance of linguistic resources for the interactional establishment and maintenance of social togetherness and sociability.

The contemporary world witnesses growing popularity of foreign languages learning and their role in the modern society. The article is devoted to the problem of mutual borrowings from English and Spanish languages. The aim of the article is to investigate new tendencies in the English words borrowings, their establishment in the Spanish language and the other way round. The Spanish language is one of the most widespread languages in the world and it is a native language for different nationalities. On the other hand, English has borrowed quite a lot of Spanish words as well. The mutual enrichment of the languages makes the process of language teaching specific and it is important in the modern process of globalization where languages are the main resource of international cooperation. The article contains both theoretical and practical materials dedicated to the investigation of this problem. This article may be useful for a wide range of readers, students, scientists, linguists in the study of modern Spanish and English languages.

ABSTRACTThis study explored effects of Spanish oral language skills (vocabulary and syntax) on the development of English oral language skills (vocabulary, morphology, semantics, syntax) and reading comprehension among 156 bilingual Latino children in second through fifth grade whose first language was Spanish and whose second language was English. Using a cohort-sequential design (Cohort 1: second–third grade; Cohort 2: third–fourth grade; Cohort 3: fourth–fifth grade), we estimated Grade 2–5 trajectories of English oral language skills and reading comprehension. We assessed whether early levels of Spanish vocabulary and syntax predicted: (a) students’ fifth-grade English oral language skills and reading comprehension; and (b) students’ Grade 2–5 growth in these skills. Results showed that Spanish syntax predicted all Grade 5 English oral language skills and reading comprehension. Spanish syntax was also positively related to growth in English semantic knowledge. Spanish vocabulary was not associated with any English oral language skills or reading outcomes. Theoretically, results suggest that explorations of “transfer” from Spanish to English are likely moderated by the constructs under study and the means by which they are operationalized. Instructionally, working with bilingual learners around issues related to Spanish and English syntax has implications for bilingually and metalinguistically oriented teaching approaches that may build linguistic knowledge and promote reading comprehension.

This article deals with systematization of main principles of system typology put forward by G.P. Melnikov and that have become a methodological basis of the present research. The importance of concept of the internal determinant of the language is stipulated by the use of morphemes of different class - prepositions, prefixes and affixes - in the languages of different types by actualization of the uni-versal strategy. The triadic principle applicable for linguistic analysis was projected to the Dative under-stood from the point of view of the strategy derived through the universals of the natural semantic meta-language. The importance of the research is stipulated by insufficient study of aspect of Dative from the point of view of the system typology. The object of the research is prepositional-and-nominal and verbal-and-prefix constructions, where universal case conceptual basis of Dative is actualized in Russian, English, French, Spanish and Uzbek languages. The subject of the research is semantics of morphemes pri, to, à, a, -ga in Russian, English, French, Spanish and Uzbek languages as a model of the universal case meaning of Dative. The analysis done on the material of belles-lettres of five languages of different types has shown actualization of the strategy through the language units, the morphemes. Main methods used in the paper include abstracting, analysis, synthesis, analogy, cognitive-and-communicative and typological methods, as well as principles of morpheme analysis and cognitive modeling. As a result of the research it has been established that the Dative markers are preposition to in the English language, prepositionв à in the French language, preposition а in the Spanish language, prefix pri- of the Russian language and the Uzbek agglu-tinative affix -ga.

Current research into epistemics in social interaction considers the various ways in which participants design their contributions and understand the contributions of others, in relation to a distribution of knowledge that is assumed to preexist. Following the work of John Heritage, this article suggests that a wide range of phenomena within this general domain of interactional organization can be understood through the central ideas of epistemic status and epistemic stance. Epistemic status refers to a distribution of knowledge among participants that is assumed to preexist and to the rights and entitlements that flow from it. Epistemic stance on the other hand refers to the multitude of ways in which a turn at talk can convey through the details of its design the differential knowledge entitlements of speaker, recipient, and other participants. These ideas have been developed, and are articulated here, within a conversation‐analytic framework: an approach to talk and social interaction that adopts a broadly naturalistic perspective, attempting to identify stable practices of conduct across different occasions and settings, with the goal of describing the underlying normative organization of interaction.

In this study, we compare three approaches to epistemic stance: Akio Kamio’s Theory of Territories of Information (intended as a bridge between evidentiality and politeness) and his distinction between direct and indirect forms of utterances; John Heritage’s differentiation between epistemic status and epistemic stance and between speakers’ more knowledgeable and less knowledgeable positions; our theoretical model, which includes three epistemic positions : knowing, unknowing, believing (not knowing whether). Similarities and differences among these three approaches and their applicability to the analysis of naturally occurring conversations are discussed.

The article presents an analysis of the ways in which knowledge is displayed, contested and renegotiated in the 2007 French presidential debate between Ségolène Royal and Nicolas Sarkozy. Knowledge displays can be achieved through a series of ‘neutral’ resources, such as informing, explanation or comment, or through face-damaging resources, such as questioning an unknowledgeable interlocutor to prove his inferior epistemic status (K−) and boost one’s own. The article focuses on this latter type of knowledge display where a knowledgeable participant (K+) engages in question–answer sequences with an unknowledgeable respondent (K−) in front of a third party (the audience). The article also undertakes an analysis of the multimodal strategies employed by the (K+) participant to discredit the (K−) opponent (ironic smiles and laughter). The article intends to contribute to the existent literature on epistemic stance by offering a prototypical example of incongruence between the epistemic status (K+) of the questioner and the epistemic stance he adopts (unknowing K).

This chapter examines an integral part of Korean politeness—age. Prior research has focused on investigating age as a key determining factor that influences speakers’ choice of speech styles, address terms, and word choices. On the other hand, this study explores what speakers do with age and how age is relevant to them at the moment of their interaction. The focus of the study is on media talk as it reveals how age is represented, negotiated, and utilized by social members in public discourse. The study identifies a categorial practice related to age by utilizing (Stokoe, Discourse Studies 14:277–303, 2012)) five guiding principles for membership categorization analysis (MCA). A collection of data segments from various talk show interviews shows that the speakers routinely evoke age while displaying an epistemic stance, such as in claiming or disclaiming their epistemic rights, to the matter being discussed. Moreover, speakers classify themselves and others into age categories (Stokoe, Discourse Studies 14:277–303, 2012; e.g., the old, the young, acessi) based on their epistemic status or rights. These categories are determined not by the speakers’ chronological age, which is external to the interaction, but are rather spontaneously formulated in the local context of the interaction, which are subject to challenge, resistance, and negotiation by speakers. The study reveals how speakers use age as an interactional tool to negotiate their epistemic stance and category membership.

The article deals with a modern approach to political discourse analysis - the method of conversation analysis. This method represents structural - semiotic investigation of the text. Its specificity consists in the fact that discourse is not studied in isolation but in unity with the context which shapes it in a certain way. The talk organization is determined by the rules of text unfolding, and each speaker makes their contribution to the verbal interaction. This study is based on the material of a fragment from B. Johnson’s interview with the editor of the BBC political division. The aim of the study is to identify and describe the specific features of verbal and non - verbal communication means used by politicians. The verbal interaction begins in the interview with the initial utterance of Laura Kuenssberg which indicates her communicative intention. Boris Johnson responds with a so - called response utterance. The order of speaking is indicated in different ways: the next participant of the communication is directly named, addressed, or described indirectly; the pronouncing of the initial stimulating part of the dialogic unity “question - answer” determines the next utterance but the speaker is not designated; the speakers themselves are to decide who and how continues the conversation. The article stresses the role of the non - verbal means of communication: in order to achieve maximum effect, the communicators combine verbal and non - verbal means; we come across substitution or replacement of the verbal means by the non - verbal ones: instead of saying “Yes” or “No”, the Prime Minister either nods or shakes his head. The method of conversation analysis does not only help interpret the content of the text, but also allows one to reveal its hidden meanings and, into the bargain, to model the mechanisms of communication, to analyze the structure of the talk, and to distinguish the linguistic means of organization of interaction between the discourse participants.

Epistemic status as an analytic tool: Mapping classroom talk and participation in a middle grades prototyping testing activity

Purpose: Cook for Your Life (cookforyourlife.org) is a bilingual, science-based nutrition and culinary website designed for cancer patients and survivors based at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The website has been used as a tool and resource for health intervention research. This analysis described the characteristics of English and Spanish language users who responded to an online survey. Methods: Visitors to cookforyourlife.org were invited to participate in an online survey collecting demographic characteristics and health behaviors. Those at least 18 years old were eligible. Respondents with a cancer diagnosis were asked a subset of questions about treatment and side effects. English language (EL) and Spanish language (SL) versions launched in December 2020 and April 2021, respectively. Survey data were analyzed through October 2021 and only included those completing at least 50% of the survey questions. Demographic characteristics from web analytics data were compared. Results: Among EL respondents, 3039 initiated the survey and 2417 completed at least 50% of the questions. Of these, 53% were persons with a cancer diagnosis, 8% were caregivers of cancer patients, and 39% other. The majority of EL respondents were US residents (77%), but many were also from Europe (11%) and Canada (6%). Cancer patients/survivors were most likely to be ≥55 years old, female, non-Hispanic white, have income >$100K, and be college educated. Caregivers and others were younger, but otherwise had similar demographics. Among cancer patients/survivors, 46% had breast cancer and 7% pancreatic and 49% reported having treatment side effects in the past week, with 31% citing fatigue and 15% anxiety. Among SL respondents, 804 initiated the survey and 545 were eligible for analysis. Of these, 17% were cancer patients/survivors, 8% caregivers, and 75% other. SL respondents were also more likely to be female and highly educated, but were younger, from South/Latin America, and had income <$30K. Among SL cancer survivors, 31% had breast cancer and 8% had colorectal. Web analytics data on 1.5+ million visitors from December 2020 to October 2021 indicated most visitors were 71% female and lived in South/Latin America (35%) or the US (31%). Conclusions: Respondents of the Cook for Your Life English-language website survey were predominantly US women with high socioeconomic status; many had history of breast cancer. Conversely, Spanish-language respondents had more socioeconomic diversity, but fewer were diagnosed with cancer. Web analytics data suggested survey respondents may differ demographically from general website users. Knowledge about our website users is necessary for developing targeted strategies to improve reach. Future research efforts will focus on delivering content to more varied populations of cancer patients and survivors, their caregivers, and individuals interested in cancer prevention. Citation Format: Eileen Rillamas-Sun, Liza Schattenkerk, Sofia Cobos, Kate Ueland, Heather Greenlee. User characteristics of “Cook For Your Life” - a website designed to support cancer patients and survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5905.