Publications
Publication details [#61140]
Traverso, Véronique and Anna-Claudia Ticca. 2016. When questioners count on recipients’ lack of knowledge. A recurring ‘question-answer’ format in guided tours. Pragmatics and Society 7 (4) : 618–637.
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English
Keywords
Place, Publisher
John Benjamins
Journal DOI
10.1075/ps
Annotation
This paper studies a type of question-answer sequences which accomplish what can be considered as a delicate activity due to its projected sequential development. In contrast with other formats of question-answer sequences with different functions (i.e. eliciting information, checking the questionee’s knowledge, etc.), here the studied format seems to count on the questionee’s lack of knowledge, consequently projecting the questioner’s own answer. This hypothesis is examined through a detailed analysis of video-recorded guided tours in French and Italian. The paper describes the different sequence trajectories occurring after the guide’s question, and the difficulties both participants may find in dealing with the procedure.