Sister talk

Investigating an older sibling’s responses to verbal challenges

Datos Bibliográficos

ID7750784
AutoresJoanna Friedland (0000-0001-5906-5042, University College London, UK, autor de correspondencia), Merle Mahon (0000-0001-9075-9739, University College London, UK)
Año2018
Volumen20
Número3
Páginas340-360
Fecha de publicación2018-06-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaDiscourse Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1461-4456 • E-ISSN: 1461-7080
EditorialSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1461445618754418
OpenAlexW2773709929
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas6
Referencias citadas39

Children’s linguistic and social skills develop through play with siblings, but there is little research into sibling interaction using naturally occurring data. This conversation analytic case study presents an evidence-based account of how an older sibling responds to verbal challenges from her younger sibling during free play at home. The older sibling employs prosodic, rhetorical and linguistic devices to deflect challenges while avoiding conflict. She does this by acknowledging the grounds of the challenge, before invoking privileged information or epistemic differences to reject it. Structurally, the older sibling inserts extended digressions which obfuscate challenges by engaging the challenger and switching topic. These phenomena blur the traditional accept/reject response dichotomy. The findings provide insight into the complexity of a 5-/6-year-old’s challenge-defence strategies and highlight the importance of face preservation and mitigation of disagreement. We propose that the ability to respond to challenges while maintaining intersubjectivity is a component of communicative competence

Cognitive psychology · Conversation · Conversation analysis · Developmental psychology · Epistemology · Intersubjectivity · Linguistics · Rhetorical question · Sibling · Sibling relationship · Sister · Sociology · Communication · Language Development and Disorders · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Psychology · Social Psychology