Grammar in Interaction: Polar Interrogative Sequences in Talk-in-Interaction

The current study investigates the sequential organisation of the polar interrogative sequence. By implementing Conversation Analysis ethnomethodology, the study explores the action and form-related preferences which underpin the structure and the various trajectories of this type of sequence. The study demonstrates that some language-specific features, such as the conventionally declarative form of polar interrogatives, promote specific types of responses, such as repetitions. In the absence of morphosyntactic marking of polar, interactants orient to epistemic asymmetry and sequential positioning to mark a turn-at-talk as a polar question. One outcome of such orientation is that interactants display high sensitivity towards each other’s epistemic rights. Interactants implement various lexical, grammatical and sequential resources to index their level of epistemic access to the issue in question. Responses to polar interrogative questions vary according to the level of knowledge indexed and projected in those questions. The level of knowledge indexed and projected in polar questions would also determine whether a third turn is relevant or not within the polar interrogative sequence. The position of the polar interrogative sequence within talk-in-interaction has also an impact over the form and the extent of the response. The position of the polar interrogative sequence also determines whether a third turn is relevant or not within that sequence. This study also demonstrates that the polar question/response system is strongly biased towards positive format in terms of grammar. Such form-related bias intersects with the action-related bias towards confirmation, agreement and acceptance. Finally, the current study demonstrates that interactants orient to achieving intersubjectivity before bringing the polar interrogative sequence to closure.