Íslenskt mál og almenn málfræði - 01.01.2006, Page 57
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SUMMARY
‘Tag questions in conversations’
Keywords: tag questions, interactional grammar, conversational analysis (CA), radio
call-in conversations, increments, post-possible completions, feedback,
follow-ups (echo-tags).
This paper discusses tag questions in Icelandic conversations in the framework of
interactional grammar using data from radio call-in conversations. Tags are analysed
as increments placed in the tums post-possible completion. Tags can be looked upon
as having six possible functions: confirming, softening, challenging, agreeing, seek-
ing contact or marking common ground. Most of the data are on the last two func-
tions. The main fmdings are that there is a clear correlation between forms of the tags
and their function: Tags used to elicit direct respones from the addresse (confirming,
softening, challenging, agreeing) have mainly the linguistic form er það (ekki),
whereas the form ha (very frequent) and skilurðu are used for signalling contact and
marking mutual common ground.
The paper reveals that the Icelandic equivalent to the English ‘is it (not)’ er það
ekki is not as frequently used as a tag as sometimes stated. It is far more widespread
in the discourse on transition relevance places as the addresse’s follow-up (or echo-
tags) to the speaker’s tum. The main function of follow-ups is to express attitudes or
to mark contact and common ground between the speakers. The latter function re-
sembles one of the main functions of tags but the formal position is different.
Þóra Björk Hjartardóttir
íslenskuskor
Háskóla íslands
Arnagarði við Suðurgötu
IS-101 Reykjavík, ÍSLAND
‘horah@hi.is