Sidnell2004

From emcawiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Sidnell2004
BibType ARTICLE
Key Sidnell2004
Author(s) Jack Sidnell
Title There’s risks in everything: extreme-case formulations and accountability in inquiry testimony
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, accounts, evasion, extreme case formulations, law, questions and answers, turn-design
Publisher
Year 2004
Language English
City
Month
Journal Discourse & Society
Volume 15
Number 6
Pages 745–766
URL Link
DOI 10.1177/0957926504046503
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

Download BibTex

Abstract

Drawing on the video record of a recent inquiry into the causes of water contamination in a small town in Ontario, Canada, this article presents an analysis of evasive strategies. The analysis focuses on the use of ‘extreme case formulations’ such as ‘there’s risks in everything’ and ‘every meeting of Cabinet or Cabinet Committee is important’ (Pomerantz, 1986; Sacks, 1995). Within the context of inquiry testimony, such formulations allowed the thenpremier of Ontario to avoid having to account for possibly blameworthy actions.

Notes