Affordances and Actions: Requests for Confirmation as Devices for Implementing Challenging and Other Disagreement- Implicative Actions

Abstract This article examines how requests for confirmation (RfCs) can be used as devices challenging or disagreeing with another participant, their talk, action(s) in informal interaction. Based on defining pragmatic characteristics, we identify two generic interactional affordances RfCs offer speakers: (1) a capacity to do questioning and (2) forward propositional content. While these are generally utilized together, one the other may mobilized more strongly when bringing off disagreement-implicative actions. Drawing data (Peninsular) Spanish (American) English, using conversation analytic methods, illustrate participants differentially draw basic respect major classes of “challengeables”: co-participant’s claims assertions (or stances which they delivered), plans decisions. We end discussion usefulness an affordance-based approach.